Three reasons we don't invite people to church

We love them too little 

Jesus found Phillip, who in turn went to find his friend Nathaniel. (John 1:43-46) This is how change happens. There is a a connection that cannot be severed between Jesus’ words to us, “Follow me”, and our words to others, “Come and see”. There was something that happened in Phillip’s heart that could not be contained. This is the power of the Gospel that transforms lives. This is the love of God that has been poured out into our hearts. (Romans 5:5) To the degree that we are astounded by the grace of God, we will love and go, seek and invite others to come and see Jesus. The love of God doesn’t terminate on us, but rather it compels us to be like Jesus.

We doubt God too much 

We go to church on Sunday expecting to sing songs, give tithes, and hear sermons. But we don’t actually expect anything to happen in our lives as a result of going to church. It’s a meeting. It’s what we do on Sundays before having fun and taking a nap. Therefore, if this is all we think is going to happen Sunday after Sunday, then what possible reason would we have to invite anyone to church? But since when has God ceased to be powerful? Since when has the Holy Spirit stopped transforming lives? Since when did the Gospel lose it’s power? On the other hand, if I believe that God is mighty to save and powerful to heal, then I WANT my friends to come! I WANT people to encounter the living God! Jesus is alive and His Kingdom is still advancing. 

We think of ourselves too highly

Sadly, many think that they don’t need a local church, that they can do “ministry” on their own. This is contrary to the testimony of the Bible and the testimony of Christians throughout history. Jesus never intended for His disciples to go, make their own disciples and start their own movement. In Acts, the disciples would preach the Gospel and those that believed were not only saved by Jesus, but were added to the body of Jesus, the church. (Acts 2:41-47) When we go out to preach or take part in a ministry, but then never plug those we reach back into the local church, we are not being true Gospel minsters. Additionally, when we start to un-plug from a local church because of the ministry we’re doing, we’re not being true disciples of Jesus. We cannot separate the new birth from the family we’re born into.