Enthusiastic Inviters

The Bible ends with an amazing invitation:

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" -- REV 22:17

Looking closely at this verse it becomes clear that God wants His Spirit to work in sync with His Bride (that’s us – His people) in such a way that, together, we would invite others to come to Him.

Now, of course, this is the very thing that makes a lot of people uneasy. Let’s be honest. We are okay with our faith as long as we don’t have to have to impose it on others. But here’s why I think this passage takes some of the pressure off. It’s not about convincing, twisting people’s arms, debating, or arguing people into the kingdom. It’s about looking for people that the Spirit is already inviting… drawing … wooing.

And all we have to do is invite. We don’t have to plan the party or bake the cake. We just have to say, “Come with me.” It’s God’s job to convince, it’s our job to just say, “Would you like to join me in this journey?”

Think about how your faith started. Chances are there was another Christian somewhere who took an invitational risk with you. Why not extend that same invitation to someone else? You can bet that the Spirit will be working too.

Experience the thrill of God working through you

You were made to make a God-sized difference in this world. God pre-packaged you for a significant purpose. The Bible puts it this way:

If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides… 1 Peter 4:11

I’ve never gotten over the first rush of knowing God was using me. As a teenager on the phone, it suddenly hit me that as I spoke God was actually using my very words. I couldn’t deny it! It was both humbling… and addicting!

According to the passage above, if you have strengths in speaking, then God wants to communicate to others through you! He actually wants you to be His mouthpiece. More than that, if you have strengths in serving, God wants to actually pour His strength into your service. In other words, it will be your arms, but God’s muscle -- your skills, but His strength!

And I've never gotten over it! The thrill of knowing God could use me! I even think that’s the way Peter felt. Because as soon as he wrote this, he broke into praise! That's why the above verse ends this way:

…so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Peter is pumped up. And you should be as well. God wants to work through you!

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The Company of the Unaffiliated

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing... Heb. 10:25

Gallop regularly surveys the religious faith of Americans. In the most recent results, as always, the overwhelming majority of Americans still consider themselves Christians. What is interesting to me is that they also break that category into smaller groupings (Catholic, Evangelical, Mainline denominations, Pentecostal, etc.). But here’s what is new. For the first time, the largest sector of Christians in America was the group categorized as the unaffiliated. This is the time it has happened.

In other words, there is a growing population of people in this country who somehow identify with Jesus, but nonetheless have so privatized their faith that they have no tangible community with which they identify.

Did you know that there is some research that suggests that if you join a group, you cut your risk of dying in the next year, as much as in half? I heard about one church whose motto for their small groups was, “Join a group or die.” :) I’m not sure I’m ready to adopt that one, but you get the point.

I’m not saying you have to become a social animal. I’m simply suggesting that the New Testament doesn’t allow for an isolated faith. Our faith was meant to be nurtured in relationship with others.

Don’t give up meeting together. Don’t become a part of the company of the unaffiliated. Rather make a commitment to connect with other believers as a regular rhythm of life for you.

Too Much Information

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” -- Jesus in John 17:17

We live in a Wikipedia World. Information, which used to be as rare as rain in California, now floods our lives. So it is more essential than ever that we see the Bible as more than just more data to process.

Let me illustrate this. A lot of people look at Bible Study this way. Imagine the Buckethead below represents the average person. (Cut me some slack. I drew this myself). A lot of people see Bible as information to download.

The trouble is that there is so much other information coming into our brains as well.


This leads to two problems. 1). Information overload. 2). With all this other information, the Bible becomes a smaller piece of all the data we are trying to assimilate.



Instead, I believe God wants us to see the Bible as a filter. It helps us discern what is true, what needs to be interpreted, and what needs to be discarded. In this way, the Scriptures becomes the grid through which we see life.

With so much information bombarding our minds every day, how can we make sense of it? How can we filter that information? And get to the truth? We need to use the Bible as our filter. It’s the difference between information and transformation.