From The Great Commission to The Great Invitation
Matthew 28:19-20
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
This is the last command of Jesus Christ before His ascension into heaven. His last words to mankind, and more specifically His followers, were to “Go.” Something odd has been happening in mainstream Christianity, something that has been stirring and building and growing since the dawn of revivalism. Something is amiss, a foul stench that plagues even the most holy of churches and Christ-like of pastors, teachers, preachers, and members. It is the stench of dead weight, of a slothful congregation moved to sit in seats lined with pads. It is the smell of laziness; it is the smell of intellectual and spiritual death.
The last, and certainly one of the most fundamental and important, command of Jesus Christ was not merely parting words from a Shepherd to His sheep. It was more than that; it was the culmination of His passion, of His teaching, and of His discipleship. Jesus proved himself to be a student of the law. He was familiar with the Mosaic law, as he confirmed time and again during many confrontations with the instructors of the law, i.e. the Pharisees and Sadducees. How could Jesus, being God, choose such a phrase to part humanity with? Why, with all of the unspoken secrets of the divine kingdom and with all the un-imparted knowledge of God, did Jesus speak carefully and purposefully about going into the world and sharing? In stating the obvious, OBVIOUSLY IT WAS IMPORTANT.
The Great Commission has been used over the years as ammunition for the approval of missions. But there has also been a very large recoil effect with the firing of that gun. In the modern day set up of churches, there is typically a lead pastor/elder that instructs the congregation below him (or her in some cases). And, as has definitely been seen since the spawn of revivalism, there has been the need to add what is now known as the “alter call,” i.e. the invitation. Now, the invitation is not inherently a bad thing to include in an order of service inside of a traditional church service. However, it is when the church uses the alter call as an excuse for evangelism that defines when the invitation is probably not being put to its best use. What is meant is simply this: Jesus commanded His followers to go into the world and to evangelize. Evangelize does not mean “save.” Evangelize (or evangelism) means to share the Good News with those who would have an ear. What is often seen nowadays is the fact that although 1 out of every 9 church members is reaching into the community to share the Gospel, the other 9 church members are sitting happily on the wayside, watching as their church grows both in numbers of members and financial status.
The Invitation call to follow Christ was not created with the intent of what is happening now to happen. Instead, its original purpose AT REVIVAL MEETINGS was to invite those who were spurred by the Spirit of God moving through the words of the Gospel to receive the saving grace of Jesus Christ. In the beginning, it was never meant to become a part of mainstream meetings and gatherings within a church. So, the crux of the problem of why the church is an increasingly diminishing part of the community is this: the Great Commission (Go!) has been replaced with the Great Invitation (Come!). Think about it: a church, while being seen as a gathering place for those who would worship God, is now also seen as a place to go to be saved. This is not a scripturally sound statement and it is perpetuated by the increased pressure to bring in lost souls instead of going out and seeking the lost souls.
Jesus spoke to the Disciples and to the 100+ other followers present at the ascension to go and make disciples, not to invite them to church or to the three ring circus most youth groups have become today. However, on the other side of the fence, the invitation call serves its purpose because when those lost souls come into the Church and are perhaps moved by the Word of God. What is being pointed out here is the increasing shift from “Go!” to “Come!” There are certainly exceptions to every rule and this is certainly far from being a blanket statement made by ignorance. It merely is an observation of the shifting times within the church.
