Responding to the Invitation
10/Sep 2023
A Common Practice
At the conclusion of most lessons presented on a Sunday morning or evening worship, there is the common practice of the invitation. This invitation encourages those who have questions, special needs or concerns to publicly share them, many times in light of the message that was just presented. The response is not to any person or the church herself, but instead to God and His Word.
Because the invitation is so common, it might be assumed that only those who physically walk to the front pew and make their needs known are the one’s responding to God’s Word that particular day.
Everyone Responds
In truth, everyone responds to the message in one way or another:
Acceptance
This can vary as to degree as, not every lesson topic impacts every Christian in the same way in their own particular walk. The general idea is that, as far as what is taught by the Word, they accept it as valid and choose to make application of it in their lives. One need not go to the front pew in order to be struck by the Word of God.
Rejection
The opposite of acceptance is also possible, especially with a particular topic which is not believed to be applicable to a particular Christian. This need not be a rejection of the Gospel in its entirety or a rejection of Jesus and God, simply a rejection of the topic, such as the problem of anger or gossip. One need not walk out of the auditorium in order to reject the teaching of the Word of God.
Indifference
Indifference commonly occurs when the Christian does not believe a particular message applies to them because they have already heard a similar message before, or because they believe they already know everything necessary. A great danger can occur when the Christian becomes accustomed to indifference, preferring to hear what they already know and have accepted, rather than be challenged by the deeper truths of God’s Word.
The Reality
The reality is that every person in the auditorium responds to the message preached from God’s Word in some way, the preacher included. It is how we choose to respond, and what we choose to do about it that makes the difference.