(Email from Brandt) “My
pastor and church seem really interested in the idea of inviting friends to
church. Is this biblical? Why does it bother me so much???”
What is the chief goal of the church on earth? To love & glorify
God. What is among the chief ways we do that: reach the lost. When we are
consumed with the reality that the lost are dangling over the fires of hell by
a silk string we will look for every and any way to reach them.
- I might encourage a rewording of this question, I would ask “Is there any reason God wouldn't want us to bring the lost to church?” Church is a most natural place to win the lost as they're going with the mentality to hear about spiritual things, and it is a place of beginnings for the new believer.
- The primary outreach throughout the New Testament was of believers reaching outside the church. Ray has said many times that you can reach more lost people with the gospel in a half-hour open-air than the average church will in a year—simply because lost folk don’t run to church each week. To be as effective as we can our main outreach should be outside the church and focus the church on building up the saints (but that doesn’t mean we can’t also reach many at church).
- 1 Cor. 14:23-25 says that we should be mindful about unbeleivers being present in our church services, to be careful about not freaking them out, and to be intentional about reaching them.
- “Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.”
- Many churches have an altar call or a gospel presentation as a part of each service specifically just for the lost to hear the gospel. Others have special events when they share the gospel. These are both excellent opportunities to invite lost people to your church.
- 1 Pet. 3:1 says, “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives.”
- As this passage shows, there is something powerfully compelling about people loving Jesus, it amplifies your words. Church can be a great place to expose people to the Body of Christ, which in and of itself is powerfully attractive and may help put a face on the gospel.
Wretched: Christian Slang
Whether in personal witnessing or in a church service, we don’t
make unbelievers feel like they just showed up to a secret club meeting that
they weren’t invited to.
What do you say if
someone says, “God doesn’t really care about what I do, does
He?”
If you think God doesn’t care about what people do then you
must believe God is either completely amoral (with no standards of right and
wrong), or you believe that God is wicked hearted and takes pleasure in
watching His creation suffer. If you believe God is amoral, then you must think
God winks with indifference at child pornography, racism, rape, murder, and
terrorism. The Bible tells us the extreme opposite. It declares that God is
holy; He will bring all workers of evil into fierce judgment. God hates sin
with the fury of a wolverine whose cubs have been stolen. God has concluded
that after death there will be a judgment to examine how each has lived their
life (Heb. 9:27). Be assured each individual will have to give an explanation
for their conduct to their holy Judge. God will see to it that all who have
sinned, and disregarded His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, will be
found guilty and be sentenced to an eternal penal complex called hell. God
intently cares about you, and what you do with your life. Please, do what’s right
with your life by following Jesus Christ.
To
watch today’s “On The Box with Ray Comfort” episode, visit our YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/thewayofthemaster
