So I was recently trying to practice the four I’s – Identify, Intercede, Invest and Invite. When I got to the Invite part, I kind of froze up. I said to myself, “this person has probably gotten several invitations to multiple churches. What makes my own invitation different? What is it about Grace Life that makes us different from thousands of other churches out there?” Also I was concerned about how to present my invitation so I don’t come across as manipulative and as a user, a concern friends have expressed about church people. This got me thinking and what I am about to share with you is how I have learnt to present Jesus or our church that has worked for me.  

 

But before I share it with you, let me make one point clear: if you follow the 4 I’s you will find that this is more about you being used by God to touch a life and make a difference in someone’s life than it is about even converting them to Jesus or to attending your church. Please evangelism – spreading the good news – is not about adding members to our church. It is PRIMARILY about you being the church to someone – the body of Christ, his hands, feet, mouth, ears and eyes to someone else. Jesus said “freely you have received, freely give.” If what you are doing to bless someone is contingent on him or her coming to Jesus or to your church i.e. you stop if the person never comes to church or gets saved, then it is no longer a free gift from you. You have turned it into a wage – something you do in return for something. The ONLY motive for doing this is LOVE – you love this person, you know God loves this person and you want them to experience God’s love through you.   So with that understanding in place, we can now address the question: why consider our church, GLC?

 

Why should someone consider being a part of what we are trying to do here at GLC? How are we different from thousands of churches out there to whom they may have also been invited to?  And the answer I have come up with is quite simple: our goal here at GLC makes us different and so you should only consider becoming a part of us if you share our values and our goal and would like to join us in creating the kind of Christian community that we are pursuing and trying to create.   

 

And what exactly is our goal? Well, we are not there yet, but what we want to be is a “LOVE COMMUNITY, a place where it is easy for anyone, no matter how bad they may be, to take their next step in their journey to God, following Jesus and to take that step out of love that is in response to God’s love for them, not out of a sense of fear or pride or duty. In short, we want to be a people whom LOVE is the only motive for everything they do.  To break it down further, at Grace Life Center, our goal is to be:

1. The perfect place for imperfect people to receive new life from Jesus and to follow Jesus motivated by love, rather than duty, fear or pride.
2. A place where favor they do not deserve (grace) is shown to everyone
3. A place where love is the only motive for all we do, not fear or pride or duty.
4. A place where people experience absolute freedom and yet are using that freedom to love and serve God and to love others as God has loved them.

1. Long list of rules, laws, regulations, “dos and don’ts” used to regulate and control people’s behavior. Our goal is for love to be the only motive for all actions.
2. External pressure and persuasion to do things you don’t really want to do or be someone you really don’t want to be. Our goal is for people to be authentic – to be free to be on the outside who they really are on the inside. 
3. Personality worship or personality cult i.e. celebrity or superstar Christians, pastors, first ladies and leaders who are super perfect and we put on a pedestal. Our goal is for the brotherhood and sisterhood of all people. 
4. Manipulative teachings and messages to make you feel negative emotions of guilt, shame and defeat. Our goal is to lift you up through the constant teaching of the gospel, which is good news of how God has lifted you in Christ Jesus.
5. Inauthenticity because people are fake and pretending to be perfect when they are not. Our goal is to be people who are not ashamed to acknowledge their falls, faults and weakness on their journey to God, following Jesus.

 

We are dedicated and committed to being such a community because we believe that it is in only in such an environment that more and more people can easily come to receive and enjoy the life of God available in Jesus alone, and take their next step in following Jesus.  And by helping as many people as we can to take their next step in following Jesus, we can change the world. And so every time we gather, it is as disciples of Jesus, learning to be with Him, until we become like Him in all areas of our lives so we can live like Him in this world – living the life of LOVE!   We are doing this because we believe that it is because of the absence of communities like these, which can be a true witness to who Jesus and God really are, that a lot of people are still lost in this world their search for life when God has provided life and light to all men freely as a gift in Jesus. But many are turning from this gift of God and chasing shadows because many church groups have failed to show people how deep and radical God’s love for them is.

 

That’s why I am in GLC. Being in this church has made it easier for me to receive and grow in God’s life as I have grown to realize how much God radically loves me. And my hope is that if you decide to attend, it would do the same for you. And if you do come and see what we are trying to achieve, you may consider joining us in building this environment that God could use to bless so many and change our world from the inside out. If you would give us just an hour thirty minutes of your time, your life could be changed forever and, perhaps, you may join us to change the world!