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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for March 23, 2009
“Invite Someone to Church”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
Don’t forget the power of simply inviting someone to church.
See, something wonderful happens in a church service. What you have is a bunch of believers gathered together in the name of Jesus. And in Matthew 18:20 Jesus said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
Or like the King James says, “There I am, in the midst of them.”
So when the saints gather for a church service, Jesus is there, right there in that service.
And now listen – I don’t think it’s so much about what goes on in the service, though that is certainly part of it. But it’s not the main part, I don’t think.
The main part is not what the people are doing. It’s what the Lord is doing.
I know I have walked into church services where those leading the thing were probably just going about their business. But the Lord had something very special lined up for me.
I have been deeply touched and moved during the course of a church service. I have walked into services where I would say that I felt the Lord immediately, felt His stirring, His drawing, His wooing.
The Lord was there in the midst, I just knew it.
When a person comes into a church service, and Jesus is in the midst, they can react in two ways. They can either soften their heart to Him, or they can harden their heart.
When a person hardens their heart in a church service, they are shutting the door on the Holy Spirit. Acts 7:51 says, “You always resist the Holy Spirit.”
Coming up, churches all around the world will celebrate the resurrection of Christ, and many people will darken the doors of the church for the first time in a long time. When they walk in, Jesus will be there, in the midst. And they can react in one of two ways. They can harden their heart to Him, or soften it.
Many will harden their heart to the Lord, and look what will happen. Over and over the Bible says that when someone’s heart is hardened, they will not listen.
The preacher can preach all he wants. The singers can sing. The teachers can teach. And the person can sit there and observe it all. But if he hardens his heart, he is not listening.
Matthew 13:15 says, “For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”
When someone hardens their heart, they don’t see, they don’t hear, they don’t understand. Ephesians 4:18 says that a hard heart leads to ignorance.
But you know what? That is their responsibility, not yours. I say, get ‘em to that church service! Invite them. Get them in there. Jesus is in the midst. Let them deal with Him personally, in their own heart.
Have you ever felt that wooing, that drawing of Jesus in a church service? Have you felt that stirring of His Spirit calling you to let go of this world and surrender all to Him?
I’m telling you, Jesus will change lives, literally turn them around, in a church service. No, it’s not the only place it can happen, but it’s a great place for it to happen, because when the saints gather in His name, He is there.
I believe that Jesus Himself literally speaks to people during a church service. Now they can harden their heart to what He says, or not. It’s their choice. But I believe they will hear from Jesus. He will have something to say to them – if they won’t harden their heart.
I’m thinking now of the rich young man in Matthew 19. He heard from Jesus, but then went away sad. He hardened his heart to what Jesus said.
So many people do that. They go to a church service. They hear what Jesus has to say to them. And then they leave sad. Or mad. Or irritated, because Jesus stirred something inside them. He asked something of them, and they weren’t willing. They didn’t want to humble themselves, or let go of something in their current life.
And they walk away.
But you know what? That’s their deal. That’s between them and God. If they want to harden their heart, what can you do?
But don’t let that stop you from inviting people to church. It’s the old cliché, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink. But you should still lead them to water!
And one great, simple way to do that is to simply invite people to church. Just ask them. Say, “Hey, you ought to come to church with me.”
And I believe that when they walk in that service, with the saints gathering together in His name, Jesus will be there in the midst, and He will speak to them.
I believe it.
And then it will be up to them, will they harden their heart, or will they soften their heart to the Lord Jesus – and have their lives changed . . . forever?
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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