Easter is a month away. This year I’m approaching Easter even more settled in the depth of what I believe due to the “I Believe” series we’re going through each weekend. Each message embeds the truth of what I believe into my heart in a new way as we investigate the story of faith laid out in the Apostles Creed. My brain expands in wonder at the depth of what I believe. I’m also profoundly in awe of the whole story of the Bible, the gift of salvation, and of life with Jesus. As I reflect on this gift of belief that sits in my own heart, I’m drawn to consider those around me who do not know Jesus.
I used to carry a profound burden in my heart which sounded a lot like this: “I need to make sure these people meet Jesus. What am I doing wrong? What more can I do? How can I convince them that Jesus is worth trusting and following?”
About 15 years ago, I was asking God these kinds of questions and I felt him distinctly say to me: “Stop it! You are not God. Only I give the gift of faith. Only I allow conversion to happen. You love people, you communicate about me, you make me attractive, but you don’t carry the weight on your shoulders. Stop it.” It was a blunt, direct word, and it was exactly what I needed to hear. I was carrying the weight of God’s part, and it was too heavy.
We see this distinction of our role and God’s role throughout the Bible. We see it clearly in the following passage:
“What after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service.”
1 Corinthians 3:5-9 (NIV)
I want to encourage you as we approach Easter to think in a different way about loving those around you who are far from Jesus. We are called to be pointers to Christ in all we do – what we say, how we live, how we exemplify the fruits of the Spirit, how we serve as signposts to the good life. I want to invite you to consider how you can boldly speak of Jesus, invite someone to an outreach, or to an Easter service, but not be burdened by the outcome. Jay Pathak, the National Director of Vineyard USA says it well. He says, “when people enter into life with Jesus, it is a miracle. It’s not a series of intellectual decisions. We believe that the Scriptures teach that someone is literally born again spiritually. It is a miracle! The Kingdom of God breaks in and transforms every piece of who they are. So how can we think of this as just a series of things we do? We need power from God, and we need God to engage people powerfully. And when he does, a miracle takes place, and we stand back and say, “I can’t believe this is happening.”
It's an absolute miracle when someone says ‘yes’ to Jesus. Imagine them saying yes during the season of the greatest miracle of all – the resurrection ofChrist! Let’s be a part of their journey to Jesus! One little part. It could be as simple as an invitation. Over the next few weeks, we’re rolling out a red carpet to our city, our families, neighbors, co-workers, and our friends. A red carpet that doesn’t begin with an invitation to an Easter service, but a red carpet that starts earlier at a special Easter event that each campus is putting on this month. These are places where you can invite someone who would love to bring their child to an egg hunt, or who would like to come and hear local singer-songwriters perform on a Friday evening. See below for the event happening at your campus and make plans to invite family, neighbors, co-workers, and friends who aren’t a part of a church, who are exploring faith, or who are skeptical about God.
One final encouragement to you: Whenever I think about inviting someone to church or to an outreach, to a women’s event, or to Alpha, I start to think, “Uhhh they’re not interested. I’ll just go myself, they’ll think this is silly, or I’ve invited them before and they will say no.” When I think those thoughts, as I do every single time, I remember my friend Friso who said to me once, “I always invite my colleagues to church, because if I don’t then I’m taking the choice to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ away from them. When I think they’re not interested and I don’t invite, I’m making the choice for them. So instead, I always invite so that they can choose.” So, these next few weeks have fun inviting those you are connected to and who knows … maybe they’ll just say yes!
Below you’ll find all the fun Easter Outreaches hosted at each campus and you can also find information about Holy Week events and Easter services. Lots of places to practice invitation!
Pray with us for these special events – That God will do all the above and so much more! Pray that God would fill us with his joy and that we would be radiant with his presence and that people would be so attracted to the Jesus who lives in us!
All the special Easter outreaches and Easter services times are listed on our website: https://easter.vineyardcolumbus.org
You can find paper invitation cards at your campus as well.
