Truth requires an invitation

I was thinking about how Jesus shares salvation with others in the Gospels. I'm sure you remember WWJD - what would Jesus do. I have also asked many times and heard other ask this as well - what did Jesus say? It's hard to just pull Jesus words out of a verse and say that's what we should say or how we should share the Gospel. We have to do our due diligence and study those passages in context first. As we read through the Scriptures, we should start to pick up on patterns in Jesus' approach as he encounters people.

One pattern is the invitation. Everything about Jesus is inviting. I always say the three greatest words ever spoken in the history of humanity are when Jesus says, "Come follow me." Is there any greater invitation in the universe?

In John 7:37, Jesus stands up at the end of the feast and invites the people to believe and receive the living water saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink." In Luke 19:5, Jesus extends the invitation for fellowship and salvation to Zacchaeus when he calls to him and says, "Come down, for I must stay at your house today."

There are so many other similar examples of Jesus calling to the crowd and calling to individuals offering himself as the way to salvation. There is always a choice to believe, respond, and obey.  I want to think about this more, but here's a thought. Can we make the same invitation to others? Can we allow ourselves to know the love, kindness, and compassion of Christ and then offer that to others? This seems like a beautiful way to invite others to come and follow Christ.

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