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Keep Inviting
Jon Burgess10The runners went from town to town throughout Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as the territory of Zebulun. But most of the people just laughed at the runners and made fun of them.11However, some people from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 30:10-11
King Hezekiah sent out a call to God's people to come back to Him! After so many years worshipping false gods and sacrificing to idols there would be true worship to the One true God. God was stirring up revival but not all wanted to be revived. God was calling all to repent but not all wanted to repent. God was calling His people to return but some preferred the distance. Thus, when the runners were sent with an invite to this effect the response from many was nothing but mockery. They laughed at the letter that would lead them back to the Lord. They made fun of the messengers that were calling them to make God their Master. They went back to their revelry instead of forward in revival. Regardless of the reaction these servants of the King never stopped running and inviting. They had a mission, a duty, a responsibility and a privilege to invite every single person they came across. They were not called to force or enforce, just to invite. They were not held accountable for how many repsonded just that everyone was invited. The runners remained unphased in the face of rejection. The mocking did not slience their message. Though most rejected them there were some people from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun who humbled themselves and returned to the Lord. What if the runners had stopped inviting at the first instance of rejection at the first insinuation that they were fools? Then all of these would missed out on the message of the Lord and the restoration of relationship with their God.
What has stopped you from inviting people in your life back to the Lord? Have you been mocked for your faith? Have you been uninvited, unfriended, and thrown under the bus because of your faith? Has your open letter invite been thrown into the trash? I know it hurts. It's not easy to be rejected especially by those you care about. We all want to be liked by those around us. Let me encourage- Keep Inviting! Let me challenge you- Don't Stop Running! It may feel like an impossible task God has given you, but don't give up. It may feel like social media, Hollywood, and people in power are laughing at your message of hope in Christ- Don't stop inviting! Jesus warned us this would be the case: "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it" (Mt. 7:13-14). We are running for the few. We aren't inviting to be popular. We will never be in the majority. We invite all to win some! We give everyone a chance to choose Christ. Regardless of the respsonse, whether laughter or love, we keep running until everyone has heard that God is calling them back home! LifeWay Researchtook a survey of 15,000 adults for theNorth American Mission Boardto try to determine which of 13 approaches is the best-received when a church wants to be heard. The research showed us that best-received means of seeing new people visit into one's church is, well, a personal invitation. 67% of Americans say a personal invitation from a family member would be very or somewhat effective in getting them to visit a church. That doesn't mean they will all come to know Jesus but it does mean they have been given the chance!
Lord, You are a missionary who left Heaven and came to earth to invite people to life knowing full well that many would reject you- crucify You in fact! Yet, Your heart for all is beautifully big that You continue to offer all the invitation to life through Your Son Jesus Christ! How can I do any less. I pray that I would be more concerned about people's eternal life then I am about being liked. I pray that my heart would break for those who try to break me through rejection and/or indifference. Let me never stop running until You bring me home! Let me never stop inviting until all have heard! Thank You for inviting me! Thank You for calling me out of darkness and into Your marvelous light!
