Hey everyone! Here is a little supplemental post for Warren Prays, just a little extra somethin’-somethin’ to keep us going and to give us directive of something else we can do between now and Easter. We’re going to finish this prayer initiative strong. We are so excited you’ve been joining us in praying for the city of Warren.
We are even starting to hear testimonies of how hearts are beginning to turn, about how easy it has been for some people to even just share Jesus with people that they see waiting in line at the store or waiting for a haircut. People are more open to the gospel, and do you know why? It’s because you have been praying that God would wake up Warren. You’ve been praying for God to awaken the awareness of the reality of God on the inside of their hearts, praying for Him to water their hearts with His love and get them ready to receive the seed of His Word. And guess what!?! They are ready!
We have several more days to pray before we are finished, but we have another directive for you, and it’s INVITE. Prayer is good. Prayer is what Jesus told the disciples to start with in Matthew 9. He looked at the harvest and had compassion and told them the very first thing they were to do was to pray. But once we pray, we also have another part to play, and He told us about it right before He ascended back into heaven. He said, “Go!” Go into all the world. Point them to Me. Make disciples of all creatures.
We’ve prayed, and we are praying, and it’s getting the ground ready for them to receive the seed of the Word, but now they have to hear the seed of the Word. And so our job is to share. Can you be bold enough to maybe share your story with a family member? Would you share about God with an unsaved person at work? Maybe tell the cashier, “You know, God loves you.” That opens the door for the gospel to be preached to them. So we can share.
If sharing is still a little bit too intimidating for you, pray for boldness and then simply take the step to invite. Invite them to church with you on Easter Sunday. Invite. Invite. INVITE! I can pretty much guarantee you that almost every church in Warren is going to have some kind of gospel message on Easter Sunday. It just lends itself to that because that is when we celebrate the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So it’s the perfect Sunday to invite people to church.
And do you know what? They are expecting an invitation. And do you know why? Because it’s Easter. People expect to be invited to church on Easter. Studies have shown that the majority of people that come to church on Easter don’t come because they saw it on social media, although that’s not bad. We can share our church’s service times on our social media pages. Do it. Don’t not do that. Do that. Share that. That will help your church.
The majority of people that come on Easter that don’t normally go to church will generally come because they received a personal invitation from someone. They’re just waiting for you to invite them. So invite. Invite them to your church. Ask the Lord who to invite on Easter morning. He knows whose hearts are ready. And if you don’t hear anything, just consider it a mandate to invite all the unsaved people that you know. Invite your unsaved family. Invite your unsaved friends. Invite your unsaved coworkers.
They’re expecting to be invited. And another tip – don’t let an anticipation of rejection hinder you from inviting someone. Don’t pre-reject for them and say, “Oh, well, they’re not going to want to come anyway so I just won’t ask.” Even if they’ve already said no before, invite them again. The person who got me saved invited me to church for YEARS before I finally said yes, and I’m so glad they didn’t stop inviting me because I did eventually say yes. And I gave my heart to the Lord.
Even if they’ve said no before, invite them to church. Then we’re going to pray that the Holy Spirit will work with your invitation and use it to draw them to church.
Here are some different ways to invite someone to church:
- Offer to give them a ride. You can say, “Hey! Easter is coming. Do you want to go to church with me? I’ll pick you up!”
- Offer them free food. “Hey! Easter is coming. Would you like to come to church with me and then come over for lunch?” People love free food!
- Invite friends who have kids. “Hey Easter is coming. Our kids love church because it’s so much fun. Would you and your kids like to join us and maybe hang out after?”
Between now and Easter, don’t stop praying. In fact, let’s pray even more. Let’s not just pray in the morning. As we’re driving down the street and looking at different houses, let’s say, “God, what about them? Do they know You? Stir their hearts to know You.” As you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, under your breath (it doesn’t have to be out loud), pray for the person in front of you. “Lord, if they don’t know You, open their eyes and open their hearts and reveal Yourself to them.”
Let’s amp up our prayers as we come up to Easter. If your church has corporate prayer times, we encourage you to attend them. They’re powerful times together in God and it will help you grow in your prayer life.
So let’s finish out this prayer initiative of praying for all the lost in the city of Warren and let’s finish strong. Then share your faith and invite them to church. They’re waiting for an invitation. You won’t regret it. They can’t hear the gospel if you don’t share and invite. So be bold. Father, give Your church boldness. Amen. Now go and invite them.