"Inviting One" Changes Lives...

Christ United Methodist Church is on its way to becoming the most inviting church in Methodism! Beginning August of 2006 and continuing on forever, CUMC challenged adults, youth, and children alike to "Invite One" to church. Invite one friend, invite one stranger, invite one parent, just INVITE ONE to experience the fun, love, and life-changing power of Jesus Christ here at Christ Church.

Our Youth Ministry is on board! We believe in the power of invitation. Check out just a few ways God talks about invitation in Scripture:

Andrew invites Simon and Philip invites Nathanael to meet Jesus.

~ John 1:40-46 ~
"One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed).' He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas' (which is translated Peter). The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, 'Follow me.' Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.' Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see.'"

The world may be forever changed by your invitation to others to be a part of the church. Check out the first few verses of the Scripture above. Did you know that the disciple Andrew is only mentioned once in the Gospel of John? Can you guess what Andrew is doing in his "honorable mention?" You guessed it! He is "inviting one" person to come and see Jesus. And who does Andrew invite? Simon... and Simon becomes the founder of the Church.

Now take a look at the second half of the Scripture. Philip invites Nathanael to meet Jesus too, and that one invitation changed Nathanael's life forever. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" he asks. You bet! Jesus is the bomb!

Peter is known as the founder of the Church, but maybe Andrew should get the credit. If he wouldn't have invited Peter to meet Jesus, Peter would never have started following Jesus or wanted to start the Church. As a disciple, Andrew knew the importance of sharing Christ with others' and the world was never the same.

As Christ's disciples today, we should be inviting others to come and experience a new life in Christ too! Andrew invited Simon. Philip invited Nathanael. Who are you going to invite?

A Father Invites the Prodigal Son Home

~ Luke 15:11-32 ~
"Jesus continued: 'There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, "Father, give me my share of the estate." So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

Do you know the story of the Prodigal son above? As it says, he was the youngest, and he left his home and everything he knew to live apart from his father. While he was out in the world, he wasted his money - a gift from his father- and wound up with nothing. He felt totally lousy and like he wasn't worthy of coming home. Have you ever felt this way? Sometimes we want to try life on our own without help from anyone, including God. And then, when we realize we can't do it alone, we feel bad for even trying!

Think how you would feel if you did something awful, and your parents wouldn't allow you to come home. The son in the parable returned home half expecting to be turned away...but he wasn't! His father not only invited him to come back home, but he celebrated the son's return. In the same way, God celebrates our return to Him. If you've ever felt like a "prodigal son", going away from God, know that God has an open invitation for you to come home.

God also has an open invitation for others to come home. Are there people you know who have been absent our church? Do you have friends who have gone down a bad path and are in need of a loving church family and youth group home? It is our responsibility as God's people to invite and welcome these friends back (or for the first time!) with love and acceptance. Whether they've gone away, gotten busy, or just feel disconnected, let's open the door of friendship once again. By loving them, we show the love God has for them.

Jesus invites Zacchaeus to come down from the tree

~ Luke 19:5-6 ~
"Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a"sinner."" But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.""

Zacchaeus was a tax collector, a total outcast in Jesus' time. He had heard about Jesus and wanted to see him walk through the town, so he found a spot and settled in to watch. Jesus wouldn't let him just sit by and watch, though! Jesus invited Zacchaeus to come down from his spot in the tree and have dinner with him. By his invitation, Jesus opened the way for Zacchaeus to get to know him better and begin a relationship with him. Jesus' invitation transformed Zacchaeus from being a spectator into a follower of Christ.

Today, Jesus is inviting YOU and everyone around you into a relationship with him too! Have you just been a spectator, looking at Christ from afar? Come down from your tree! Enjoy a relationship with Christ! Is there someone you know who is a spectator to our church youth group? Look around and find those who are merely spectators and aren't enjoying all that our church youth group is about. How can you invite them to join the action?

Jesus invites us to rest

~ Matthew 11:28~
"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

This is one of Jesus' most awesome invitations! In the Scripture above, Jesus invites all of his followers to come and rest in his love. Back in the day, people faced all kinds of hard times - they were judged for their sin, they had to follow all kinds of religious rules, and were burdened by family and social stress. Jesus says "Come to me..."; he promised rest for their souls.

Do you know what a yoke is? (No, it's not the yellow slimy stuff in an egg.) A yoke was a big wooden harness-like thing used a long time ago to hold two oxen together while they carried a heavy load of stuff. Sometimes we can feel like life is a heavy load! Full of stress, homework, break ups, friend drama, failing, losing, high expectations, loneliness, materialism, ETC., life can be hard.

Jesus says "Enough of that! Come to me, and I will lift your burdens. I care for you. I accept you. You don't have to be anything or do anything more...just rest." What an awesome invitation! In the midst of crazy lives, hurt hearts, and busy schedules, a relationship with Jesus Christ promises peace.

Do you know someone who lacks peace in his or her life? Maybe it's your best friend. Maybe it's your parent. Maybe it's you. Christ calls us to enjoy his peace and invite others into his peace. What are you doing to answer this call?

Jesus invites his disciples

~ Mark 1:16-20~
"As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him."

When it comes down to it, this is what "Invite One" is all about! The Scripture above tells us about when Jesus first called his disciples to follow him. They were fishing for fish, but Jesus said "When you follow me, you will go out fish for people." What in the heck does that mean?!

Jesus' life was all about showing and telling others about the love of God. When people met him or were healed by him, their lives were literally changed! They experienced power, forgiveness, and kindness in a way they never had before... they had encountered God.

Jesus called his disciples to this same ministry! When he invited them to follow him at the Sea of Galilee that day, he was inviting them to make this same difference in other people's lives. The disciples' job was to bring in fish, but their call was to bring people into a relationship with God.

Christ gives us this same call today. "Come, follow me, and I will help you bring others to me." Following Christ means we are called to bring others to him. Do you know someone who doesn't know the love, kindness, and power of Christ? Do you have a friend who needs to be healed or forgiven? Invite him or her to church, Sunday School, UMYF, or a fun youth activity. Invite him or her to experience church and meet Christ - our best friend, our faithful and loving God.

THE CHALLENGE...

After reading all of those awesome Scriptures, are you ready to actually live this out?! Throughout October, every youth who brings a friend to Sunday School or UMYF will have his or her name put in a drawing for an ipod. (Note: Your name will be entered every time you bring someone new. i.e. If you bring a million new friends, your name will be entered a million times!) The winner will be revealed November 5 at UMYF. See you there!