By Invitation Only

Scripture reference: Luke 14:16-24 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bid many: and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, come: for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife: and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

In this parable, a great supper was planned. Careful attention to detail was given, invitations were issued and preparations began. The rsvp list was full, with many accepting the invitation and responding that they would attend. When all was ready, the servant was sent out with the message that the time to attend had come, all was ready. Without exception, every guest began to make excuse, using one reason or another for being unable to attend. The master became angry, undoubtedly disappointed with the inconsiderate behavior and blatant disregard for the sacrifice, expense and effort spent in preparation. Determined that there would be guests at his supper, the master instructed his servant to go throughout the city and invite the poor, maimed, blind and halt; society’s downtrodden overlooked members. Having done this and receiving many positive responses, the servant reports that there is yet more room. The master commands the servant to go out and compel everyone he sees to come to the supper, because the master’s wish is that his house would be filled.

As in every parable, there is a spiritual truth illustrated and Wayne’s sermon illuminates the real lesson that Jesus is teaching through this parable.

We are told in John 14 that Jesus is preparing a place for his followers, that we may go and be where He is. The plans have been made, the preparation have been made and the invitation made. Many have already responded to the invitation by following God’s plan of salvation and are planning to be ready to attend. This is evident from the life of preparation they are living, closely watching and preparing themselves for the gathering. Many more have received and accepted the invitation but have no real plans to attend, having forgotten about it or allowing other things to take precedence.

There is another group that is the focus of this message: those who have not yet heard the invitation. We know that Christ Himself said, “Whosoever will, let him come unto me.” And that He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.” The sacrifice of Christ and His plan of salvation is for every man, woman, boy and girl.

It is the duty of every servant of Christ to be inviting people to the great gathering that has been planned. Indeed, we are instructed to issue the invitation to each person, without reservation. We are not to qualify people, determine who will likely respond positively or otherwise fit in. According to the instructions we see in the parable, the invitation is for each person. It was the servant’s job to make the invitation known to every person he came into contact with. In fact, he was instructed to go out and seek people to invite. In the same way, we are to live our life with a purposeful intention to issue the invitation to as many people as we can. Not a passive, timid invitation, but a compelling, urgent invitation.

Jesus Christ said he had come to seek and to save that which was lost. We are to be following His example and seeking out the lost. No longer should we simply wait for people find our church and the truth of God’s word on their own. We are to go where people are, looking for them, seeking them out and issue the invitation.

Notice the servant was not responsible for the person’s response. When the invited guests did not attend, the master instructed the servant to find more people to invite. He did not question the servant on his success rate or why he had invited only people who would not come. The master simply instructed the servant to go out and seek more people to issue the invitation to. Many times, when we invite someone to church, we experience the disappointment of a no-show. Our disappointment is understandable, but we cannot allow disappointment to become discouragement. Keep foremost in your mind the master’s instructions: issue the invitation.

We do not carry the responsibility of the person’s response, weather positive or negative.  When we invite someone to church, to know Christ, to experience the life-changing power of Truth, we are successfully obeying Christ’s instructions. It is important that we keep this in mind; we can use it as a tool to keep discouragement at bay when disappointment comes. You are successful when you issue the invitation.

The gathering will take place: Christ will return for His followers. He desires his gathering to be well attended, full of guests ready for his return. You are a follower of Christ because someone somewhere extended the invitation to you. You are part of the body of Christ by invitation.

Our pastor issued a challenge to each of us; Will you invite one person every week to attend our church? Almost 100% of our congregation accepted the challenge to invite one person a week to church. If you accepted the challenge, share your experiences with others in the congregation and ask others about their experiences. Together we can issue the invitation to every person in this city and throughout the surrounding areas.

Go, compel them to come.