INVITE Strategy Instructions

To access the INVITE strategy posts properly, click on The INVITE Strategy label on the right, then read the posts beginning with the earliest post first.

"E" - Encourage THEM Across the Line of Faith

When your THEM is ready to cross the line of faith and make Jesus Christ the forgiver and leaders of their life, you may need a simple tool to help you help them take that final step. Here is a simple illustration you can draw and use with absolute confidence.

Ask your THEM if he/she would like to see a simple picture explaining God's relationship with people. Write out Romans 6:23 on a piece of paper or a napkin: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Circle "wages"and ask, "How would you feel if your boss refused to pay you wages that were due?" Deep down, we all know that it is only right that we get what we deserve. Similarly, we earn wages from God for how we have lived our lives.

Draw a circle around "sin," asking THEM what he/she thinks when they hear this word. You might explain sin as either disobedience of God or merely ignoring Him. You can ask, "Does God seem far away?" Explain that that is one of the things sin does-it makes God seem far away. Now draw two opposing cliffs with a gap in between.

Circle the word "death" and ask what thoughts come to mind when we think about death. Explain that death in the Bible always means some kind of separation. While circling the word "but" and mention that it is important because it means that a sharp contrast in thought is coming. What we have just looked at is bad news; what follows is good news.

Draw a circle around the word "gift." Ask, "If wages are what a person earns, then what is a gift?" Remind your THEM that someone must purchase every gift. Circle "of God" and explain that the gift you are talking about is free from God. It's so special that no one else can give it. Ask, "How do you feel when someone gives you a special gift?"

Circle "eternal life" next, and ask, "How would you define these words?" Contrast one side of the cliff, death, with the other side, eternal life. Ask, "What is the opposite of separation from God?"

Draw a cross to create a bridge between the two cliffs. Write "Jesus Christ" on the cross. Help your THEM to consider that every gift has a giver, and only Jesus Christ can give the gift of eternal life.

Write "trust" over the bridge you just drew. Explain that friends trust each other. Tell your THEM that Jesus wants a trusting friendship with him. All they have to do is admit they are responsible for the "sin" of either disobeying or ignoring God in their life. Trust means trusting Jesus to forgive our sin. At this point, ask if the person wants to start a relationship with God that will last forever. If "Yes," invite them to pray a short prayer in their own words, asking Jesus to forgive him/her and to become the lover and forgiver of their life.

"T" - Tell THEM Your Faith Stories

You have some items in your evangelistic tool kit that are more powerful and more effective than any other. You can use these tools with cynics, skeptics, seekers, or believers. They are stories of your personal experiences with Christ. When you tell your faith stories, they are not up for debate or debunking. They carry weight with anyone who knows you well enough to listen to what you have to say. As you identify THEMs, nurture relationships, verify spiritual condition, and introduce THEM to your church family, sprinkle your faith stories all along the process as they seem appropriate. For example, if your THEM is dealing with fear, you can tell them about how God has conquered fear in your life. If they are facing health issues, you can tell them how God helped you through your own health crisis. If they are struggling with parenting issues, you can tell them the valuable lessons God has given you in parenting.

As you live out your faith in this world, God works through all things for your good, but not for your good alone. You can share life lessons with anyone and demonstrate how faith is something alive and active in those who find and follow Christ together. As 2 Chron. 16:9 says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro, throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on the behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him." 1 Peter 2:9 tells us that we are "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that we should show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light."

Of all the stories you have, probably the most powerful is the story of your own salvation. A great example is found in Acts chapter 26. Paul had been given the opportunity to defend himself against charges levied against him for sharing his new found faith. In just 22 verses (2-23) Paul shares his story with King Agrippa, Governor Felix and those in the crowd surrounding them. If you read those verses at a normal rate you will find them to be under 3 minutes long.

Can you share your conversion story in under three minutes? Can you talk about your life before Christ, how you came to realize your need for a relationship with Him, and what your life has been like since you trusted Christ and became a born-again believer? If not, take some specific steps right now.

1. Read over Paul's story a few times.

2. Take pen and paper and write your own conversion story, editing out churchy words and religious jargon. Be critical and try to hear it with the ears of an unchurched hearer.

3. Practice your conversion story until you can say it naturally in just a couple of minutes.

4. Practice multiple entry points into your conversion story. Bridge statements like "I used to be afraid, but now. . ." or "I used to worry a lot, but now . . ." can easily move you into sharing your conversion story.

5. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)

"I" #2 - Introduce THEM to your Church Family

You want to be a Great Commission Christian. You have a great commitment to the Great Commission. You know in your heart that you have been commissioned to be a disciple maker, but you just need a plan. The I.N.V.I.T.E. strategy is a plan for personal evangelism. No not that drive-by mentality where you try and get someone to say the prayer so you can notch your belt, but the kind that is initiated in relationship and nurtured to maturity in the same way.

You are aware that sin has captured the souls of your friends, relatives, co-workers, and neighbors, and is holding them hostage. In a hostage situation, a SWAT team stands ready to swarm in with guns blazing and bring the situation to a quick conclusion no matter how many casualties might result. On the other side, a hostage situation also has the hostage negotiator who patiently tries to diffuse the situation and reclaim the hostages without loss of life. Some evangelism events and strategies are for the SWAT teams among us. The I.N.V.I.T.E. strategy is designed more for the hostage negotiators.

In previous posts we have Identified our personal THEMs (the people God wants you me to reach out to). We have begun to Nurture a real and personal relationship with THEM. In the course of building a friendship, we Verify their spiritual condition, and are now ready for the fourth initiative of I.N.V.I.T.E., "Introduce our THEMs to our forever family. You may discover that many pre-believers have pre-conceptions about what Christians are like. These are formed from a variety of input. T.V. Evangelists, Bible thumping relatives, judgmental comments on roadside signs, bad church experiences of the past, and on and on. These pre-conceptions can create hurdles you have to climb over if you are going to go where the prebeliever is, then lead them to trust again. Oftern, before a person is ready to trust Christ, they have to be lead to trust Christians.

So how do you show your THEM that Christians are regular people, sinners saved by Grace, non-judgmental conduits of the love of God toward THEM? The best way is to find non-threatening venues where your THEM can observe your church friends in informal settings. Include your THEM's with your believing friends in recreational activities you all like to do. If you like to camp, organize a camping trip. If you like to BBQ, have a backyard event. Host a movie night, game night. Go to a movie together, or a play, or a coffeeshop. Let your THEM see that their pre-conceptions are false and believing people can be genuine and loving toward THEM. This will go a long way toward establishing or re-establishing trust toward Christians in general and Christ in particular.

Warn your church friends to watch the conversation and try not to "talk church" the whole time. It's not enough to watch you have a good time with your church friends. Include your THEMs as active participants, not passive observers. If anything, the group should be more inclusive of the THEM, not less. When a THEM sees that they are naturally accepted by your group of friends, they will open their minds and hearts to what makes you and your friends tick. If you are successful in this step, your THEMs will be more inclined to listen when you get ready for the next step. (Next: Tell THEM your story!)

"V" - Verify Spiritual Condition

After God Identifies the THEM's in your circles of relationship, and as you are Nurturing an authentic relationship with THEM, what's the next step in helping someone navigate the ground between where they are spiritually and where Christ wants them to be?

Some would say you just need to go in with guns blazing - tell them they are a sinner, that God loves them and wants to forgive that sin, and ask them if they are ready to pray a sinner's prayer. I'm not saying that might now work on occassion, but I have seen that approach fail more times than I want to recount.

I believe a better step is to try and determine where a person is spiritually. We call this step "Verify your THEMs spiritual condition." You can't help some one find their way home if you don't know where they are. They may be a cynic, or they may be agnostic. They may be a seeker or they may be in denial. The point is, you won't know until you bring the subject up. Natural questions like, "Do you ever think about God?" or "Have you ever thought about what happens when we die?" can open doors for spiritual conversations.

I would encourage a high level to sensitivity at this point. Don't press the issue. If the person is willing to talk, listen. Remember, you are on a fact finding mission at this stage. You just want to discover what the person knows and thinks about spiritual matters, God, Jesus, salvation.

I'll never forget one such conversation I had when the person declared, "I'm a born again Christian, how about you?" I had no idea. . .I guess if you never ask, you'll never know! This neighbor turned out to be an ally in our mission to impact our street for Christ.

"N" - Nurture Authentic Relationships

INVITE Strategy continued:

After you pray a dangerous prayer asking God to “Identify My THEMs,” the next step is to “Nurture an authentic relationship with your THEMs.” In my experience many evangelism strategies degenerate into “relationship-less drive-by presentations,” or “relationship” after the fact programs. One of the characteristics of “salt” and “light” is the interaction with the environment. “Salt” seasons its environment, and “light” dispels darkness. If we think back to our own experience of seeking and finding Christ, most of us will readily acknowledge the role of human relationship in helping us cross the line of faith known as salvation or justification. The Holy Spirit draws the lost to come to Christ, but relationships are the fertile ground in which the seed grows. That is why we use the word “nurture.”

But we also chose the word “authentic.” I would caution against using relationship as a tool in evangelism. A genuine love for the lost person will yield an authentic relationship. If we see the world through the eyes of Christ, we will love the lost as He does. The INVITE Strategy is not a program; it is a lifestyle. If you care for someone, keeping his or her best interest at heart is a natural mindset. Authentic relationships need time to develop. This is not a short-term strategy built around a “buy or fry” presentation.
It is my belief that every believer who takes the words of Christ seriously will be doing the think He commanded us to do. Do you even know a THEM? Are you nurturing an authentic relationship with THEM so that you might earn the right to show them the love of God in a real and meaningful realtionship. I pray that you are “on mission” with God in this way.

"I" #1 - Identify Your THEMs

At my church we have a strategy for evangelism we call the INVITE strategy. The first letter stands for “Identify.” We encourage believers to “Identify their THEMs by praying a dangerous prayer.” We teach that “THEM” is the most important word in the “Great Commission.” Matthew 28:19-20 commands that we go to THEM, baptize THEM, and teach THEM. THEMs are pre-believers in your circles of relationship. God wants to use His believers to reach pre-believers. The first step in this process is praying a dangerous prayer. It’s dangerous because it is a prayer God will surely answer. The dangerous prayer is “Lord show me my THEMs.” We suggest you pray this prayer for one week in the circle of family relationships, then for one week in neighborhood relationships, co-worker relationships, recreational relationships, and other relationships. Before you can reach them, you first have to identify at least one THEM. If you are willing to pray this dangerous prayer, God will give you specific names of people He wants you to reach out to. People who need a personal relationship with God surround us. Let God show you THEMs He wants to reach through your influence. Why not pray that dangerous prayer every day!