by Gregghi
Some friends of ours (me and Sarah) came all the way up from Tampa to visit and to experience StonePoint this weekend (I am speaking, so if you can get to Newnan, GA, come on up!). Sarah and I drove up to Alpharetta to visit and to go to Hector’s…no the place isn’t called Hector’s, the REAL name is El Potrillo, but it’s owned by a guy named Hector, hence the name Hector’s.
That being said, I learned a valuable lesson last night. The last few times I went to Hector’s, I didn’t SEE Hector. I was in the Men’s Room, and one of the employee’s was in there washing his hands (an EXTRA star for cleanliness). And I asked about the whereabouts of the man (Hector). The guy (Jose) said he was building another restaurant in Maine (the State). I was blown away. Anyway, Jose and I started talking and I told him that since I had moved BACK to Georgia, I had brought over 20 people in to Hector’s, I mean El Potrillo, and when I was in Florida, all I did was talk up his restaurant. And then HE was blown away.
I had a moment of realization…When was the last time I was so excited about the church that I was attending? I loved my last church, but I didn’t REALLY push it on other people, because the people I was meeting were not the type of people who would respond to that church. So, I would up sending them to another church.
The situation I find myself in now, is completely different. I LOVE my new church, and I could not understand why ANYONE would NOT love this church. I invite everyone I know to come to StonePoint. If people would treat their churches like we treat our favorite restaurants, our churches would explode. I mean it’s a simple idea, you have probably thought it yourself, but I would challenge you to apply it in your every day lives.
And if you cannot wholeheartedly suggest your church to someone, ask yourself this: What keeps you there? And are those reasons helping the kingdom, or hampering it?
If people would treat their churches like we treat our favorite restaurants, our churches would explode. Because we would bring all our friends, new and old, to eat there. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Mat 4:4 or Deut 8:3 (whatever it takes)
I would have to agree with my wonderfully gifted husband, Dave. Man, he has a way with words and God has a way to give them to him!
I would have to concur with BOTH Ness folks. I pray that one day, our people will take it upon themselves to challenge their friends to attend church with them and not just accept that their friends may NOT accept their invitation.
When I tell someone about a new restaurant, and then they don’t go, I don’t worry about it. Why do we worry so much what our friends will and won’t do when church is involved?
I think that it has less to do with those people not coming to church or turning them down…I think that people don’t invite their friends because of the possible judgment those people may have towards their “freaky Jesus cult” Christian faith.
In other words, we don’t invite our friends because our friends may not accept us and we would rather them go to Hell than feel ashamed.