Has the Invitation Become Obsolete?

[Editor's note: Last week's article was from 2018. This one appeared in the Richwood Reaper on December 1, 2024.]

The Christian Chronicle published an article on the subject in the October 2024 edition. That article was written by Bobby Ross, Jr., editor-in-chief. Brother Ross made some observations about the invitation and quotes other brethren's observations about it as well. The article is titled: "O Why Not Tonight?" which is the title of a well-known "invitation" song written by Elizabeth Reed and arranged by J. Calvin Bushey in 1842. The lyrics are self-explanatory as to why this is an "invitation" song. This song beckons the lost to obey the gospel and be saved. In fact, the sentence after each verse before the chorus reads: "Be saved, O, tonight."

Brother Ross first described his own response to the invitation on March 13, 1977. Then he cited a "note" from Douglas Foster, professor emeritus of church history at ACU in which the professor described being involved in a discussion about the invitation. Professor Foster is the author of several books on the restoration movement and church unity. However, his remedies for unity involve the Lord's church compromising with denominations, and his take on the restoration movement is like many of his colleagues in that he sees the "Church of Christ" beginning with Campbell and Stone and not with Peter and the apostles in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost following Jesus' ascension.

Professor Foster now worships with the Northside church of Christ in San Antonio, a congregation known for its progressiveness. Professor Foster stated that at Northside, "there is an announcement made before the final song that if anyone would like prayer, they can find one of the elders or prayer ministry team members for any needs they might have," but no specific mention is made concerning baptism, restoration, etc. The professor inquired if brother Ross had any data as to the number of congregations that continue to offer a "traditional" invitation, which brother Ross did not. This prompted brother Ross to do some research, which was the basis for this article.

We want to pause here and reiterate, as we have done whenever we have broached this subject, that the invitation is a tradition. It is not something that Scripture commands us to do. There is, however, an implication that some type of invitation is offered whenever the gospel is preached. A vital objective in preaching the gospel is to appeal to lost souls to be baptized and for the wayward, the delinquent, the backsliders, etc., to repent.

History

Jesus invited the "heavy laden" and those that "labor" to "rest" (Matt. 11:28). He further invited them to take His yoke, which is a Jewish idiom, meaning, "to enroll in His school." On the Day of Pentecost, Peter "invited" those who asked, "What shall we do?" to repent and be baptized "in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…." Then they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Later, when Simon the sorcerer sinned by coveting power to which he was not entitled, Peter rebuked him, and essentially "invited" him to repent of his wickedness. He was to pray God if perhaps the thought of his heart might be forgiven (Acts 8:22).

Brother Phil Sanders, speaker on the television program, "In Search of the Lord's Way," noted that he had experienced a similar neglect concerning the invitation on a recent visit to a congregation. Brother Sanders was troubled by this, noting, "We…have forgotten how to persuade people to come to Jesus."

A "lead minister" from Delaware admitted that he only offers the invitation "when it fits directly with his sermon." He believes that offering an invitation after every sermon "risks losing its significance because it's just something that the preacher says every time." Is that not what some denominations say about serving the Lord's Supper each Lord's Day? It is hard to fathom how some Sundays are important enough to extend the invitation while others are not.

What is even more troubling is the news that, "some churches have embraced 'Baptism Sundays,' choosing a specific Lord's Day to encourage seekers to make the decision." That is also directly out of the denominations' playbook as we noted in an article at precisely this time last year, titled, "Another Sorry Merger" (dated 12-3-23). Can we imagine Peter on the Day of Pentecost or Paul telling Lydia or the Philippian jailer in Acts 16 to wait for "Baptism Sunday"? Do these brethren truly believe in baptism for the remission of sins?

For that matter, can we imagine anyone up until this current generation saying, "I'm not going to offer the invitation because it doesn't really fit in with my sermon"? What in the world are they preaching that the invitation to obey the gospel or to be restored to the fold of God is not pertinent?

Qualifications for Baptism

One preacher sees "potential harm" in offering the invitation, citing the possibility of someone responding, "in the heat of the moment," and perhaps not having a complete understanding as to what they are doing and why. However, most preachers, your affable author included, would not baptize someone they did not know without a few revealing questions in order to ascertain whether they were a suitable candidate.

On one occasion (about twenty years ago) a youngster responded to the invitation. Noting the young age of the lad, your affable author informed the congregation that before the baptism would take place, some questions needed to be asked. After taking the youngster to his office after worship for privacy and to avoid needless embarrassment, the first (and only) question was, "What does it mean to repent?" The lad did not know, and therefore it was clear that he was not ready to be baptized.

Final Thoughts

We are happy to also report that it does appear that a strong majority of brethren still consider the invitation important and offer it regularly. So, for now it would appear that the invitation is not obsolete—at least, not in the eyes of most of the brotherhood.

At Richwood, all of our members have obeyed the gospel; so citing the gospel plan of salvation in the invitation is needlessly redundant. However, even for Christians, the need to issue an invitation to repent and/or be restored is always present. We are grateful for faithful members that are conscientious about living lives free from sin. However, being human beings, we are prone to stumble and / or stray, and we would be remiss if we did not provide an opportunity at every service to make things right with God. We never know if something has arisen in someone's life for which a member needs to repent and ask forgiveness for, as in the afore-mentioned example of Simon.

We have no right to bind this on brethren who for whatever reason choose not to do so. We can and should ask, "Why would you not? Why would you possibly deprive a lost soul or an erring brother or sister an opportunity to make things right with God or make it more difficult for them to do so or leave them wondering how to do so? Yes, the invitation is a tradition, but it is a noble and worthy tradition and one that all brethren should continue to observe. Those who have stopped offering it should consider renewing it.