The invitation

Philippians 1:3-6

3I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

4Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

5For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

6Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

David Brumbelow on SelahV Today asked why Baptist churches have an invitation song at the end of each sermon so people can come down to the front of the church and make their public profession of Jesus Christ, move their church affiliation letter, or have someone help them understand how to accept Jesus Christ as their savior. In response to him, this is what I wrote.

I hope I never see the day that my church doesn't have an invitation to join the church or to make a public profession of faith.

Not only does a church invitation call give the person accepting the invitation a means to profess their faith publically, it also gives all the church members a chance to see who the person is, meet them and have the opportunity to encourage them. I have never doubted the sincerity of a single person who 'walked the aisle'. It's not up for us to judge, but more than that we don't know how God is working in their lives and all the steps it took to bring that person to make the most important decision of their life. For some, it might be the first step, for others it might be a long progression of steps. The best we can do is love them and encourage them as our sisters and brothers, warts and all just as we have.

It has been a long time since I made my profession of faith but I still remember coming forward and making my decision public. Next to accepting salvation, which I did all alone talking to God in my bedroom late one night as a pre-teen, making my public profession and then being baptized were the most powerful blessings in my life. After that, the birth of my son and watching him grow and experience the same blessings of God were and are also powerful experiences that changed my life and continue to change my life daily as I grow right along with him and everyone else I meet and interact with.

An alternative to giving out an invitation would be just to put the invitation in the bulletin and have anyone fill it out and put it in the offering plate as it comes around. Then new professions of faith and new additions to the church roll could be added to the bulletin the next week. It would be a great way for church members to become just another number. Is that what we really want, or do we want our members to be a family, all members of the family of God, His children and our brothers and sisters in Christ?

“Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” Jude, second verse.

I feel God's presence in my life daily. I know He is there because long ago He began a good work in me and will continue it until the day Christ Jesus returns just like the apostle Paul said in Philippians. If you don't feel God's presence in your life I invite you to bow your head and ask Him to come into your heart making Him the Lord of your life. You will never regret it.



Red Gerbers
oil on canvas
12x12 finished yesterday