Don’t Underestimate an Invitation to Church

“I came to know Jesus because someone invited me to church.”

When I was a kid, my grandparents took me to church with them. My grandma gave me my first Bible and taught me in Sunday school. But as I grew older and became more involved in competitive soccer, I stopped going to church. If I was home and had a free Sunday, I wanted to sleep in, not go to church.

I was generally a “good girl”. I followed the rules. I was too afraid to do anything to get in trouble because the whole town knew my dad. I claimed I was a “Christian”, but I didn’t go to church and didn’t know the Bible at all. I believed in God and thought that was good enough to get me into heaven.

When I was 15 years old, my friend Nick invited me to youth group at his church. A lot of my friends were at this church and this youth group, but I was a little intimidated to go, so I said no for a few weeks. My friend never gave me a hard time about saying no. He continued to be my friend and treated me with kindness and love while not giving up on inviting me to church with him.

Eventually, I said yes. I was nervous to go and afraid to be judged. But my friends didn’t care how much I knew the Bible or about Jesus– they were just happy that I was there with them!

I went to church and youth group with them for a few months and that summer, I attended CIY (Christ In Youth)– a summer ‘camp’ on a college campus for high schoolers. All of my friends were going and I wanted to see what it was all about.

During one of the worship sessions at CIY, I remember singing and having a moment where I felt so moved and overwhelmed with a weight that I didn’t know that I was carrying – a weight that I recognized I couldn’t carry on my own. I broke down in tears and experienced an overwhelming presence that I now know was the Holy Spirit moving and working in my heart. He showed me my need for Him. He showed me that He could take on the weight that I was carrying if I’d surrender it to Him. That night when we gathered as a group, I confessed my sins and recognized my need for Jesus and asked Him into my heart. That fall, I was baptized.

My new life in Christ began because someone invited me to church.

My grandparents planted the seed in my life by taking me to church as a young girl. The Lord then used my friend Nick to water that seed and God brought about new life in me. I will forever be grateful to my friend who simply sent me a message on Facebook asking if I wanted to attend youth group with him. My life forever changed because of that message.

Friends, don’t underestimate a simple invitation to church. And also, don’t give up on inviting (but don’t be annoying and unkind about it 😊 ). Keep praying for the Lord to soften the heart of that person you’re inviting. You never know when they will say yes. A simple invitation could change someone’s life forever. It did for me.

Colossians 4:2–6 “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”