Easter is a great opportunity to invite someone to church. You never know how God might work in the life of one of your friends or neighbors. And you can tell them that we want this to be a place they can meet God and ask their questions.

A PLACE TO MEET GOD

Over the last six weeks we took a close look at the nature and purpose of the worship service in the New Testament letter of First Corinthians. We discovered that though the weekly gathering is primarily for believers, it’s also a place where those who do not yet know God can meet Him.

In the gathering the inquirers realize that what worshipers are finding in God is what their hearts have been secretly searching for in all the wrong places. In worship we discover we are not straining to be understood, but realize we’ve been understood at the deepest level. And in worship we see how our hearts work, and the result is an acknowledgment that God is really among you!

This is the express reason for the worship gathering and what all people coming to church are hoping to discover.

But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

1 Corinthians 14:24-25

A PLACE TO ASK QUESTIONS

Many Christian beliefs are not self-evident, but there are good reasons for them. Sadly, understanding those reasons has been clouded over the last many years as the faith has been by co-opted by interests that have distorted its core message.

Christianity is not about politics. It’s also not about personal fulfillment. It’s not a way to get power or to become a better you. Nor is it good advice about what we must do for God. It is good news about what He has done for us.

Now the larger culture has grown increasingly secular and at points hostile to religion. Yet at the same time there has been a parallel growth in devout believers in the Christian faith. People have an innate need for connection with God that cannot be satisfied in the things of this world.

If we hope to better engage a confused and divided culture, we must wrestle with some of the questions people are asking about the Christian faith:

• Is the Bible really the Word of God?
• Would a loving God really allow so much suffering?
• Would a loving God really send people to Hell?
• Am I really a sinner?
• Can self-denial really be the way to a better life?
• Can God really be known?

The Sunday after Easter we will begin a message series to address some of these questions that many believers and non-believers share. Like Easter, this will be a great opportunity to invite someone who may be searching and it may help you begin a spiritual conversation with a friend.

I hope to see you and a friend at church this Sunday and in the weeks ahead.

Photo by Olivia Snow on Unsplash