Extending God’s Invitation
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you sending your Son, Jesus, to make provision for us, who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” (John 14:6, NIV).
Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:1-14, NIV
REFLECT:
The parable of the wedding banquet written in Matthew is very sobering. As believers, “we” are the king’s servants. Jesus, the king of kings and the lord of lords, is our savior and redeemer who longs for everyone who can to be a part of this banquet. The church is the bride-to-be, and it will be an amazing wedding feast one day! So, we, as members of God’s family, the church, are to go out into the highways and byways and invite everyone we meet to come to the banquet. To come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. II Peter 3:9, NIV says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
When faced with the question, “are you ready to meet Jesus?” What will everyone’s response be? If people are asked today, they might say, “I know who Jesus is, I go to church and I am a good person.” But do they have the wedding clothes on? Do they know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives and are sold out to Him? People might also think that there is plenty of time to get ready. “I am young and still want to have a lot of fun yet. When I am older and ready to retire, then I will look at getting more religion in my life.” So, they put off getting prepared for the wedding banquet. Perhaps others will say that the church turns them off and that Christians are all hypocrites and want nothing to do with Jesus. There are even those from other religions and beliefs who despise Christianity and persecute the church. One thing is for certain – one day, “at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” (Philippians 2:10-11, NIV).
APPLY:
God has placed us in proximity to those who do not know Jesus as Savior and Lord. Think about that a moment: might you be “the one” to share the message of the gospel with that individual who doesn’t know Christ? Does God have you in mind to reach a particular person? I remind myself to ask the Lord each day to use me. To reveal to me who I can connect with for Christ’s sake. Jesus said in Luke 12:8, NIV, “whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.” So, make a plan today. Be purpose driven. Ask God to show you someone who you can reach out to for Him today!
CLOSING PRAYER:
Lord, reveal to me that special someone you have in mind for me to share with today, who needs to hear the good news of Jesus Christ and His plan of redemption, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then the Gentile,” (Romans 1:16, NIV) amen.