Invite A Friend
How To Invite A Friend And Welcome Them Into Discipleship
Paul Basden
Oct 31, 2021 33m
Lean in with us this Sunday as Paul Basden walks us through what it looks like to invite a friend and welcome them into discipleship. When you invite a friend to church, you invite them into knowing the story that God is writing for them. Video recorded at Frisco, Texas.
TranscriptionmessageRegarding Grammar:
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
Intro:
So you've decided to follow Jesus. You're spending time with him, spending time with other believers, serving his body and giving generously. That's great. But following Jesus isn't just about growing as his disciple. It's also about going out into the world he loves. Following Jesus means becoming a missionary where you live, work and play. Being a disciple means becoming a disciple maker. Join us as we discover some of the important ways followers of Jesus are called to go wherever he leads us.
Paul Basden:
I'm glad we're talking about invitations today because I don't know anybody that doesn't like to get an invitation. Invitation to a birthday party, invitation to a wedding, invitation to someone's home for dinner, but let's be honest, not all invitations are equal. Some invitations have much greater impact over the course of our lives. I want to begin this morning by telling you about three invitations I received that changed my life. First is when I was a sophomore at Baylor that fall, I was leading a Bible study for a group of freshman guys in Penland dorm. So I was getting to know these guys and one afternoon, I got a phone call from one of them. He said, "Oh, Paul, I don't know you well, but I just need to meet you and talk to you. Can you meet me over the place where we always played touch football?"
Paul Basden:
I said, "Sure." So I sat down beside my friend there and listened as he poured out his life and shared his heart. And what was going on was he just got in the phone call from his parents and they said, we're getting a divorce. It's not been a good marriage. You knew that. And we're ending it. And not only did he feel bad about that because he had watched their marriage deteriorate and like all children do wrongly, but they asked, what part did I play in this? He also wondered, will I be able, ever my whole life, to sustain a relationship with a wife. So it poured out his heart, as we walked away I really realized maybe for the first time in certainly my college time, I cared a bit of a man's heart in my life in my heart.
Paul Basden:
We became closest to friends, room together the last two years, he was best man in my wedding. I performed his and his wife's wedding. We always wanted to name a boy after him. When we had no boys we named our second daughter, Kristen, after my friend, Chris. And he has sustained his own marriage 40 years now. And I just want to say, Chris, thank you for that invitation. Thank you for inviting me into your life and sharing with me. That friendship has changed me. About six months later, it was the spring of my sophomore year. And man, there's just a sad social commentary on my life. I'm kind of reluctant to share it, but here we go. It was 7:00 PM. Saturday night, college. I'm in my dorm, in my room alone studying for a test on Monday. I actually cannot imagine how that could be more pathetic, but that was my story.
Paul Basden:
I dated some girls that fall in that spring I just gotten dumped and I thought, I'm not going to go anywhere in [inaudible 00:03:18]. I'm going to study for this test. I'm going to make a stinking A, so I study. All of a sudden, I get a phone call on the dorm room and it's from the lobby. Pick it up. It's girl's voice says, "Hey, my roommate and I are here in the lobby and we're getting ready to go to this traveling fair this down at the H.O.T Fairgrounds, Heart Of Texas fairgrounds here in Waco. Would you like to join us? Yeah, I'm just kind of thinking back in my mind, I just got dumped by another girl. Don't know this girl. Well, really don't want to go out with them. And so of all sad things, I said, "No, thank you. I think I'll stay here and study."
Paul Basden:
By the grace of God she said, "I made you cookies." By the grace of God my discernment got better and I sensed his will and I said, yes. A year later, I proposed, year later, we got married. Believe it or not 44 years, this December in our marriage. And I just want to say, thank you, Denise O'Brien for being patient with such a dork, such a social backwards guy. And then interestingly, about two years later, all of this happened in about a four year season it seems. About two years later, I was going to a theology class, first class of the semester at Southwestern seminary. I walked into the room and there were several seats scattered around, but there's one rather on the front row. And I generally didn't sit on the front row, but there was a guy sitting on the front row, already, you know, brown nose and the professor.
Paul Basden:
And so I didn't know him well, but I, I knew his name and he knew my name, but we'd never been friends. And he said, "Paul, here's an empty seat. You want to sit here?" I thought, okay. So I sat down beside him and we became friends in the course, getting into class early, walk into another class afterwards, just visiting. We said, "Hey, I think our wives would enjoy meeting each other." So we had some kind of double date or something that you have when you have no money in seminary. Probably means we walked around some field somewhere and said, "Isn't this nice?" And so Denise got to know this guy's wife. And about 10 years later, we began going on family vacations every summer to the Gulf, either Gulf Shores or Destin or Panama City. About 10 years after that, I asked this guy, if he would pray about starting a church with me somewhere in the US I didn't know where.
Paul Basden:
And I just want to say Jim Johnson, James Brian Johnson. Thank you for inviting me to sit down beside you in that class. I don't think we'd be here today if he hadn't done that. Do you see what I I'm saying? Some invitations change the trajectory of your life. Not all but some and today I want to talk to you about invitations, about friends, about Jesus and how those all are interrelated. But first I want to ask a question and here's a question. How do people typically decide to come to Jesus? How do they typically decide to say yes to Jesus?
Paul Basden:
Well, I thought of three ways that people often commonly think it happens and they are these. One, the voice of God. And we think of this may be book because of the story of Saul, who became Paul in the New Testament. And he was breathing murderous threats against Christians and he was a terrorist and on his way to go round up more Christians to bring back to Jerusalem, to try and to kill, Jesus met him and spoke to him and the voice of God came down and knock him to the ground.
Paul Basden:
Well of course he would say yes, who wouldn't. And then there's another way. And that's through stadium crusades. This was super popular. The last half of the last century with Billy Graham, it's still popular today with Greg Laurie's Harvest Crusades. And then the third method is through evangelistic pamphlets. And if you're a part of campus crusade for Christ or is this now called Cru, you know about the four spiritual laws pamphlet or maybe the Billy Graham Steps to Peace with God pamphlet, or evangelism explosion and the pamphlet that talks about if you were to stand before God, if you died today and were to stand before God and he said, why should I let you into my heaven? How would you answer? All right. Those are three of the most common ways people generally think that individuals come to faith in Christ. But I'll tell you that statistically throughout history, people have come to Christ far more consistently through another person. That is people say yes to Jesus primarily because someone they know invites them to do so.
Paul Basden:
That is the good news of Jesus travels along relational lines more often than along lines from strangers. It can come that way as well, but more often among relational lines of people we already know and usually family or friends. So let me just ask you a question. I'm going to have a show of hands here, if I may. Did you say yes to Jesus primarily through and just pause if you haven't said yes to Christ and you're still experimenting and thinking about all that, don't worry about it. No one's got a mic on you to find out what you're saying, safe place. I promise. But first, if you came to Christ through the voice of God, a stadium crusade, or an evangelistic pamphlet, if those were the primary ways God drew you to himself through Christ, would you just slip your hand up a minute so we can thank God for the way that you came to Jesus.
Paul Basden:
Thank you so much. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. How about a friend or family member? Did you come through somebody who was important in your life that you already knew and they invited you to know Jesus. If that was your situation, would you raise your hand. I realize those can cross over as well. Those are not airtight categories. I recognize that. But I think that does indicate that more often than not people come to Jesus because someone gives them an invitation and I'm so thankful for every way that all of you have come to Christ, but you don't have to depend on a crusade or attract or the voice of God. God wants to use you in the lives of other people with simple invitations. And that's our talk today. Because inviting is the open door into God's kingdom. So how can you invite your friend into your life?
Paul Basden:
How can you invite your friend into your home? How can you invite your friend into our church and ultimately even into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Now I think there may be an elephant in the room. So let me name it. If you're here today in person or online, because someone invited you to come, you might feel really weird about right now. Great, I came on a Sunday or I'm listening or watching on a Sunday. When the pastor's talking about me, the person that was invited by my friend at church way to set me up. But that's not how we do it here. You're not their project. You're not going to be some type of a notch on their evangelistic belt. Your friend loves you. Your friend wants for you what they have found in Jesus Christ and there's zero pressure.
Paul Basden:
So we're really talking not about you if you're the guest today. We're talking about the person who invited you. So everybody relax. Here's our topic. It's friendship for Christ's sake. And these are two big important words. The first word is friendship. And while I might want to say a lot about it, I can't do any better than what Jim Johnson said last week in his message. And up that if you have not seen this, you will go watch it. If you have to need to listen to it, that you will listen to it because he went through such practical ways for you and I to build friends for friendship's sake. But now we come back to that topic we're talking about today, friendship for Christ's sake. And when we talk about for Christ's sake, we mean, well, if you do something for someone's sake, you're doing it because you want to be consistent with their purpose.
Paul Basden:
You're doing it because you know the reason they want something and you want to do it for them. And so really, in this case, you just simply want to allow another person to know God in the same way you do. And you want to participate with God in their process and at the center of God's purpose, it seems is always invitations. In John's gospel in the very first chapter as you come to the end of it, this story of Jesus, we see invitations over and over and over from Jesus to people and from people to other people. Three stories. Let's look at the first. The following day, John, the baptizer, not John the apostle. This is Jesus cousin who was out dressed crazy and preached wild and crazy. Was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, "Look, guys. That's the lamb of God I've been telling you about, that's the guy." When John's two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.
Paul Basden:
Jesus looked around and saw them following and said, "What do you want?" He asked them. They replied, "Rabbi," which means teacher, "Where are you staying?" "Come and see, he said." Friend, that's the invitation. That's always what Jesus says to us. Come and see. And that's what we say to others, "Hey, just come and see." It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying and they remained with him the rest of the day. Do you see how that story goes? John the Baptist Jesus distant cousin and forerunner, Jesus front man, if you will, was telling people about the lamb of God, the Messiah who would save them from their sins and make them right with God. And John had gathered disciples unto himself. But John knew that he had to decrease as Jesus increased.
Paul Basden:
So he was constantly telling his disciples, "When you see the real guy, that's who you're going to follow, not me." And they were doing that. And Jesus invited two of those to come follow him and leave John and their loyalty to him and take up loyalty to Christ. Second story. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother was one of these men who heard what John said and followed Jesus. So one of the two was Andrew. Andrew went to find his brother Simon and told him, "We found the Messiah." Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. That's the invitation. Hey brother. I found the guy we're looking for, come and see. Third story. The next day, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip, that's a new person now and said to him, "Philip, come follow me." Jesus invitation. Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter's hometown. And so Philip went to look for Nathanael, that's one of his friends, and told him, "We found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about. His name is Jesus the son of Joseph and he's from Nazareth.
Paul Basden:
"Nazareth!" Exclaimed, Nathanael. "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" "Come see for yourself," Philip replied. First off, if you grew up anywhere that there was a neighboring town or a village or somewhere and you all made fun of everybody from that city, that was Nazareth. So when they heard where Jesus was from, it was like, yeah, really tell me the Messiah is coming from that PO Don place. And here's the invitation. Come and see for yourself. All invitations, all from Jesus. All from Jesus people to people who could be Jesus people. But when we give these invitations in our world, there's a certain order we want to follow just like the order we saw there.
Paul Basden:
And so let's talk about a progression of invitations. We're using three key words here. Let me explain each one. The first is we want to invite a friend into your life. This is the foundation of every friendship. You have no friendship that did not occur because you invited them into your life and they invited you into their life. In fact, if your goal in life is to do this and to keep people at distance you'll just never have any close friends. But we thrive on close friends. We can't make it in life without close friends.
Paul Basden:
And so we need people. And for that to happen, we have to invite them into our lives. Now how's this happened? Well, it starts with small talk. It always starts with small talk. The best friendships starts with small talk. You're at work one day, a new new person comes to work and you say, "Hey, my name's so and so. I work over here at this department. How about you?" You're at soccer practice for your kids and you're standing beside a parent or eight feet away from a parent of another kid and you don't know them and you kind of get back four feet away from them and you say, "Hey, that's my kid over there, which one's yours?" Or you're in your neighborhood out walking your dog or something and you see someone else coming your direction. You don't know them and you talk about dogs.
Paul Basden:
I did this just the other day. I was over at my youngest daughter's apartment and she asked me to take her big old, 80 pound labradoodle out for a walk. So captain and I he's out walking me. And so as we're going down the street, we come upon a guy I've seen out there in front of an apartment, about five places down from Kristen outside. I've seen him many times, but I've never done anything other than just kind of nod ahead. So this time I thought, I got nothing to lose. And so I just said, "Hey, how are you doing?" He said, "Fine. How are you?" Now he may have told me his name. I just don't recall it. What I do recall is he has two dogs. One of them is a yipper and one of them does it. I must see him again and I'll find out his name and I'll tell him my name.
Paul Basden:
And we'll just chat a little bit. That's what it means to start with small talk. And if you're saying, "Well, Paul, can you give me a practical example?" You bet. This is Halloween, it's trick or treat tonight. So if you're out walking with your kids in your neighborhood, why not introduce yourself to someone else and just tell them your name. Now you may have a weird outfit on and they may have a weird outfit on, that could even make it harder or funnier. You decide that. If you're staying at home home to give out candy and you're saying, "I don't know what I'm going to do, staying at home to give out candy. How can I make a friend?" Well, Denise and I and Kristen are going to do at our house what we did last year. We're going to set up a table and camp chairs and got the candy on the table.
Paul Basden:
And everybody that comes by, we're going to say hi. And we're just going to engage in small talk, maybe introducing ourselves and getting to know some people. So it always starts with small talk. But then eventually it moves into conversations about life events. Like after you've had small talk for a while, you might say to that person, "Hey, my child started kindergarten this past fall. Wow. That is a different experience for me." They may or may not respond. Or this past weekend we went to the lake with some friends, had no idea the water would be so calm and so warm still in October. They may or may not respond. Or I work with somebody that gave us cowboy tickets a couple weekends ago. They're winning right now. It was incredible to be at that AT&T Stadium. You've never been there. What a day?
Paul Basden:
Just life events. But the more you do that then, this relationship deepens as you share your stories with one another. That might be serious. Like you're standing there in the back alley because you're taking out your garbage the same day they are on trash day. You're out at the mailbox or you're just seeing someone in the neighborhood. And you're at a level now where you can say, "Hey, we've talked about work a lot. I won't be talking to you about that job anymore because I got off last week." Had never done this before. I got a month of severance, but I'll let you know what's happening. Now see, that's not simple there. You're going a little deeper or it could be humorous. It may be Wednesday before Thanksgiving. And you say to your neighbor, "Hey, I know we've become friends. I'm so thankful for that. My family comes in tomorrow morning. We have never gotten along. I mean it has been war forever. Of course it's not my fault, but I just have to live with these people. And the truth is we're having lunch at noon tomorrow.
Paul Basden:
I could give you a lot of money if you'd come ring our doorbell at 12:30 and ask me to go outside and play football with all the guys in the neighborhood, would you do that?" As Denise's dad used to say, "Don't die before you use up all your friends." So that's just an opportunity right there. What I'm saying is shared stories are the glue of friendship. In fact you know a person has accepted your invitation into your life, that they have accepted your invitation into your life when they tell you their story. And until they tell you their story, they're not in yet. Now this takes time. Doesn't happen overnight. You have to let it grow as God leads that friendship to grow. But there's a good guideline that the apostle Paul gives us in the letter to the Colossian Christians. "Live wisely among those who are not believers and make the most of every opportunity.
Paul Basden:
Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you'll have the right response for everyone. Whether it's small talk, life events or your story, pray God will show you. Now, once you've done that, step two is pretty obvious. You invite a friend into your home. If you're both sports fans, I know I'm speaking to a lot of guys here, but not all guys and some girls, but not all girls. The Super Bowl is coming up in February, March madness, March and early April, The World Cup for all you who are soccer fans with kids who play soccer. Next fall, next November and December. It's great time to invite someone over or for a meal. Grill and eat outside. Cook and eat inside, have them over for coffee and dessert one evening. Could be a celebration.
Paul Basden:
I mean the list is long July 4th, Labor Day, St. Patty's day. We got celebrations everywhere and you can be creative. Every January first, every new years day, right before noon, Adrian and Brooke Domek have organized a family kickball game, a neighborhood kickball game for the parents against the kids. They've done it for five straight years. Brooke was very clear that this is the one legal morally justifiable time in the course of the year that parents can absolutely smear their kids. I mean, you can just smash them, it feels great. Then you get to teach them a lesson about being good losers or sore losers. It's a wonderful moment. But in that setting, what happens is afterwards people go over to each other's homes and guess what? They're sharing life. Good biblical guideline again from the apostle Paul. He says, "Always be eager to practice hospitality." Hospitality just means you're inviting someone into your home. Well, once that happens, in time, as God opens doors, you will invite a friend to your church.
Paul Basden:
Now might be a big event like balloon glow. I invited two of my neighbors and one of them and his wife and triplets came to balloon glow. It might be Christmas Eve service or an Easter Sunday. It might be a regular Sunday morning service, but one that specifically you think your friend would like maybe one on marriage, maybe one on parenting. Just think about your friend in those terms or maybe it's to a group. Let me tell you about something that really was moving to me this past Friday morning. Denise and I came up to MOPS, Mothers of Preschoolers that meets in this room couple times a month on Friday mornings and I was so moved. I sat on that back row because I was clearly not the target audience. And I sat on that back row as I watched these ladies in tables, a dozen 15 tables in here. Six to eight, 10 women at every table.
Paul Basden:
And as they walked in, you could just see the relief on their face. Not because for two hours they didn't have to love their kid. Oh no. For two hours, they got to connect with another mom. I mean, I began to think about what mom's a preschoolers, whether they work and care for their kids or stay home every day and care for their kids. When I think about what their life is like, how much they give up, how much they sacrifice. Because they know that the hand that rocks a cradle rules the world. And I think about those moms and Denise's as we looked at them we thought, wow, these are world changers. And they come right here to get some friendships, some support, some prayer, some encouragement. So ladies, is it possible that you know someone in your neighborhood who might appreciate MOPS? Invite them. That's what I'm talking about.
Paul Basden:
Invite them somehow to your church. And by the way, we have a new resource and it's digital shareables. All I've got to do is go to the Preston Trail app and when you do, go to this top slide on features and scroll over till you get to invite a friend and when you get there, it will take you straight to our YouTube page with all of the different short talks, five to 10, sometimes as long as 30 minute talks, but tons of 5, 7, 8 minute talks on marriage, on sex, on parenting, on questions and doubts that we have, you name it. We've got topics there. And I'll be honest. The friend that did show at balloon glow, that was our neighbor of ours. He and his family came, not because I could ever find him at home, but because I sent him a shareable, I texted it to him through my phone.
Paul Basden:
So don't forget that. Now of course, these three invitations into your life, into your home and to your church aren't the biggest. The biggest of all is inviting into a personal relationship with Christ, but we're not there today. We'll deal with that in three more weeks when we talk about sharing the good news. Some of you may be saying, okay, Paul, I get it. I know what you want me to do. I know what Jesus wants me to do. Make a friend and figure out a time to invite. I believe I should, but I don't have many handles on that. Can you help me? Yes. Let me give you some guidelines. Five guidelines for inviting a friend. Number one, be real, not religious. People are drawn to other real people who laugh at normal things and enjoy normal conversations.
Paul Basden:
People are not drawn to religious weirdos. If you have a desire in your life to be a religious weirdo, and then to tell someone about your church, tell them about another church. Don't tell them that you're part of Preston Trail because we don't want to be weird for people. And Jesus doesn't want you to be weird for people. In fact, one of the chief complaints against Jesus is that he wasn't religious enough. He got in trouble because he had fun. I love the pastor who said where the spirit of the Lord is, there is fun.
Paul Basden:
Be real, not religious. Second, be an amateur, not a professional. I don't know if you know the root of the word amateur, but it comes from that famous little word, Amatore or Amour, I love. Comes from the word love. So in sports, traditionally, amateurs play the sport because they love it. Professionals play because they get paid for it, doesn't mean they don't love it, but they get paid for it. So whom do you generally trust more when they talk to you about something that's important to them? Somebody who loves it or somebody who gets paid to do it. Be an amateur when you talk about Jesus, they'll pick up on it immediately. It will feel genuine. Third, accept before you invite, accept before you invite. People have to be accepted before they can understand that God loves them. You are the acceptance that lets them know God in Christ can accept them.
Paul Basden:
For years in school, kids have done show and tell. In relationship to your friends who don't know Christ, show and tell is appropriate. Just show a whole lot of Christ's love and acceptance before you tell. I don't know how long ago it was, but I'm in the guest 15 years, maybe longer, 20006, '5, '4, Jim Johnson was preaching in the movie theater, theater 16 for one of our worship services. And at the end of his message, he says a sentence I'll never forget. He said love people until they ask you why? That's what we're talking about. Accept people before you invite them. Love them until they ask you why then you go, well, would you like to come with me? Fourth guideline, trust God for open doors and write words, ask God on a regular basis. Say, "Lord open doors that no one can close and while you're at it, close doors that no one can open."
Paul Basden:
Because I don't want to go where you're not leading and give me the right words, because my words will mess things up. But you speaking through me, it's going to be a blessing to the other person. Your job is to love always and to invite at the right time. It's not to invite always and to love at the right time, because there's no good time not to love. And there are indeed some good times not to invite, but if you love, you will figure out when to invite. Your job is not to forcibly open doors and run, rush shot over people. Just invite as God opens doors and trust him. He loves both of you more than you can ever imagine. Fifth and finally, embrace God's vision for your friend. Think about what Christ means to you.
Paul Basden:
Think about all that Jesus has come to mean to you on your best days. When you love him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength of love your neighbor with yourself. And it seems like faith is a great experience to your worst days. When you're loving idols around you and having to confess your sins and ask Jesus to forgive you for the way you treated people. And then all those middle days we got the mountains, we got the valleys. Then there's just a whole lot of plateaus. On all those days I want you to be fully aware in every possible way that Jesus is whom you love and need and desire and what to follow more than anything else, whom you value more than anyone else and what he has meant to you, you want him to mean every bit, that much, if not more to all of your friends. That is God's vision for your friends. Abundant life, eternal life strength in the midst of trials, joy, peace, patience, grace, kindness.
Paul Basden:
That is what God's will is for your friend's life. And he's writing a story in your friend's life. Just like he has been writing the one in your life. Your friend may not know God is the author, but God wants to use you in that story. And it doesn't matter exactly where you find that person where you intersect that person's life. But I just want to tell you, people are waiting to be invited and you just never know how one invitation can really change a life forever. Denise and I went to start a church in Valley Ranch back in 1986. We had neighbors that just lived a door to down. Her name was Diane. She was married. She had two little kids and we just made friends with him in the neighborhood. And then we ended up inviting him into our lives as she led us.
Paul Basden:
And then she came into our home and then we invited her to church and she came always by herself with her kids, her husband wasn't interested. And guess what? We had the privilege of baptizing her and on the way home from baptism that night, Denise from the bottom of her heart just turned around to the backseat and said, "Diane, we are so thankful to you and to God for this experience. I mean, you have just made our night." Then she goes, "You guys have made my life." Well, they moved away within about six months and Denise and I have off and on wondered from 1987, 34, 35 years later, what's happened to her? And of all things this past spring, we got a voicemail from her. Is this the same Paul and Denise used to live next door to us. I've been in California all these years. This is Diane.
Paul Basden:
And I just want to say, thank you for introducing us to Jesus. And I've been following him faithfully ever since. Now I'm happy. She let me know how that story was working, but the people in your life and whose life, God is writing a story. We don't know where they are and they may never come back and tell you. I would've been okay, so would Denise. If we never heard that story until one day in heaven, one day in the presence of God, whatever that is, Diane would've come up and hugged Denise and said, "Thank you for being my friend and for inviting me." And I just stood there withholding tears coming down my cheeks. And you'll either find out in heaven or you'll find out on earth if they remember to tell you or you'll see it happen right in front of your eyes, but just cooperate with God in the stories.
Paul Basden:
Because every time there's a friend in your life, God's doing something. And the question is, how will you participate? Who has God placed in your life that needs an invitation. It's really in the form of a prayer. It's just a simple prayer. "Lord, lead me to a friend who needs an invitation." That's simple. Isn't it? What would happen if we all prayed it? Now, if this is from your heart, if this resonates with you and you think, yeah, I can pray that and I mean it, I want to ask you to pray it out loud with me now. If this doesn't resonate with you, it's okay. Don't worry about it. But if it does, just join me, let's say it right now. Okay. Let's go, "Lord lead me to a friend who needs an invitation." And as you say that, and as you pray that I want to ask you to also put it in your mind, the faces of those friends, one or two or three of those friends and for us to seal this prayer, I want to do something unusual today.
Paul Basden:
I want us to partake of communion. And so let me ask you now, if you would get out your communion package that you received when you came in. Normally communion has only to do with Jesus and the good news he brought. Rightly so. Today though, we're going to take it a step beyond that. And we're going to talk about what his good news can mean to others. So as you are holding on to your communion package now, and we have others who are there with boxes. If you didn't get one, please reach out to them, wave and they'll be happy to make sure you have one. I want to read to you from John's gospel chapter 15, Jesus speaking to his disciples. Says there is no greater love that to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you, I no longer call you slaves.
Paul Basden:
You're now my friends. Wow. And the person whose face is in your mind or the people whose faces are in your mind, Jesus wants to be their friend through you probably. So I want you to pray for them that they would become a friend of Christ. And as we partake of the bread, as we partake of the cup and you thank Jesus for what he's done for you, would you pray that your friend eventually would come to understand this for them also. All right, cup, bottom bread on top. Let's remove the wrapper on top of the bread first. Jesus said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Take and eat." And Lord may the friends in our minds that we love may they come to know that your body was sacrificed for them. Turn it over if you would, peel back the lid on the cup, Jesus said, this cup is the blood of the new covenant given to forgive all your sins, drink of it. In the prayer simply Lord Jesus please let my friends become your friends. So pray with me, please.
Paul Basden:
Thank you, Jesus that you call us friends. Unbelievable. Savior is great. We get to call you that. Lord is great. We get to call you that. Son of God, yes. But you are our friend and you call us your friend. Now father, we live and work and play and hang out with people whom we love deeply, but may not know that good news yet. Keep writing their story. Show us our role. Let us trust you. And in time, may we see new births of people in the kingdom of God. This is our prayer in Christ's name. Amen.
Recorded in Frisco, Texas.
So you've decided to follow Jesus. You're spending time with him, spending time with other believers, serving his body and giving generously. That's great. But following Jesus isn't just about growing as his disciple. It's also about going out into the world he loves. Following Jesus means becoming a missionary where you live, work and play. Being a disciple means becoming a disciple maker. Join us as we discover some of the important ways followers of Jesus are called to go wherever he leads us.
Paul Basden:
I'm glad we're talking about invitations today because I don't know anybody that doesn't like to get an invitation. Invitation to a birthday party, invitation to a wedding, invitation to someone's home for dinner, but let's be honest, not all invitations are equal. Some invitations have much greater impact over the course of our lives. I want to begin this morning by telling you about three invitations I received that changed my life. First is when I was a sophomore at Baylor that fall, I was leading a Bible study for a group of freshman guys in Penland dorm. So I was getting to know these guys and one afternoon, I got a phone call from one of them. He said, "Oh, Paul, I don't know you well, but I just need to meet you and talk to you. Can you meet me over the place where we always played touch football?"
Paul Basden:
I said, "Sure." So I sat down beside my friend there and listened as he poured out his life and shared his heart. And what was going on was he just got in the phone call from his parents and they said, we're getting a divorce. It's not been a good marriage. You knew that. And we're ending it. And not only did he feel bad about that because he had watched their marriage deteriorate and like all children do wrongly, but they asked, what part did I play in this? He also wondered, will I be able, ever my whole life, to sustain a relationship with a wife. So it poured out his heart, as we walked away I really realized maybe for the first time in certainly my college time, I cared a bit of a man's heart in my life in my heart.
Paul Basden:
We became closest to friends, room together the last two years, he was best man in my wedding. I performed his and his wife's wedding. We always wanted to name a boy after him. When we had no boys we named our second daughter, Kristen, after my friend, Chris. And he has sustained his own marriage 40 years now. And I just want to say, Chris, thank you for that invitation. Thank you for inviting me into your life and sharing with me. That friendship has changed me. About six months later, it was the spring of my sophomore year. And man, there's just a sad social commentary on my life. I'm kind of reluctant to share it, but here we go. It was 7:00 PM. Saturday night, college. I'm in my dorm, in my room alone studying for a test on Monday. I actually cannot imagine how that could be more pathetic, but that was my story.
Paul Basden:
I dated some girls that fall in that spring I just gotten dumped and I thought, I'm not going to go anywhere in [inaudible 00:03:18]. I'm going to study for this test. I'm going to make a stinking A, so I study. All of a sudden, I get a phone call on the dorm room and it's from the lobby. Pick it up. It's girl's voice says, "Hey, my roommate and I are here in the lobby and we're getting ready to go to this traveling fair this down at the H.O.T Fairgrounds, Heart Of Texas fairgrounds here in Waco. Would you like to join us? Yeah, I'm just kind of thinking back in my mind, I just got dumped by another girl. Don't know this girl. Well, really don't want to go out with them. And so of all sad things, I said, "No, thank you. I think I'll stay here and study."
Paul Basden:
By the grace of God she said, "I made you cookies." By the grace of God my discernment got better and I sensed his will and I said, yes. A year later, I proposed, year later, we got married. Believe it or not 44 years, this December in our marriage. And I just want to say, thank you, Denise O'Brien for being patient with such a dork, such a social backwards guy. And then interestingly, about two years later, all of this happened in about a four year season it seems. About two years later, I was going to a theology class, first class of the semester at Southwestern seminary. I walked into the room and there were several seats scattered around, but there's one rather on the front row. And I generally didn't sit on the front row, but there was a guy sitting on the front row, already, you know, brown nose and the professor.
Paul Basden:
And so I didn't know him well, but I, I knew his name and he knew my name, but we'd never been friends. And he said, "Paul, here's an empty seat. You want to sit here?" I thought, okay. So I sat down beside him and we became friends in the course, getting into class early, walk into another class afterwards, just visiting. We said, "Hey, I think our wives would enjoy meeting each other." So we had some kind of double date or something that you have when you have no money in seminary. Probably means we walked around some field somewhere and said, "Isn't this nice?" And so Denise got to know this guy's wife. And about 10 years later, we began going on family vacations every summer to the Gulf, either Gulf Shores or Destin or Panama City. About 10 years after that, I asked this guy, if he would pray about starting a church with me somewhere in the US I didn't know where.
Paul Basden:
And I just want to say Jim Johnson, James Brian Johnson. Thank you for inviting me to sit down beside you in that class. I don't think we'd be here today if he hadn't done that. Do you see what I I'm saying? Some invitations change the trajectory of your life. Not all but some and today I want to talk to you about invitations, about friends, about Jesus and how those all are interrelated. But first I want to ask a question and here's a question. How do people typically decide to come to Jesus? How do they typically decide to say yes to Jesus?
Paul Basden:
Well, I thought of three ways that people often commonly think it happens and they are these. One, the voice of God. And we think of this may be book because of the story of Saul, who became Paul in the New Testament. And he was breathing murderous threats against Christians and he was a terrorist and on his way to go round up more Christians to bring back to Jerusalem, to try and to kill, Jesus met him and spoke to him and the voice of God came down and knock him to the ground.
Paul Basden:
Well of course he would say yes, who wouldn't. And then there's another way. And that's through stadium crusades. This was super popular. The last half of the last century with Billy Graham, it's still popular today with Greg Laurie's Harvest Crusades. And then the third method is through evangelistic pamphlets. And if you're a part of campus crusade for Christ or is this now called Cru, you know about the four spiritual laws pamphlet or maybe the Billy Graham Steps to Peace with God pamphlet, or evangelism explosion and the pamphlet that talks about if you were to stand before God, if you died today and were to stand before God and he said, why should I let you into my heaven? How would you answer? All right. Those are three of the most common ways people generally think that individuals come to faith in Christ. But I'll tell you that statistically throughout history, people have come to Christ far more consistently through another person. That is people say yes to Jesus primarily because someone they know invites them to do so.
Paul Basden:
That is the good news of Jesus travels along relational lines more often than along lines from strangers. It can come that way as well, but more often among relational lines of people we already know and usually family or friends. So let me just ask you a question. I'm going to have a show of hands here, if I may. Did you say yes to Jesus primarily through and just pause if you haven't said yes to Christ and you're still experimenting and thinking about all that, don't worry about it. No one's got a mic on you to find out what you're saying, safe place. I promise. But first, if you came to Christ through the voice of God, a stadium crusade, or an evangelistic pamphlet, if those were the primary ways God drew you to himself through Christ, would you just slip your hand up a minute so we can thank God for the way that you came to Jesus.
Paul Basden:
Thank you so much. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. How about a friend or family member? Did you come through somebody who was important in your life that you already knew and they invited you to know Jesus. If that was your situation, would you raise your hand. I realize those can cross over as well. Those are not airtight categories. I recognize that. But I think that does indicate that more often than not people come to Jesus because someone gives them an invitation and I'm so thankful for every way that all of you have come to Christ, but you don't have to depend on a crusade or attract or the voice of God. God wants to use you in the lives of other people with simple invitations. And that's our talk today. Because inviting is the open door into God's kingdom. So how can you invite your friend into your life?
Paul Basden:
How can you invite your friend into your home? How can you invite your friend into our church and ultimately even into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Now I think there may be an elephant in the room. So let me name it. If you're here today in person or online, because someone invited you to come, you might feel really weird about right now. Great, I came on a Sunday or I'm listening or watching on a Sunday. When the pastor's talking about me, the person that was invited by my friend at church way to set me up. But that's not how we do it here. You're not their project. You're not going to be some type of a notch on their evangelistic belt. Your friend loves you. Your friend wants for you what they have found in Jesus Christ and there's zero pressure.
Paul Basden:
So we're really talking not about you if you're the guest today. We're talking about the person who invited you. So everybody relax. Here's our topic. It's friendship for Christ's sake. And these are two big important words. The first word is friendship. And while I might want to say a lot about it, I can't do any better than what Jim Johnson said last week in his message. And up that if you have not seen this, you will go watch it. If you have to need to listen to it, that you will listen to it because he went through such practical ways for you and I to build friends for friendship's sake. But now we come back to that topic we're talking about today, friendship for Christ's sake. And when we talk about for Christ's sake, we mean, well, if you do something for someone's sake, you're doing it because you want to be consistent with their purpose.
Paul Basden:
You're doing it because you know the reason they want something and you want to do it for them. And so really, in this case, you just simply want to allow another person to know God in the same way you do. And you want to participate with God in their process and at the center of God's purpose, it seems is always invitations. In John's gospel in the very first chapter as you come to the end of it, this story of Jesus, we see invitations over and over and over from Jesus to people and from people to other people. Three stories. Let's look at the first. The following day, John, the baptizer, not John the apostle. This is Jesus cousin who was out dressed crazy and preached wild and crazy. Was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, "Look, guys. That's the lamb of God I've been telling you about, that's the guy." When John's two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.
Paul Basden:
Jesus looked around and saw them following and said, "What do you want?" He asked them. They replied, "Rabbi," which means teacher, "Where are you staying?" "Come and see, he said." Friend, that's the invitation. That's always what Jesus says to us. Come and see. And that's what we say to others, "Hey, just come and see." It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying and they remained with him the rest of the day. Do you see how that story goes? John the Baptist Jesus distant cousin and forerunner, Jesus front man, if you will, was telling people about the lamb of God, the Messiah who would save them from their sins and make them right with God. And John had gathered disciples unto himself. But John knew that he had to decrease as Jesus increased.
Paul Basden:
So he was constantly telling his disciples, "When you see the real guy, that's who you're going to follow, not me." And they were doing that. And Jesus invited two of those to come follow him and leave John and their loyalty to him and take up loyalty to Christ. Second story. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother was one of these men who heard what John said and followed Jesus. So one of the two was Andrew. Andrew went to find his brother Simon and told him, "We found the Messiah." Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. That's the invitation. Hey brother. I found the guy we're looking for, come and see. Third story. The next day, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip, that's a new person now and said to him, "Philip, come follow me." Jesus invitation. Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter's hometown. And so Philip went to look for Nathanael, that's one of his friends, and told him, "We found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about. His name is Jesus the son of Joseph and he's from Nazareth.
Paul Basden:
"Nazareth!" Exclaimed, Nathanael. "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" "Come see for yourself," Philip replied. First off, if you grew up anywhere that there was a neighboring town or a village or somewhere and you all made fun of everybody from that city, that was Nazareth. So when they heard where Jesus was from, it was like, yeah, really tell me the Messiah is coming from that PO Don place. And here's the invitation. Come and see for yourself. All invitations, all from Jesus. All from Jesus people to people who could be Jesus people. But when we give these invitations in our world, there's a certain order we want to follow just like the order we saw there.
Paul Basden:
And so let's talk about a progression of invitations. We're using three key words here. Let me explain each one. The first is we want to invite a friend into your life. This is the foundation of every friendship. You have no friendship that did not occur because you invited them into your life and they invited you into their life. In fact, if your goal in life is to do this and to keep people at distance you'll just never have any close friends. But we thrive on close friends. We can't make it in life without close friends.
Paul Basden:
And so we need people. And for that to happen, we have to invite them into our lives. Now how's this happened? Well, it starts with small talk. It always starts with small talk. The best friendships starts with small talk. You're at work one day, a new new person comes to work and you say, "Hey, my name's so and so. I work over here at this department. How about you?" You're at soccer practice for your kids and you're standing beside a parent or eight feet away from a parent of another kid and you don't know them and you kind of get back four feet away from them and you say, "Hey, that's my kid over there, which one's yours?" Or you're in your neighborhood out walking your dog or something and you see someone else coming your direction. You don't know them and you talk about dogs.
Paul Basden:
I did this just the other day. I was over at my youngest daughter's apartment and she asked me to take her big old, 80 pound labradoodle out for a walk. So captain and I he's out walking me. And so as we're going down the street, we come upon a guy I've seen out there in front of an apartment, about five places down from Kristen outside. I've seen him many times, but I've never done anything other than just kind of nod ahead. So this time I thought, I got nothing to lose. And so I just said, "Hey, how are you doing?" He said, "Fine. How are you?" Now he may have told me his name. I just don't recall it. What I do recall is he has two dogs. One of them is a yipper and one of them does it. I must see him again and I'll find out his name and I'll tell him my name.
Paul Basden:
And we'll just chat a little bit. That's what it means to start with small talk. And if you're saying, "Well, Paul, can you give me a practical example?" You bet. This is Halloween, it's trick or treat tonight. So if you're out walking with your kids in your neighborhood, why not introduce yourself to someone else and just tell them your name. Now you may have a weird outfit on and they may have a weird outfit on, that could even make it harder or funnier. You decide that. If you're staying at home home to give out candy and you're saying, "I don't know what I'm going to do, staying at home to give out candy. How can I make a friend?" Well, Denise and I and Kristen are going to do at our house what we did last year. We're going to set up a table and camp chairs and got the candy on the table.
Paul Basden:
And everybody that comes by, we're going to say hi. And we're just going to engage in small talk, maybe introducing ourselves and getting to know some people. So it always starts with small talk. But then eventually it moves into conversations about life events. Like after you've had small talk for a while, you might say to that person, "Hey, my child started kindergarten this past fall. Wow. That is a different experience for me." They may or may not respond. Or this past weekend we went to the lake with some friends, had no idea the water would be so calm and so warm still in October. They may or may not respond. Or I work with somebody that gave us cowboy tickets a couple weekends ago. They're winning right now. It was incredible to be at that AT&T Stadium. You've never been there. What a day?
Paul Basden:
Just life events. But the more you do that then, this relationship deepens as you share your stories with one another. That might be serious. Like you're standing there in the back alley because you're taking out your garbage the same day they are on trash day. You're out at the mailbox or you're just seeing someone in the neighborhood. And you're at a level now where you can say, "Hey, we've talked about work a lot. I won't be talking to you about that job anymore because I got off last week." Had never done this before. I got a month of severance, but I'll let you know what's happening. Now see, that's not simple there. You're going a little deeper or it could be humorous. It may be Wednesday before Thanksgiving. And you say to your neighbor, "Hey, I know we've become friends. I'm so thankful for that. My family comes in tomorrow morning. We have never gotten along. I mean it has been war forever. Of course it's not my fault, but I just have to live with these people. And the truth is we're having lunch at noon tomorrow.
Paul Basden:
I could give you a lot of money if you'd come ring our doorbell at 12:30 and ask me to go outside and play football with all the guys in the neighborhood, would you do that?" As Denise's dad used to say, "Don't die before you use up all your friends." So that's just an opportunity right there. What I'm saying is shared stories are the glue of friendship. In fact you know a person has accepted your invitation into your life, that they have accepted your invitation into your life when they tell you their story. And until they tell you their story, they're not in yet. Now this takes time. Doesn't happen overnight. You have to let it grow as God leads that friendship to grow. But there's a good guideline that the apostle Paul gives us in the letter to the Colossian Christians. "Live wisely among those who are not believers and make the most of every opportunity.
Paul Basden:
Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you'll have the right response for everyone. Whether it's small talk, life events or your story, pray God will show you. Now, once you've done that, step two is pretty obvious. You invite a friend into your home. If you're both sports fans, I know I'm speaking to a lot of guys here, but not all guys and some girls, but not all girls. The Super Bowl is coming up in February, March madness, March and early April, The World Cup for all you who are soccer fans with kids who play soccer. Next fall, next November and December. It's great time to invite someone over or for a meal. Grill and eat outside. Cook and eat inside, have them over for coffee and dessert one evening. Could be a celebration.
Paul Basden:
I mean the list is long July 4th, Labor Day, St. Patty's day. We got celebrations everywhere and you can be creative. Every January first, every new years day, right before noon, Adrian and Brooke Domek have organized a family kickball game, a neighborhood kickball game for the parents against the kids. They've done it for five straight years. Brooke was very clear that this is the one legal morally justifiable time in the course of the year that parents can absolutely smear their kids. I mean, you can just smash them, it feels great. Then you get to teach them a lesson about being good losers or sore losers. It's a wonderful moment. But in that setting, what happens is afterwards people go over to each other's homes and guess what? They're sharing life. Good biblical guideline again from the apostle Paul. He says, "Always be eager to practice hospitality." Hospitality just means you're inviting someone into your home. Well, once that happens, in time, as God opens doors, you will invite a friend to your church.
Paul Basden:
Now might be a big event like balloon glow. I invited two of my neighbors and one of them and his wife and triplets came to balloon glow. It might be Christmas Eve service or an Easter Sunday. It might be a regular Sunday morning service, but one that specifically you think your friend would like maybe one on marriage, maybe one on parenting. Just think about your friend in those terms or maybe it's to a group. Let me tell you about something that really was moving to me this past Friday morning. Denise and I came up to MOPS, Mothers of Preschoolers that meets in this room couple times a month on Friday mornings and I was so moved. I sat on that back row because I was clearly not the target audience. And I sat on that back row as I watched these ladies in tables, a dozen 15 tables in here. Six to eight, 10 women at every table.
Paul Basden:
And as they walked in, you could just see the relief on their face. Not because for two hours they didn't have to love their kid. Oh no. For two hours, they got to connect with another mom. I mean, I began to think about what mom's a preschoolers, whether they work and care for their kids or stay home every day and care for their kids. When I think about what their life is like, how much they give up, how much they sacrifice. Because they know that the hand that rocks a cradle rules the world. And I think about those moms and Denise's as we looked at them we thought, wow, these are world changers. And they come right here to get some friendships, some support, some prayer, some encouragement. So ladies, is it possible that you know someone in your neighborhood who might appreciate MOPS? Invite them. That's what I'm talking about.
Paul Basden:
Invite them somehow to your church. And by the way, we have a new resource and it's digital shareables. All I've got to do is go to the Preston Trail app and when you do, go to this top slide on features and scroll over till you get to invite a friend and when you get there, it will take you straight to our YouTube page with all of the different short talks, five to 10, sometimes as long as 30 minute talks, but tons of 5, 7, 8 minute talks on marriage, on sex, on parenting, on questions and doubts that we have, you name it. We've got topics there. And I'll be honest. The friend that did show at balloon glow, that was our neighbor of ours. He and his family came, not because I could ever find him at home, but because I sent him a shareable, I texted it to him through my phone.
Paul Basden:
So don't forget that. Now of course, these three invitations into your life, into your home and to your church aren't the biggest. The biggest of all is inviting into a personal relationship with Christ, but we're not there today. We'll deal with that in three more weeks when we talk about sharing the good news. Some of you may be saying, okay, Paul, I get it. I know what you want me to do. I know what Jesus wants me to do. Make a friend and figure out a time to invite. I believe I should, but I don't have many handles on that. Can you help me? Yes. Let me give you some guidelines. Five guidelines for inviting a friend. Number one, be real, not religious. People are drawn to other real people who laugh at normal things and enjoy normal conversations.
Paul Basden:
People are not drawn to religious weirdos. If you have a desire in your life to be a religious weirdo, and then to tell someone about your church, tell them about another church. Don't tell them that you're part of Preston Trail because we don't want to be weird for people. And Jesus doesn't want you to be weird for people. In fact, one of the chief complaints against Jesus is that he wasn't religious enough. He got in trouble because he had fun. I love the pastor who said where the spirit of the Lord is, there is fun.
Paul Basden:
Be real, not religious. Second, be an amateur, not a professional. I don't know if you know the root of the word amateur, but it comes from that famous little word, Amatore or Amour, I love. Comes from the word love. So in sports, traditionally, amateurs play the sport because they love it. Professionals play because they get paid for it, doesn't mean they don't love it, but they get paid for it. So whom do you generally trust more when they talk to you about something that's important to them? Somebody who loves it or somebody who gets paid to do it. Be an amateur when you talk about Jesus, they'll pick up on it immediately. It will feel genuine. Third, accept before you invite, accept before you invite. People have to be accepted before they can understand that God loves them. You are the acceptance that lets them know God in Christ can accept them.
Paul Basden:
For years in school, kids have done show and tell. In relationship to your friends who don't know Christ, show and tell is appropriate. Just show a whole lot of Christ's love and acceptance before you tell. I don't know how long ago it was, but I'm in the guest 15 years, maybe longer, 20006, '5, '4, Jim Johnson was preaching in the movie theater, theater 16 for one of our worship services. And at the end of his message, he says a sentence I'll never forget. He said love people until they ask you why? That's what we're talking about. Accept people before you invite them. Love them until they ask you why then you go, well, would you like to come with me? Fourth guideline, trust God for open doors and write words, ask God on a regular basis. Say, "Lord open doors that no one can close and while you're at it, close doors that no one can open."
Paul Basden:
Because I don't want to go where you're not leading and give me the right words, because my words will mess things up. But you speaking through me, it's going to be a blessing to the other person. Your job is to love always and to invite at the right time. It's not to invite always and to love at the right time, because there's no good time not to love. And there are indeed some good times not to invite, but if you love, you will figure out when to invite. Your job is not to forcibly open doors and run, rush shot over people. Just invite as God opens doors and trust him. He loves both of you more than you can ever imagine. Fifth and finally, embrace God's vision for your friend. Think about what Christ means to you.
Paul Basden:
Think about all that Jesus has come to mean to you on your best days. When you love him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength of love your neighbor with yourself. And it seems like faith is a great experience to your worst days. When you're loving idols around you and having to confess your sins and ask Jesus to forgive you for the way you treated people. And then all those middle days we got the mountains, we got the valleys. Then there's just a whole lot of plateaus. On all those days I want you to be fully aware in every possible way that Jesus is whom you love and need and desire and what to follow more than anything else, whom you value more than anyone else and what he has meant to you, you want him to mean every bit, that much, if not more to all of your friends. That is God's vision for your friends. Abundant life, eternal life strength in the midst of trials, joy, peace, patience, grace, kindness.
Paul Basden:
That is what God's will is for your friend's life. And he's writing a story in your friend's life. Just like he has been writing the one in your life. Your friend may not know God is the author, but God wants to use you in that story. And it doesn't matter exactly where you find that person where you intersect that person's life. But I just want to tell you, people are waiting to be invited and you just never know how one invitation can really change a life forever. Denise and I went to start a church in Valley Ranch back in 1986. We had neighbors that just lived a door to down. Her name was Diane. She was married. She had two little kids and we just made friends with him in the neighborhood. And then we ended up inviting him into our lives as she led us.
Paul Basden:
And then she came into our home and then we invited her to church and she came always by herself with her kids, her husband wasn't interested. And guess what? We had the privilege of baptizing her and on the way home from baptism that night, Denise from the bottom of her heart just turned around to the backseat and said, "Diane, we are so thankful to you and to God for this experience. I mean, you have just made our night." Then she goes, "You guys have made my life." Well, they moved away within about six months and Denise and I have off and on wondered from 1987, 34, 35 years later, what's happened to her? And of all things this past spring, we got a voicemail from her. Is this the same Paul and Denise used to live next door to us. I've been in California all these years. This is Diane.
Paul Basden:
And I just want to say, thank you for introducing us to Jesus. And I've been following him faithfully ever since. Now I'm happy. She let me know how that story was working, but the people in your life and whose life, God is writing a story. We don't know where they are and they may never come back and tell you. I would've been okay, so would Denise. If we never heard that story until one day in heaven, one day in the presence of God, whatever that is, Diane would've come up and hugged Denise and said, "Thank you for being my friend and for inviting me." And I just stood there withholding tears coming down my cheeks. And you'll either find out in heaven or you'll find out on earth if they remember to tell you or you'll see it happen right in front of your eyes, but just cooperate with God in the stories.
Paul Basden:
Because every time there's a friend in your life, God's doing something. And the question is, how will you participate? Who has God placed in your life that needs an invitation. It's really in the form of a prayer. It's just a simple prayer. "Lord, lead me to a friend who needs an invitation." That's simple. Isn't it? What would happen if we all prayed it? Now, if this is from your heart, if this resonates with you and you think, yeah, I can pray that and I mean it, I want to ask you to pray it out loud with me now. If this doesn't resonate with you, it's okay. Don't worry about it. But if it does, just join me, let's say it right now. Okay. Let's go, "Lord lead me to a friend who needs an invitation." And as you say that, and as you pray that I want to ask you to also put it in your mind, the faces of those friends, one or two or three of those friends and for us to seal this prayer, I want to do something unusual today.
Paul Basden:
I want us to partake of communion. And so let me ask you now, if you would get out your communion package that you received when you came in. Normally communion has only to do with Jesus and the good news he brought. Rightly so. Today though, we're going to take it a step beyond that. And we're going to talk about what his good news can mean to others. So as you are holding on to your communion package now, and we have others who are there with boxes. If you didn't get one, please reach out to them, wave and they'll be happy to make sure you have one. I want to read to you from John's gospel chapter 15, Jesus speaking to his disciples. Says there is no greater love that to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you, I no longer call you slaves.
Paul Basden:
You're now my friends. Wow. And the person whose face is in your mind or the people whose faces are in your mind, Jesus wants to be their friend through you probably. So I want you to pray for them that they would become a friend of Christ. And as we partake of the bread, as we partake of the cup and you thank Jesus for what he's done for you, would you pray that your friend eventually would come to understand this for them also. All right, cup, bottom bread on top. Let's remove the wrapper on top of the bread first. Jesus said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Take and eat." And Lord may the friends in our minds that we love may they come to know that your body was sacrificed for them. Turn it over if you would, peel back the lid on the cup, Jesus said, this cup is the blood of the new covenant given to forgive all your sins, drink of it. In the prayer simply Lord Jesus please let my friends become your friends. So pray with me, please.
Paul Basden:
Thank you, Jesus that you call us friends. Unbelievable. Savior is great. We get to call you that. Lord is great. We get to call you that. Son of God, yes. But you are our friend and you call us your friend. Now father, we live and work and play and hang out with people whom we love deeply, but may not know that good news yet. Keep writing their story. Show us our role. Let us trust you. And in time, may we see new births of people in the kingdom of God. This is our prayer in Christ's name. Amen.
Recorded in Frisco, Texas.
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