For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. Hebrews 4:2
Like logs in a fire, there is power in the context of community. We thrive when we stay close together, and we begin to lose our glow when we don’t.
This makes perfect sense considering we were made in the image of our highly-relational, triune God. He not only wants a personal relationship with each of us, but He has hardwired us to depend on personal relationships with each other.
As the Spirit of God indwells each believer, we are united together through faith. That faith is contagious and is the fuel that sustains us as we grow into a deeper love relationship with God and each other.
The good news for those outside our Christian community is that our contagious faith is very much inclusive. Our faith is inclusive in the sense that God’s Spirit works through us to reach across the great chasm between spiritual life and spiritual death to rescue those who are near to us, yet far from Him.
As we prayerfully invest time in relationship with those who are far from God, the draw of the Holy Spirit on their lives is magnified exponentially. This is why relational evangelism is such an effective approach to leading those far from God to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
As you prepare to worship this weekend, pray and ask God who you might invite to join you. When God reveals that person to you, just send a text and extend the invite. Taking it a step further, you might even offer to take them to lunch after worship. This could put you in a prime position to start talking about inviting Christ into their life.
As you determine who the Lord wants you to invite, leave a comment below with their name and any info you wish to include. Let’s pray together for the salvation of those whom God places on our hearts.