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An Atmosphere of Invitation - Not Just When You Stand & Sing
Brian Mashburn
October 28, 2007
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An Inviting Atmosphere
Come to me, all you who have it together, and I will give you my company.
Come to me, all you who aren't too sick, and I will give you some Tylenol.
Come to me, all of you who don't make me uncomfortable, I will interact with you socially.
Come to me, all of you who think I'm the greatest, and I will mutually think you are too.
Come to me, all of you with what I deem a worthy cause, and I will give you money.
Come to me, all of you who will agree with me on certain Biblical issues, and I will give you "fellowship".
Come to me, all of you who like the songs I like, the way I like them, and I will gather and sing with you joyfully on Sunday mornings.
There is no mistaking that Jesus came to earth as an "invitation" to people. He directly said "Come, follow me" to his disciples. He invited people to go right up to God as "askers and seekers" fully expecting to be received by Him, and that they would have the door opened. He describes the Kingdom of Heaven as a great feast that a man prepared for his son, and sent servants out to invite others to join them.
Jesus is an invitation. And he lived as an invitation. Jesus carried around an atmosphere of invitation. Do you?
In the royal gathering before Christ at judgment, our King Jesus exalts those people who saw strangers and invited them in. What is he talking about here if not this idea of inviting people you don't know and making them into people you do know?
If you followed Christ around, you would see that he has a demeanor that is like "human gravity". It attracts people. It intrigues people. It fills people with hope. The atmosphere around him was so inviting, at least partly, because Jesus himself was:
Approachable: People knew they could go to him about anything, on any subject, or with any problem.
Responsive: He didn't ignore people, nor dismiss their needs as trivial, he was willing to be interrupted or inconvenienced.
Comforting: He was disarming, but honest. Honest, but disarming.
Is our church seeing this fruit? Does your small group have an inviting atmosphere? Is your heart, face, tone, body language, delivering the Christ-like message of "come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest?"