Five Biggest Ways to Mess Up During The Invitation

I am a devotee of preaching. I listened to radio preachers every Sunday morning as a young teen before I was saved. I trusted Christ as my Savior at 16 years old, and at 18, I preached my first sermon in a little Baptist church in Florida when the pastor went on vacation. I prepared for a 30-minute sermon that was over in 8 minutes. Today, I have over 78 books about preaching and preachers, teaching and teachers, and speaking and speakers in my library. So, you can say I am hooked on preaching!

Since I wasn’t any good at sports or playing a band instrument, I decided, as a teenager, to put my whole effort into becoming the best preacher I could possibly be. To do that, I listened to some of the best preachers. I heard them on the radio, on old cassette tapes, and even watched televangelists; I heard perhaps thousands of sermons over the years and took a lot of notes along the way.

Also, over my 50+ years as a preacher, I’ve been privileged to have traveled with some of the world’s greatest Bible preachers and teachers. Throughout much of the late 1990s, I traveled with Promise Keepers and was honored to preach and speak alongside some of the finest preachers and speakers in the country.

It was an honor, and I learned much from them.

But over these decades of touring with various preachers and listening to all types of sermons, I’ve concluded that it makes me sad and sometimes angry. Why? It’s this: Most preachers I’ve heard, even the good ones, mess up at the invitation.

Precisely what is the invitation I’m referring to? It’s called The Gospel Invitation! That’s the moment when a preacher invites unbelievers to believe in Christ alone for their salvation. It’s the moment when all the angels of heaven rejoice even over one “sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10.)

In many ways, this is the most essential segment of every sermon. It’s when the preacher proves the power of the Gospel to his listening audience. It’s when the proclamation of the Gospel glorifies God. It’s when the bridge is built from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, from the kingdom of death to the kingdom of life, and sinners are invited to cross it by placing only their faith in Jesus Christ.

Here are the five biggest ways most preachers mess up during the invitation:

1. They don’t present a Gospel-centered on the cross of Christ. “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2
There was one main sermon Paul preached for eighteen months while he was in Corinth…the Gospel!

If you aren’t preaching the cross, you aren’t preaching the Gospel. The centerpiece of salvation is the cross on which Jesus spilled His blood. Without the death of Christ and His resurrection, there is no hope for any of us.

So often, I’ve heard preachers present what some would call the “Gospel” and yet not even mention the cross, let alone focus on it. It means they didn’t give the Gospel at all.

Make the cross central to your Gospel explanation.

Preach Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. Preach that simple message correctly, clearly, and consistently. As another great preacher has said, take your text and make a beeline for the cross.

2. They refuse to do a weekly invitation. “And he [the Apostle Paul] reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.” Acts 18:4

His habit was presenting the Gospel each time he preached in front of a crowd with unbelievers in it. He gave it with the intention of souls being saved and lives changed.

As I’ve been invited to preach and speak in churches and events across the nation for the last five decades of ministry, I’ve seen many people come to Christ, often to the surprise of the ones who invited me. Is it because I’m the best preacher and speaker? Not at all.

However, it is because I learned to give the Gospel correctly, clearly, courageously, compassionately, compellingly, and consistently every time I preach. And when the Gospel is declared, it has the power to save the lost (Romans 1:16.)

3. They neglect to target unbelievers purposely. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

During much of His ministry, Jesus focused mainly on reaching unbelievers. He spent time with them, healing, ministering, and inviting them to join the group. Jesus tells the story in Luke 15 of how the shepherd is willing to leave the ninety-nine to go on a search and rescue mission to find the one lost sheep.

Think about it: if 99% of the people attending our churches are believers, we still must leave the security of preaching to believers to invite the 1% who are lost in our midst to believe in Jesus. And when we do, we must make it clear to them that we are inviting the non-believers to believe in Jesus.

And if the message is being broadcast online, the chances are good unbelievers could be watching and listening to the invitation.

I am grieved when I hear invitations miss their mark by calling believers and unbelievers to the same decision points. Let’s make sure we appeal to Christians to act on the message of the sermon and nonChristians to act on the Good News of the Gospel. Jesus said it this way in Luke 5:32, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Our message is that Jesus wants to invite unbelievers to repent (change their minds about sin, self, and salvation).

4. They aren’t compelling enough. “Now it happened in Iconium that [Paul and Barnabas] went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed.” Acts 14:1

We must speak effectively, urgently, and convincingly. The Greek word for persuade (peitho) means to win someone over, to gain one’s goodwill gently. It is used eight times in the New Testament regarding evangelism.

That’s why many used to call evangelism “soulwinning.” One effective youth evangelist says it’s not a push but a pull. It’s not coercive but compelling. Someone once explained it’s not sales but marketing.

It is essential we make a case for Christ and the cross. Like Paul and Barnabas, we must speak “so effectively” that many believe in Christ. Yes, our sovereign God uses humans as His instruments of redemption. And, in many cases, the more accurate, clearer, and compelling we are, the more people respond.

5. They subtly add works to the Gospel. “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8

Every preacher should ponder these strong words. In essence, the Apostle Paul says, “Even if Timothy, Barnabas, Luke, or I start preaching a Gospel that adds anything to simple faith alone in Christ alone we will be judged by God. Even if Michael the archangel or Gabriel His messengers present a works-based message to you to get or stay saved, they will be accursed.”

Tragically, so many Gospel invitations are in danger of being cursed. They subtly (or not so subtly) add something to the only thing needed for salvation: faith alone in Christ alone.

Haven’t you heard some of the commonly used catchphrases that confuse many preachers’ Gospel invitations:

“Ask Jesus into your heart.” This phrase is never used in Scripture. We are to put our faith in Jesus; then He comes to dwell inside us. It’s only after we trust in Jesus based on his finished work on the cross, He comes into our hearts and lives (Ephesians 1:13,14; Colossians 1:27). Preachers and others use (Revelation 3:20) to substantiate using the phrase. But in the passage, it is properly used of Christ coming in believers [the Church] for fellowship, not salvation!

“Turn from your sins and then come to Jesus.” If we could turn from our sins, why would we need to come to Jesus? Since we are dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1), then we have no power to turn from them. We could save ourselves. Instead, the truth is we come to Jesus in simple faith, and then He begins our lifelong spiritual development by turning us from our sins and conforming us to His image.

“Just say this prayer, and you’ll be saved.” Will saying a prayer save anyone? Not really, because Scripture says it is by faith in Jesus that can save everyone and anyone. It’s okay to lead someone through a salvation prayer if they know their faith in “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” saved them, not some spiritual words.

“Commit your life to Christ.” Instead, let’s remind them that it was Jesus who committed His life to us by giving up His life for us. Once a person trusts in Him as their Savior, they now have the power to follow Him as Lord, not as a necessity for salvation, but because of it. Why? Because the Holy Spirit now gives them the ability to live a godly life.

We do good works now not to get saved or stay saved but because we are saved through faith alone in Christ and want to live a “thank you” life because He saved us, not us saving ourselves.

All preachers, teachers, and speakers will give an account before God of how correctly, clearly, and consistently we present the Gospel.

Ways Not to Mess Up During the Invitation

• • Don’t fear outsiders won’t respond because the Gospel draws them, not our invitation.
  • Be Correct. Be clear. Be bold. Don’t manipulate.
  • Ask people to respond and tell them how to be saved.
  • Trust the Scripture and the Holy Spirit to do their work in bringing an unbeliever to salvation.

Are we willing to do whatever it takes to reach them?

There is a book I’d like to recommend that will help you make sure your Gospel is as correct and clear as it should be. It’s the book Simply by Grace by Charles C. Bing. I found it one of the best books I’ve ever read on ensuring we embrace and proclaim the simple Gospel.

The Athens of yesterday when Paul preached is the America of today. The methods must continually change. However, the message must remain the same.

Give the Gospel in every sermon. Give it correctly. Give it clearly. Give it compellingly. Give the unsaved an opportunity to say “yes” to Jesus. It doesn’t matter if you have them text in their response, bow their hands, raise their hands, fill out a card, or even walk an aisle; just do something. Do it every week. Do it until people respond. But do not mess up during the Gospel invitation.

It’s worth it for the one lost sheep.