Leroy Richardson/Contributing writer
If I ask you a question, what response will you give me? You say, “It depends on the question.”
In many protestant churches, after each sermonic message, the minister makes an appeal to respond to what God just said in the message.
But most appeals are for salvation or church membership. What if the message had nothing to do with either? How do you respond to a message where you were not invited to respond. Do you go away feeling empty?
Ministers prepare and share messages that range from managing finances to marriage & divorce to forgiving someone who hurt you. Every now and then, they throw in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; for which a salvation invitation is warranted.
But why not make an altar call for those who are deep in debt after a message about “owe no man any thing but to love one another;”(Rom 13:8) or stewardship. Why not make an appeal for those who are deeply depressed after preaching about, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:…”(Matt 5:12), “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”(Php 4:4).
Or why not invite those who are struggling over the death of a loved one to embrace I Thessalonians 4:13, “ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” and Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”.
Or invite a divorced person to peace who’s anxious over how it looks to other people after sharing, “But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.”(ICor 7:15).
The good news is that Christ invites us not only to salvation but to all that involves abundant life. Christ invites us to repentance. He invites us to health. He invites us to forgive. He invites us to patience. He invites us to reward. He invites us to rest. He invites us to love and so much more.
Next time you’re in church, listen to the message to see what appeal Christ makes to you. It just might make church worth it.