Had an interesting experience last night. I saw a friend from High School that I hadn't seen in fifteen years! He came to our Saturday night service @ Ebenezers.
It was very cool catching up. And it was so gratifying to see a spiritual intensity in him that is really remarkable. He didn't grow up in a christian family, but I invited him to church when we were in high school. And he thanked me last night because he said I kept inviting him and inviting him and inviting him until he finally came. I don't even remember being that persistent :)
Fast-forward fifteen years and it's amazing to see his passion for God. He is serving as a lay pastor at his church. And his family is loving and serving God.
It really impacted me last night because I honestly didn't feel like I did much, but he thanked me for the role I played in him coming to Christ.
It really reminded me of how important it is to plant seeds by sharing our faith and inviting people to church. I know that is so basic. But a simple invitation can change the trajectory of a life.
It was very cool catching up. And it was so gratifying to see a spiritual intensity in him that is really remarkable. He didn't grow up in a christian family, but I invited him to church when we were in high school. And he thanked me last night because he said I kept inviting him and inviting him and inviting him until he finally came. I don't even remember being that persistent :)
Fast-forward fifteen years and it's amazing to see his passion for God. He is serving as a lay pastor at his church. And his family is loving and serving God.
It really impacted me last night because I honestly didn't feel like I did much, but he thanked me for the role I played in him coming to Christ.
It really reminded me of how important it is to plant seeds by sharing our faith and inviting people to church. I know that is so basic. But a simple invitation can change the trajectory of a life.
6 Comments:
Mark, God recently reminded me that when we invite people to church, we're joining Him in a work He's already doing. A couple months ago my wife and I visited NCC. While we were on the red line, a woman nearby asked us how to get to Union Station. We told her, but she still seemed anxious. So we mentioned that we were going to Union Station, and she and her husband could just follow us. We got to talking and found out that they were from Florida and were in D.C. for a week sightseeing. I felt one of those Holy Spirit tugs, where you know God wants you to do something that you're not comfortable with. I thought it'd be weird to invite a couple sightseers from Florida to join us at church--and on the spur of the moment--but I wanted to be obedient to the Spirit. So we asked them to join us...and they did! We all really enjoyed the worship service, and afterward they told us that God had sent us to them to take them to NCC. Imagine if everyone who comes to NCC on the Metro were to invite just one person to church on a particular day. What might God do?
A beautiful and inspiring story! We never know the imact we are making
wow that is so cool. I think NCC has a culture of inviting. I've never seen anything like it.
I think it is important to say that those who plant the seeds are not always the ones who reap the harvest. You may never know the impact you have had on someone else. After all, this is not your work. This is the Holy Spirit's work. And we are given an opportunity to have a small part in a great thing.
This is encouraging. I have a friend I have invited occasionally to NCC stuff especially the "non-threatening" ones like the variety show and coffee at Ebenezers. Four years and they have yet to come to anything. I'm at a point now where I'm not sure what the Holy Spirit wants me to do next, so I just keep being friends and hanging out and talking about my church stuff and my journey with Christ. Patience and faith are my buzzwords. And I never thought I was good a discipling. God knows how to work on our weaknesses.
So maybe the next move isn't yours. Mother Teresa said, "I'm just a pencil in the hand of God." No one goes around praising the pencil. They praise the writer. This is someone else's work in which you have the privilege of participating.
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