Tuesday, January 24, 2017

The Inviting Nature of Christianity



‘Albert McMakin’ is not a name familiar to many today, yet this man has significantly influenced your life. He worked on a farm in Charlotte, North Carolina, back in the 1930s—but it is not by virtue of his agricultural prowess that his influence has extended your way. The reason Albert still rates a mention in books and can be easily found via a Google search is because of what he did in 1934.

That year an evangelist was conducting a series of meetings in Charlotte, and Albert persuaded a young 16-year-old man to attend one of the gatherings. As incentive, he said that the younger man could drive his vegetable truck into town for the meeting. The teenager went and, before long, was converted. The teenager’s name was Billy Graham—the man who went on to preach the gospel to more people in-person than anyone else in human history. Albert’s simple invitation was used by God to play a key role in the conversion of this future evangelism.

Invitations are powerful things. The Australian National Church Life Survey (NCLS) once reported that two thirds of Australian Protestant newcomers first joined their church through someone inviting them. Given the simplicity of offering an invitation and the potential impact of doing so, I think more should be made of this humble activity. Read More

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