Compel Them to Come

We are called and capable of reaching people with the love God has so graciously given to us!

Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in… Luke 14:23 ESV 

We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV

The moment we care more about position than commission, or being seen over serving, is the moment we’ve officially lost our way and destroyed our witness. 

And people will come from all over the world—from east and west, north and south—to take their places in the Kingdom of God. Luke 13:29 NLT

Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!” Luke 14:15 NLT

Jesus followed up, Yes. For there was once a man who threw a great dinner party and invited many. When it was time for dinner, he sent out his servant to the invited guests, saying, Come on in; the food’s on the table. Then they all began to beg off, one after another making excuses. The first said, I bought a piece of property and need to look it over. Send my regrets. Another said, I just bought five teams of oxen, and I really need to check them out. Send my regrets. And yet another said, ‘ just got married and need to get home to my wife. Luke 14:16-20 MSG

So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame. And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room. And the master said to the servant, Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. Luke 14:21-23 ESV

Creativity is compelling 

The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. Romans 1:20 MSG

Kindness is compelling

Don’t be kind only when it’s convenient or self serving, but anytime there’s an opportunity.

Do things for people not because of who they are or what they can do in return, but because of who you are. - Harold Kushner 

Sons and daughters of the King are kind! 

Compassion is compelling

Sympathy is easy, compassion will cost you and is a compelling witness that God is real and good. 

Compassionate people still in process are far more impactful than the pious with no concern for others. 

Authenticity is compelling

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed. 2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

Authentic Christianity finds its strength in a Christ centered life. 

Spiritual pride is the illusion that we are competent to run our own lives, achieve our own sense of self-worth, and find a purpose big enough to give us meaning in life without God. Tim Keller

Courage is compelling.  

Courage is an inner resolution to go forward despite obstacles… Cowardice asks the question, is it safe? Expediency asks the question, is it politically correct? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? But conscience asks the question, is it right? And there comes a time when we must take a position that is neither safe, nor politically correct, nor popular, but one must take it because it is right.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. 

2 Timothy 1:7-8 NLT

We are called and capable of living a life that compels others to believe and receive God’s invitation.