A Full House
We preached on Lk 14:16-24, when we decided to have the special Friend Day. So, we’ll return to this text tonight to glean a nugget of truth regarding the people we invited to be our guests for Friend Day this morning. Our first point is found in Lk 14:23 and our second and third points are in Lk 18.
The Lord’s desire in Lk 14:23 was to have a full house. For us to have a full house when preaching a simple gospel message, we must do the following.
Invite Many, Lk 14:16-24. Many people we invite to a special service will have excuses on the day of the service. Some people were sick this morning. Some were out of town. And yet others, like the invitees in Lk 14, excused themselves with conflicts that could have easily been avoided.
Nevertheless, if you invite many friends, some of the folks you invite will make it. On the list of people you invited for whom we prayed before the meeting, there were 96 names. This doesn’t include those you invited who couldn’t accept your invitation because of a scheduled conflict. We had 30 names on our list. And of those, only 3 were able to come this morning. In all we had around 40 visitors today.
Pray Often, Lk 18:1. From the very beginning, we began to pray for everyone on the list as you invited them. The folks here on Wednesday night prayed, those who took the list home with them prayed throughout the week, our prayer group prayed when I sent them the names by text. And you prayed for the people you invited. That’s a lot of praying.
Many answers to your prayers were apparent. God gave the perfect message for the sermon. The weather cooperated this morning. All who were involved in serving did so with little to no stress. We had a full house. The specials were perfect. With the Holy Spirit evidently present, there was liberty in the pulpit, simplicity in the preaching, gentleness in the invitation, and genuineness in the response. Eight souls were saved and three more came for assurance of their salvation.
Keep Asking, Lk 18:5. Like this judge who didn’t, at first, grant this widow’s petition, people you invite often don’t come on the first invitation. So, ask again and again. Don’t be discouraged. You may find that after numerous invitations, they will finally decide to accept.
You may also see some visitors in the near future who were not able to join you this Sunday. Your invitation is still good. One fellow sent me a text this morning saying he couldn’t come here today but he’’s planning to be here next Sunday.
Conclusion: One thing you learned about this special day is that you can invite your friends to come to church anytime. We didn’t do something so extraordinary for this service. Your friends would be as well received on an ordinary Sunday as our visitors were today. In fact, some visitors have said that the message on the particular Sunday they chose to come was just what they needed. If the Lord wants a full house, then invite many, pray often, and keep asking. They’ll come.
To hear the sermon from this special day, see Receive The Gift of God.