The Power of an Invitation
The best invitations are to joyful occasions – a graduation, two becoming one flesh, welcoming a brand new life into the world, or just a spur of the moment request to share a simple meal with a beloved friend.
Stop and think for a minute about some of the wonderful experiences you have enjoyed by extending or accepting an invitation. Which invitations stand out as the best? A wedding? Graduation? Baby shower? Birthday party? Vacation trip?
For me, it was the invitation to trust Yeshua as Messiah. Being raised in a Jewish home, at first it seemed inconsequential and irrelevant to my otherwise full life. Initially, I turned it down. Thankfully, God knew what I needed to respond.
“Acceptance proper” took only a moment – but came after months in which the invitation angered, offended, intrigued, confused, and annoyed . . . then ultimately appealed to me.
The invitation’s appeal grew in small every-day ways. It started as an opportunity for friendship – to know and be known by another human being. It slowly pervaded my senses as a pungent yet sweet savor of a worldview quite different from my own. It manifested as personal acts of kindness anticipating my need.
The attraction intensified as I watched a disparate group of people unified by a shared love and joy. Eventually it solidified into a personal realization of God’s holiness, my sin, God’s gracious provision of atonement in my Jewish Messiah, and my need for Him.
Discipleship begins with an invitation. Yeshua came to invite sinful people to salvation (cf. Mark 2:17). In the parables of Matthew 22 and Luke 14, Messiah Jesus depicts His servants as those who are commanded to extend His invitation.
Paul extended that same invitation by preaching Messiah’s Good News (2 Thessalonians 2:14). Most of us who know Messiah as Lord and Savior know Him because someone invited us to follow Him.
Reaching God’s Jewish remnant starts with Yeshua’s direct and simple invitation; yet, acceptance is rarely a straight line. Rather, it traces a winding path populated by disciples who willingly bear up under rejection, intentionally meet practical needs, graciously welcome the stranger into community, and patiently await God’s Spirit to produce the fruit of acceptance. It often takes years.
The power of Yeshua’s invitation can change a Jewish person’s life. It did mine.
LIFE’s passion is extending this invitation to spiritually lost people. Pray for LIFE’s field staff as they invite Jewish people to follow Yeshua, then patiently walk the path to acceptance with them.
But remember . . . this is a team effort and we are on the same team! May God alert you to those on the path to acceptance as they cross your own, so you too can help them along the way. You may find yourself witnessing that miraculous moment of acceptance!
“But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. And it was for this He invited you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).
“And he said to me, ‘Write, “Blessed are those who are invited” to the marriage supper of the Lamb’” (Revelation 19:9).
Written by Dan, LIFE Board Chair
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28) is a most welcome invitation issued by Messiah Jesus to all who will listen.
What burdens are you carrying? A weight of sin? Grief? Bitter disappointment? Loneliness? Uncertainty for the future?
Why not take Yeshua at His word? “I will give you rest” is His promise. If you need prayer or someone to share your cares with, we invite you to contact us at LifeInMessiah.org. But most of all we hope you’ll accept Jesus’ invitation to place your trust in Him.