Thursday, October 31, 2019
Would you respond to an invitation to meet Jesus and get to know Him? Are invitations limited to only special people or have millions been sent out already? How close have you come and didn’t even realize it? Is it even possible to get to know Jesus?
In the book of Matthew we discover one such invitation that was almost missed:
Matthew 15:21-26 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
You may ask the question, “How was this an invitation?” My reply? It was an invitation hidden within a test. The test was to see if she would bypass her own prejudices, and offenses in order to see her daughter healed. Praise God for His grace! She passed the tests with flying colors securing her daughter’s healing and deliverance. What the world, and many church attenders do not realize is that these tests are handed out on an ongoing basis. They aren’t simply limited to the Bible. Truth be known these tests exist in the form of the church people quit going to because it was full of hypocrites. The test of the Bible being too difficult to read so thousands refuse to read it. The test of unanswered prayer so people quit praying, some even fall away in unbelief. These tests are handed out daily often in the form of offenses. The question is, Will we pass these tests in order to respond to the invitation from the Lord?
I call them invitations because of the many examples of offense found in Scripture that can only be settled through interactions with the Lord. Interestingly enough just as there are several examples of these invitations there are a million more examples of those who chose not to respond. Consider Luke 19:44 And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.
Jesus prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and the diaspora of the Jewish people simply because they stumbled over the offense. We are foolish to believe that we are better than these. Only a remnant chose to overcome the offense of a suffering Messiah and respond to His invitation to know Him. Hidden in that statement is an indictment regarding the millions, if not billions of people who have attended church Sunday after Sunday never knowing Jesus personally, experientially and intimately. They did not think He was worth the knowing and chose instead to not prepare for the Wedding of the Lamb.
Being in the ministry for over 30 years has lent a unique position of observation. I have watched as God began working – doing what only He could do – and people stumbled over their offenses. The older I get the more my heart is grieved as I watch people walk away from God’s invitation. Sad to say but they are usually clueless. Sadder still will be the day when they will know as Jesus knows (1 Cor 13:12) realizing all the times they missed the hour of their visitation. People say there is no crying in Heaven. That’s not entirely true. Revelation 7:17 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
The prophet Isaiah records that there will come a day when we will invite people to come and be taught of the Lord. Isaiah 2:3 And many people shall come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law and instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
You may be tempted to say, Robert, that’s not until the millennial reign of Christ. That has yet to happen. When it happens I will respond. Really? 1 John 2:27 states: As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit–just as it has taught you, remain in Him.
Could it possibly be that the reason most are not experiencing the fulfillment of this promise is they have yet to respond to His invitation to abide in Him? I’ll let you be the judge.
