The Invitation

By Vivienne Hill

If I was Jesus, I do not think I would have chosen the 12 disciples—they were way too human and fallible. I would have looked for people who were charismatic, great orators, magnetic people-gatherers, dynamic communicators and gifted networkers. Surely these would be a more effective line-up to spread the good news of the gospel to all the world. I might even have called the religious people of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees. They would have been a natural choice as they already knew the ropes.

Instead, Jesus called people just like you and just like me—personality types we identify in ourselves, our relatives and our friends. The criteria for selection in Jesus’ exclusive club is not natural talent, but in answer to an invitation that Jesus sends out to all humanity asking Will you follow me?

He does not wait for a convenient time or desperate situations, though we are often more receptive to the question in trying circumstances. He does not wait until we are ‘acceptable’ in any sense. The invitation continually reverberates throughout the earth and echoes across time: Will you follow me?

What happens when you answer the invitation and say ‘Yes’ to Jesus? Well, he will accept you as you are right now, no matter your circumstances, no matter your lifestyle. He will adopt you into his family of which he says: ‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light’ (1 Peter 2:9).

Once you say yes, you will never again be alone because once you surrender your life to Jesus Christ, he will give you his Holy Spirit to live in you. The Spirit will guide, comfort, encourage and enable you to be extraordinary, just like the ordinary disciples (students and learners) became the extraordinary apostles (ones who are sent) who seeded the Church around 2000 years ago.

Jesus’ invitation is for you personally, RSVP today!