The Invitation
by Gemma Gardner
Jesus spoke about a wedding banquet in His parable, “Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see”. So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests (Matthew 22:9-10). And God has prepared a great feast, and He wants as many as possible to answer His invitation to come to it. For those who have already accepted His invitation He has asked them to go out into the streets and to offer His invitation to anyone they see. It doesn’t matter how good they are, or how bad. Everyone is invited.
Dean and I received a wedding invitation recently. The wedding isn’t until next year, but we will need to respond to the invitation. There are many people who have been going to church for years, and they have heard the Gospel many times, but they haven’t realised that, like a wedding invitation, they need to respond and actually come to Jesus. They believe in God in their heads, but that is as far as it goes. The Lord has no part in their lives. The above verses are part of what Jesus shared in this parable.
The first time the king sent his servants out with the invitation, they were ignored. People just got on with their lives. The second time the servants were sent. They were mocked, attacked, and some were even killed. But the king didn’t give up. He sent them out again.
We are living in the day of grace. As the world descends into more and more darkness and decadence, God is calling us to give out His invitation. Jesus told His disciples to preach the Gospel to every creature. May the Lord give us the faith and courage to persevere, even in the face of opposition. We can pray that the Lord will bring across our path the people He is wanting us to reach out to so that they can be drawn to Jesus. God is not willing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of Him.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for the way You persevered with me and brought me into Your Kingdom. I pray now that You will give me the courage and boldness to speak Your words, and that You will show me when it is appropriate. I pray that You will help me to persevere, even when I don’t see any results. Thank You that You are always at work, day and night. Amen.
Gemma Gardner lives in Norfolk with her husband, Dean, who until recently worked at Ellel Grange. They are both part of the Associate Ministry team which Gemma joined after completing the Modular school. Gemma has experienced the Lord`s healing and restoration over many years and longs to see Him healing other broken people. Gemma loves listening to music, cooking, knitting and crochet as well as outdoor exercise. She enjoys playing guitar and singing worship songs.
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