Intercede - Invest - Invite

Several things I am reading and sensing remind me that the Triple I - imperative is essential for each of us. What is it you might ask? It is to intercede and pray for others, to take time to invest in the lives of others and to invite them to a relationship with God through Jesus (or if that seems way to complex) or to invite them to church with you (providing they are unchurched). This past Sunday I saw this at work. Ten people said, "Yes" to Jesus for the first time and one of them was a man that (as it was reported to me) has been prayed for, invested in and was invited to LFC. To intercede means prayer, petition, or entreaty in favor of another.
I Timothy 2:1
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone. (NIV)
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (NIV)
A priest is one who intercedes before God for a person, a family, a city, or a nation. Some believe that intercession is the call of some Christians and that it was usually reserved for saintly older women in the church. But the call of God is that all of us would sense a desire to pray for those in need, those without God, those who are taking on great challenges or those that God would bring to our heart and mind. Peter's words above remind us that children of God are all called to the ministry of the priesthood and to be a priest is to be an intercessor. It is the heart of an intercessor that becomes the heart of an investor. You cannot pray for people very long without getting a heart for them and a heart that takes a leap of faith to invest in their life.
Invest
Investing in people begins with a heart for people. When we get overwhelmed or wrapped up in our own world, the last thing we want is to invest in people who are far from God. When we connect with the heart and mind of God, it’s natural and almost easy to focus on others and show them God's love. This is the first step of investment. Let them connect with a tangible expression of God’s love through you. I think of our simple upcoming "act of kindness." Giving out free ice cold water to people on the Lompoc Flower Festival Parade route. Simple but a free bottle of water and a smile can allow a heart to be touched. If you have not signed up to join us for this outreach, you really should. Also, think of a neighbor who not only needs your prayers, but might benefit from a word of encouragement or assistance with a yard project, the waiter or waitress who might have you as the best customer of the day (don't forget a nice tip to go along with the kind words). Investing in others needs to be very natural. I’m not condemning the value of door-to-door witnessing; I’ve done my share of that when I was younger. I am not opposed to people who pass out tracts or even those who preach with bullhorns on a busy street corner. It does not seem that effective to me and is not my calling. What seems to work is simply building relationships with people who naturally fall within your circle. Neighbors, coworkers, friends or fellow parents on the soccer field--these are people who are in your immediate sphere of influence and each one of them presents a different opportunity for you to invest in them.What exactly are you investing? You are investing yourself. You give your time, love, energy, compassion and resources. I like to call it the "ministry of presence." It is you showing up. I do this a lot in my role as Police Chaplain. I am there - I ride along, I email, I send out birthday cards to them and let them know, I care. Just be a friend to someone who has yet to meet Jesus. You must intentionally develop relationships with people who are disengaged from church. We all know that the longer we are Christians, the fewer non-Christian friends we have. I believe that a primary mark of Christian maturity is whether or not you are investing in people who are not following Christ. How are you doing? Who are you investing in?
Invite
There will come a time when it’s right to invite someone to pray with you, to invite them to consider coming to God through Jesus or to invite them to LFC - your church. Don’t be discouraged if they say no. And don’t take it personally if you they say yes (in regards to coming to church) and don’t show. Most importantly, don’t dump them as friends if they won’t pray with you or come to church as soon as you would like. You may need to be very patient. It may take months. You may need to ask a number of times. You will need to pray with passion (intercede) that God softens them and that they will eventually accept your invitation.In regards to church attendance: Don't invite them every Sunday, but some frequency of invitation is needed so that those who have been invested in can respond. Again, it may take many more months, even years, so be patient. Different people will come to Christ in different ways. Some will respond to a public invitation in a worship service, others may commit to Christ while on a walk, or after attending a church function, like the 4th of July picnic, or Kids Day or during a special speaker. Watch for series that we will do that might help them. I will be doing one on Prayer soon and in the fall, a series on making decisions. Keep the options alive and invite! By the way, who is it that you have recently invited to church with you?Let's keep praying for others, investing and inviting. I am going to pray that you will have success in discovering those that need your heart and God's touch through you.