I think in the midst of everything that is going on in our church, we have somewhat lost focus for this coming Easter. Believe it or not, it is coming up in 10 days. The title of this Easter’s sermon series is called, “Phenomenon.” There are many phenomenons recorded in history that will “wow” people, but the greatest phenomenon is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, it literally transformed the world.
As we are busy getting ready for this special Sunday, I want to encourage everyone to continue to pray for Easter. Not only for God to use all the various presentations and the message, but most of all for the people who will be attending.
I am especially praying for the pre-Christians and those who have fallen away from the Lord who will come out.
In his book, The Unchurched Next Door, Thom Rainer makes some interesting points. He said that 82% of un-churched people are receptive to attending church if invited and escorted by a friend and that 21% of church-going Christians invited someone to church in 2006.
The first percentage is overwhelming if you think about it, while the second percentage is disheartening. Can you imagine that there are people who would be open to coming out to church (especially on Easter) if they were invited by a friend? But the sad reality is that only 21% of the people in the church do invite their pre-Christian or backslidden friends.
What would happen if we put these statistics to the test and then take the risk of inviting someone from our dorms, classroom, workplace, and family? I am wondering if heaven will be a little bit fuller with people who are amazed at God’s grace.
Let’s do our part – Invest and Invite!
