God plants inside every human being a desire to know him. It’s how we were made. Every. Single. Person.
I was reminded rather poignantly of this a few weeks ago when I got to sit on the participant side of the VP3 training table while I enjoyed the leadership of one of our VP3 Coaches, Deborah Carnduff, in Calgary.
Deborah asked us to quietly reflect upon what the circumstances had been in our lives where we can now see that “we were growing.” I began jotting down good memories. Remembering faces. And places.
Then it popped off the page. In almost every circumstance there had been a person who had invited me to:
- Ride to church with their family
- Serve at the Salvation Army
- Share a testimony of my life changing
- Lead a class or a group
- Be a mentor
I don’t remember the times I ignored the invitations or said no. But I DO KNOW that when the above invitations came…they seemed perfectly timed with what the Lord was already doing inside of me…nudging me to respond. And to respond with a “YES.”
When I was responsible for Adult Growth in a local church for a decade there was a lot of inviting. It can be very hard work. My encouragement to you is “do not grow weary in doing good” (Galatians 6:9). When you sense God nudging you toward a person, you can boldly enjoy inviting.
You are each an instrument of God in this particular time and place and it is your responsibility to INVITE adults into a closer relationship, or to take a next step, toward the God who is living and active and has already planted seeds of “yes” in the soul of each person. No matter where you reside…church, marketplace, home, neighborhood.
So do not be shy. Do not take silence or a “no” personally.
DO pray for God’s eyes and ears and heart to see and hear and notice people as particularly and personally as possible. And then, INVITE! It’s your job, so to speak, but it’s also the way Jesus uses us to draw people closer to God.
In our work at VantagePoint3 we have the privilege of stewarding a ministry where people tell us stories every day of the awakening, aligning, and power of God discovered more personally in their lives. We have queried hundreds of adults in our processes asking them simply, “why did you say ‘yes’ to participating?”
The number ONE answer is something along the lines of, “I’ve been wanting to draw closer to God.” There it is
…the God-planted seed, or desire for growth, waiting to be cultivated by your invitation. (I Corinthians 3:5-9).
It is our prayer at VP3 that you will have courage and make space for life-changing invitations. Amen.
