There was a time when, like many preachers, the invitation time in the worship service was the focus for me.  I prayed and planned and studied and worked and preached in hope that something would happen during the singing of the invitation hymn.  But, while the invitation and what happens during that time is still important to me, the focus has changed somewhat.

    For one thing, I discovered very early that it is possible to manipulate people so they respond without a genuine experience with the Holy Spirit.  Some evangelists and pastors do this today.  They +use fear or shame or peer pressure or gimmicks to get people to respond at invitation time.  I tried things like that a time or two, and was disgusted and ashamed.  I decided that was not the way to go.

    For another thing, I discovered over time that not everyone who responds to an invitation does so with understanding, sincerity, and commitment, and that only time would reveal which decisions were real and which were not.  Some that I thought would last, did not.  Others about whom I had  doubts, are still on pilgrimage.

    And, most importantly, the Lord taught me that the invitation is not something over which I have control.  He has repeatedly emphasized to me that the Holy Spirit alone can bring someone to Christ and commitment.  If He does not do His office work of illuminating and convicting and persuading and leading, nothing real will happen.  The Lord keeps reminding me that my part is to faithfully preach what He puts on my heart, while His part is to bring people to decision. 

    Long ago I shifted my attention to what happens between Sundays - between invitations.  That is a better measure of the faithfulness of a preacher than the invitation is.  If the people do not change over a period of time, then the preacher has not been successful, no matter how many decisions are made during the invitation.  The Word of God is powerful and alive.  It changes people when it is faithfully proclaimed.  So I try to be faithful in my personal life, in the time I give to study and preparation, and in the manner in which I share.

    I’m always gratified when someone says, “I’ve been thinking about a sermon you preached.”  When I hear that, I know something is happening between invitations, because when we meditate on the Word, the Spirit has an opportunity to change us.  Your growth is my goal.  And that usually happens between invitations.