NEXT STEPS: BringSample

WHY (not)?

If you think about it, the real question to ask isn't why to invite our friends to church, but why not? In other words, why DON'T we invite our friends to church - what makes it awkward or uncomfortable?

There are a few reasons we might feel odd or unprepared to invite our friends to church. Maybe when we're not at church on Sunday our life doesn't look like it's been changed by Christ so we don't want to seem like a hypocrite and invite them to be around us at church when we act 'holy.' Maybe we're afraid they'll think differently of us because obviously all Christians are 'weird.' Maybe we just forget what life was like before we had hope and have lost our urgency.

The truth is, the real reason behind all of these excuses is selfishness. We're more interested in what will make US feel comfortable than we are with caring about our lost friends.

The harsh reality is that if we really cared about those around us, we would realize that their number one problem is that they don't know Christ. Why wouldn't we want to offer them the chance to respond to Him since we've been given that chance and it's changed our life? When God changes us, it motivates us to spread that great news to others!

Practical Steps // Being completely honest, list a few reasons why you've avoided inviting your friends to church. Then pray over each one of them - that God would give you compassion and courage instead of focusing on yourself.