Do you believe you have a divine invitation? Have you discovered what it is? The story of Acts and The Unexplainable Church opens with the beautiful scene of the five leaders in the church at Antioch pausing from their work and worshipping the Lord. In the midst of this moment of praise and wonder of God, the Holy Spirit sweeps in, issuing a divine invitation to Paul and Barnabas.
Receiving and RSVPing
Every follower of Jesus receives their own divine invitation as well. We experience life with Jesus in all of its fullness through this invitation. But sadly, many of us never discover the invitation or forget to RSVP.
Instead of saying, “Yes!” to the grandest adventure of our lives, we hang out with our “Justa Sistas”- you know- the girls in the corner who insist that divine invitations are only issued to important Christians, big shots, vocational ministers and those with identifiable talents. The “Justa Sistas” say, “I’m justa mom. I’m justa student. I’m justa widow. I couldn’t possibly be invited!” Ah, but you are! And Jesus chose you and delighted to issue you your own divine invitation. It’s for everyone!
We Can’t Find the Invitation
So, how come so many of us are missing it? Maybe we are looking for it in the wrong place. See, our conversion is personal, but our divine invitation is communal. Jesus personally issued our salvation, but we receive our divine invitation in and through the community of the family of God. When we refuse to commit to engage in community with The Unexplainable Church, we miss our divine invitation. Acts 13 demonstrates that the Holy Spirit issues divine invitations in corporate worship and carries them out through corporate service. The Holy Spirit prepares and equips us through rubbing shoulders with other believers. If we don’t commit to community, we miss our divine invitation.
Reasons We’ve Pulled Away
Some of us has been wounded by The Unexplainable Church, so we’ve chosen to step back and disengage. Others of us wander from podcast to place to person, chasing after a divine experience. In both instances, we love Jesus and want to serve Him, we just haven’t found our home within The Unexplainable Church. Some of us are wondering how we get back to the wonder of the early church, become filled with Holy Fire and live our lives on mission for Jesus. We struggle with becoming critical toward others who seem comfortable and complacent. Whether we’ve pulled away, run away or pushed others away, we miss our divine invitation if we fail to pursue community.
Connect & Cover
But what if we want community? What if we want to get back to the practice of the early church and discover our divine invitation? How do we do it? The story of The Unexplainable Church teaches us two ways. The first one I’ve already beat to death: we connect with other believers. Intentionally. Regularly. Purposefully.
Secondly, we cover one another in prayer. Immediately after the Holy Spirit issued His divine invitation, the leaders at Antioch prayed. They interceded for Paul and Barnabas and undoubtedly prayed for the church as a whole to become prepared for this new season of work and mission.
So, how about you? Do you believe you have a divine invitation? Are you ready to RSVP even before you know all of the details? Receiving and RSVPing to our divine invitation allows us to enjoy Jesus in all of His fullness! A grand adventure awaits! How about we go together?
This blog post is an excerpt from The Unexplainable Church: Reigniting the Mission of the Early Believers. DVD teaching which will be released by Moody Publishers in January, 2018.
