Invitation Vs. Information

-fist let me say welcome back. We haven’t had “Drink Deep” like we normally do in a while, so we’re glad you’re here and we’re glad you had a safe summer.

-today we want to talk a little bit about something different. It’s not going to be as Bible based as usual. Partially because the focus of today is not really you. It’s other people.

-next week we are taking an entire day to tell others about Fire & Water. In the morning we will be sharing with the adults who we are and what we do. In the evening, we will be having a fun night and although we want you to have fun, the reason we do it is not for you. We do it so you can bring your friends, people who don’t normally go to church or don’t feel comfortable going to a night where we “talk about the Bible”, but they are willing to come to a fun place and have a party, and maybe even win an iPod touch.

-the purpose of next week, of the Back To School Bash is to help you invite your friends to church and help you introduce them to other people who follow Christ and possibly even to Christ Himself.

-but that can be hard. I’m sure we all know people we’d like to bring to the Back To School Bash, but they just don’t want to come out or they don’t show up or whatever it is.

-so tonight we’re going to talk about that, we’re going to help you look at this whole idea of being invited to church from the other side of the coin, what people hear from you when you invite them.

-and we’re going to look at two things tonight, information and invitation.

1. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE

-now I know what some of you are thinking. Invitations have information. Troy sends us e-cards or puts things on the website or facebook, it’s all nice and inviting. Well, yes, but not really.

-here is the difference:

-information is simply stating what is happening or what you need to know. I always use a movie as an example. Despicable Me is a funny movie. It’s playing at the theatre on 96th Street this Friday at 7:30.

-okay, that is information. It’s not a ton of information, but you know what movie is playing, you know when and where, you even heard that it’s funny. But at no point was it an invitation.

-an invitation would be like this:Would you like to go to a movie with me? Notice there was very little information. You don’t need to have information to invite someone, although it helps. They would probably ask me what movie, when, where, all the information next. But for me to invite someone to a movie, that’s all I need to do; actually invite.

-see? They’re two different things. Just because you give someone information doesn’t mean you have invited them. You can invite someone without giving information. But now that you can look at the difference and see what is what, here’s the big question:

2. WHICH ONE ARE YOU DOING?

-I know this, I have seen it first hand. People seem to think that by giving information they are inviting someone. By simply stating the facts they are somehow letting the other person know they are invited. Guess what? You’re not.

-I want you to think of the last time you talked to someone your age who does not go to our church about Drink Deep, our Sunday nights here. What did you say? “We have youth group at our church Sunday night.” Great, that’s information. You didn’t invite them. “We meet at our church on Sunday nights, we have food, have fun and we learn about God.” Again, great information, you still haven’t invited them.

-now go to the Back To School Bash. “Hey, at my church Sunday night, we are having a big party before we start school. We’re going to have free food, huge party stuff, and someone’s going to win an iPod touch!” Do you know what your friend is probably thinking right now? “Man, that sounds like fun. I wish my church did stuff like that.” or “wow, that’s cool. Too bad I don’t go to church.”

-you didn’t invite someone to church. At most you made someone feel left out even more because now they’re missing something fun and cool.

-to make someone feel a part, you have to invite them. “Sunday night we’re having a big blow out for our last Sunday before School starts. We’re going to have all sorts of stuff, tons of people will be there, someone is even going to win an iPod! It’s going to be awesome, would you like to come with me?