Drawing the Net

Matthew 13:47

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.”

One of the consistent elements of our weekly worship services is that I offer a time for public invitation. This is a moment in each service after the Word of God has been read and preached in which people can physically respond to what the Lord is stirring in their lives. For some, this is considered a more traditional part of worship, and many churches have ceased any form of public invitation and have created different pathways for people to respond. Allow me to share with you why I am passionate about continuing to have a time of public invitation during our services:

• James 1:22-25 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

After the word of God has been preached, we should seek how we apply this truth to our lives. A public invitation gives us all the time to reflect on what the Lord has just revealed to us through His preached Word. Rather than quickly “moving on” to whatever is next in our lives, a public invitation gives us all a moment to be still and listen to what the Lord says to us. It is the only moment in our services where we can reflect, sit with the Lord, listen, and, should He lead, respond. A public invitation gives us a moment to say, “Lord, I hear you!”

• There is something powerful about connecting your body physically with what the Lord is doing spiritually in your life. When the Lord stirs in your heart and mind, you have this internal passion that cannot be contained. A public invitation allows you to share that with the congregation and allows a measure of accountability in your life. When you physically take a step forward to meet with a pastor and stand before a congregation, it “waters the seeds” of the work of the Lord in your life, leading to personal growth and spiritual development that can inspire and motivate us all.
• A public invitation gives others the courage that they may need to take a step of obedience to the Lord. Have you ever noticed how sometimes, during an invitation, people can be slow to respond, but after one person steps forward, two or three others will quickly follow? Sometimes people need a little encouragement from others to step out and do what they already know the Lord is leading them to do. When one sees another moving forward they too will find the courage to respond as well.

My list could go on and on, but I hope you will appreciate this moment in our services as much as I do.  Please do not ever worry about me and my emotions should no one ever come forward. I do not take that personally, nor am I discouraged by that. I know that my responsibility is to extend the invitation, and then I must trust the Lord and others to respond. I will keep giving them in faith and not grow weary.

What many do not see is that the effects of the invitation are like waves of the ocean that continue to roll into the days ahead. Frequently, people will email, call, or come by the office and say, “Pastor, I should have come forward on Sunday, but I didn’t,” and in that conversation, they will make a decision or stand for the Lord. What I want you to know is that people are coming and responding, but you may not always see it during the services, and that is okay.

What should you do during the invitation? Well, you should respond. If the Lord is leading you to come forward, please feel welcome and encouraged.  You should also be willing to support others and go with them if they need a little support. Perhaps you have a friend who wants to come forward but does not want to come down alone. Maybe you should offer the opportunity to walk forward and stand with them as a means of support. What a great picture of discipleship. One believer helps another step further into their relationship with the Lord. Finally, you should pray. Pray during the week and even during the service that the Lord would use the public invitation to do His work among us.

I cannot wait to see what the Lord will do in our lives next week. I’ll be waiting for you at the altar!  

Pastor Robert