When we invite a friend, a neighbor, or any other acquaintance to an assembly of the church, whether that person comes or not, is not the only criterion by which we should judge the value of the invitation. If they do not come, at least they know we have an interest in them. No invitation shows no interest. They could come at a later time because someone had invited them in the past. They would know someone who is a member of the congregation. Quite often people say that they do not know anyone in “that church”. Suppose through the years they receive many invitations from many of the members. Can you estimate the value of such a thing? But what if they do come, whether after one invitation, or ten? What could be the result?
Bob Davidson, a former missionary to Thailand, told a story of his first work in the New York City area. In beginning that work they conducted a gospel meeting. The week before it started they passed out tracts and invitations to hundreds of people in the area, inviting people to come to the meeting. One of the people they met was a drunk on the street. On an impulse, as Bob tried to sturdy the man’s balance as he helped him down the street, he stuck one of the gospel meeting flyers in the man’s pocket. About half way through the meeting, Bob said he looked up and saw this man coming through the door of the church building (cleaned up and sober). Bob asked him why he had come. He replied, “It’s a miracle! I woke up this morning and saw this invitation that God had put on my dresser. I don’t know how else it got there.” Bob knew how it got there, but he didn’t say. The man came back Thursday, again on Friday, and on Saturday night he was baptized into Christ. All because someone put an invitation in his pocket.
Twenty years later Bob Davidson was speaking at International Bible College, and as he walked into the lobby, a young man walked up to him and asked, “Are you Bob Davidson?” When Bob said yes, this stranger threw his arms around Bob and hugged him, saying, “I’m a Christian because of you. I am studying to be a missionary because you invited my dad to a gospel meeting when he was an alcoholic on the streets of New York.”
Bob told this story a few years later at the Asian Mission Emphasis dinner. When he finished, the emcee asked if anyone had any announcement to make. A missionary to India named Craig Phillips stood up and said, “I would like to thank Bob again for inviting my dad to come to a gospel meeting”.
Who knows the value and power of a simple invitation when given in God’s name? We never can see in advance all that God will do, or even all that he can do through us. We just need to remember that whatever we do in his service, regardless of how small it may seem, he can bring about many blessings.
-Richard
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