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How to Give an Effective Invitation

A few days ago, I did a blog post about evangelistic sermons that crash at the altar call. Beautiful takeoff. Wonderful flight. Crash-landing.

Basically, the premise of the post was that a lot of preachers/pastors/evangelists/youth leaders do a great job opening up their sermon and communicating the gospel, but then, for some strange reason, they get confusing at the invitation.

After my rant, I got some feedback from a youth leader who wanted more information about what a “good landing” looks like. Here are five things I do to make sure I don’t crash land at the invitation:

1. Make sure the gospel has been presented clearly enough for a child to understand.

Is your gospel presentation clear enough for a second grader to grasp? Does it lay out the gospel in a simple way? If not, this acrostic that we use at Dare 2 Share may help guide your GOSPEL giving:

God created us to be with him.
Our sins separate us from God.
Sins cannot be removed by good deeds.
Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again.
Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life.
Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.

Let’s remember the words of Paul to the believers at Colosse when it came to sharing the gospel, “Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” Colossians 4:4

2. Refuse to use terms that confuse what a person must do to be saved.

There are certain terms that many preachers use that are confusing at best. These terms can be ambiguous (“accept Christ“), confusing (“let Jesus into your heart“) or need more explanation (“repent”).

So what term do I use when explaining what a person must “do” to be saved? The same one that Jesus used most often. In John 6, Jesus was asked, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” He answered in verse 29, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

The book of John uses the word “believe” 98 times to describe faith as the only way of salvation. The Greek word for believe “pistou” is closer to our English word for “faith” or “trust.“ It is not mere intellectual accent (“I believe that Jesus existed”). Instead, it represents a child-like trust, “I rely fully on Jesus, based on what he did for me on the cross, to save me from my sins.”

When I give an invitation I use the word “trust” or “faith” in Jesus to describe the way of salvation. These words are simple, clear and, by far, what Jesus used the most to describe how a person was passed from death to life.