This Invitational Lifeনমুনা

This Invitational Life

It’s not always easy to share our faith with others. Actually, it’s not easy to gain the trust and respect so we can talk with people about faith in a way that they’ll respond positively. The world we live in today is fast-paced and impersonal. We get to peek into one another’s lives from a safe distance as we scroll and click and “like” what’s presented online.

We are losing the art of relationship. It is a gift to be invited into the life of another—invited to see the flaws and failures along with the joys and successes. The invitational life is not just about finding ways to invite someone into your faith, but it is also about discovering how you can be invited into the lives of those around you.

I’m praying for more Pisidian Antioch miracles to happen today. Wouldn’t you love to see them? Wouldn’t you love to play a part in them? I want each of us to experience the thrill of watching how God can use a single winsome invitation to save a life, redeem a story, transform a family, and change a destiny forever. I want this invitational life to become a common lifestyle for Christians everywhere, so that together we can impact the world and populate God’s kingdom.

The fundamental progression of an invitational life--and also the progression of this book--can be broken down into four movements or sections:

Live. Get swept up in God’s great love and know your own relationship with him. This invitational life begins with you going deep with Jesus.

Show up. Live a life that demands an explanation. Live openly and transparently before others, so they see a difference in you and wonder what you have.

Relate. Engage in other people’s lives. Listen to them and relate to their stories. Become interesting to people by being interested in them.

Risk. Trust God by leaving the familiar and stepping into the unfamiliar; risk yourself to align with God’s heartbeat for humanity. Make the difference you were created to make in the world.

In the following chapters, I’ll unpack the principles of this invitational life even more, but this adventure begins with each of us first committing to be open to new perspectives, challenges, and ways of thinking. This process will demand that we focus on the faces and places that God is sending us to.

As you read, ask God to show you specific faces of people to pray for—people who need to hear the invitation to life with Jesus. Write their names down and commit to pray boldly for them every day. Ask God to show you places to go where he wants you to live this invitational life on display.

Maybe it’s your child’s school, the gym, your workplace, or your favorite coffee shop. Write those places down and pray boldly each day. Look for opportunities to join God in bringing the miracle of Pisidian Antioch into your neighborhood, school, church, city, and throughout the entire world.

When you say yes to this invitational and intentional way of living, you’re saying yes to a front row seat to seeing lives absolutely restored as they are brought into relationship with God. As you learn to hear his voice guiding you throughout your day, your impact in our world will be unprecedented. And while you are watching this transformation happening in the lives of those you’ve been praying for, God will be busy transforming your life from the inside out.

By choosing to live this invitational life, you will discover a deeper intimacy with God and profound dependency on him. Are you ready to begin?