J.R. Lee

We have an incredible opportunity every single week to make a difference in the lives of those that God has brought into our lives.  We’ve said it before that Easter Weekend would be a bad place to stop but a great place to start when it comes to making a strategic effort to invite and bring others to church.

We have seen so many lives changed during 2012!  God is doing something significant in the lives of those who have been followers of Christ for years as well as those whom you have invited in recent days.  Allow Easter Weekend to be a launching pad for you as you make inviting others a priority each and every week.   74 people were baptized during our series “I Have Decided”.  Every number has a name and below you can see some of the faces of those whose lives have been changed.  Look what happens when we invite others!  You can see much larger pics on the Freedom Church Facebook Page.

Romans 10:14  - But how can people call for help if they don’t know whom to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them?

I wrote the church a letter last week via this blog.  Today I want to post a condensed version of that letter because I think it is that important:

We are kicking off a brand new series on Easter Weekend (Saturday, April 7th at 6PM and Sunday, April 8th at 9:45 and 11:30AM) called AfterLife: A series on Heaven and Hell. It’s going to be absolutely phenomenal.  Our teams will be ready for the hundreds of first time guests who will walk through our doors.  The only reason that guests will come is if we invite them!

Here’s how I want you to pray.  God cares more about those around us than we ever could.  These are His people.  This is His Church.  He wants to see people experience life in Christ.  Plead with God to work in the hearts of people.  Remind Him that this is His city and it is time to take it back!  Salvation is the Lords.  Let’s pray that He does what only He can do.

I love you. Get ready for what God is going to do within the next couple of weeks!

Keep in mind that in the midst of everything else going on that Prayer IS the work.  Let’s pray like it depends on God, invite like it depends on us, and then give Him all the credit for the results!

Many of the people you invite to church – will come.  As a matter of fact, the majority of the people who show up at Freedom Church each week do so because of a personal invitation.  You can probably trace your church-going journey back to someone who cared enough to invite you.  Aren’t you glad they did?

With Easter coming up this weekend (Saturday 6PM and Sunday at 9:45 and 11:30AM) – there is no better time to invite than over the next 5-6 days.  That being said, here are a few tips that should help get your creative juices flowing…

1. Hand an invite card to people you meet and say “I’d love for you to come with me to church this weekend”.
2. Buy the persons food behind you in the drive thru line & tell the cashier to give them an “It’s On Us” card or just say it was a gift from Freedom Church.
3. Invite the few hundred friends on Facebook and/or Twitter who live in the area.
4. Invite those you work for or those who work for you and pick up their lunch afterwards.
5. Invite the employees of a business that you frequent.
6. Invite your neighbors, friends, and family – even if they have said no in the past!
7. Leave an invite card with your restaurant server (with a GREAT tip.  If you are a crappy tipper – save the invite card for someone else – and stop eating out at restaurants. Please).
8. Make a list of five people that you care about and go seek them out.  Pray AND invite!
9. Invite the players and coaches from your kids sports team.
10. Keep a few invite cards with you at all times – and give them away as you get the opportunity.

God can use your ordinary invitation and use it to produce extraordinary results.  Your life was changed because someone invited you.  God can use you to do the same for others in Acworth , Kennesaw, and the surrounding communities.

If you are from Freedom Church I want to let you know how grateful I am to be on this journey with you!  There is no one on the planet I would rather be doing this with than you.

Right now – we have opportunity staring us in the face.  Opportunity to impact the lives of the people we love and the community God has called us to reach.  This is our moment!

It all starts tomorrow night at the Friday Night Flashlight Eggstravaganza.  We will see thousands of people from our community.  I want us to go overboard in blessing every single person we come in contact with.  Go the extra mile and make a difference in the lives of people.  God will use you to impact the people that He cares about far more than we ever could!  What a privilege!

Not only that, but the week leading up to Easter Weekend – I want us to invite every person in our entire community to what will be a life-changing weekend at Freedom Church (Use invite cards, It’s On Us Cards, Twitter, Facebook, Etc., etc)!  We are kicking off a brand new series on Easter Weekend called AfterLife: A series on Heaven and Hell. It’s going to be absolutely phenomenal.  Our teams will be ready for the hundreds of guests who will walk through our doors.  The only reason that guests will come is if we invite them!

Here’s how I want you to pray.  God cares more about those around us than we ever could.  These are His people.  This is His Church.  He wants to see people experience life in Christ.  Plead with God to work in the hearts of people.  Remind Him that this is His city and it is time to take it back!  Salvation is the Lords.  Let’s pray that He does what only He can do.

I love you. Get ready for what God is going to do within the next couple of weeks!

• I am extremely grateful for what God is doing in the life of our church right now!  Never been more excited than I am right now.
• People are moving forward in their relationship with God.  Not because they are working hard on God’s behalf but because they are believing that God has already worked hard on their behalf!
• The first quarter of 2012 can only be attributed to the favor of God.  This is His church and we are honored to be a part!
• We are two days away from the Friday Night Flashlight Eggstravaganza!  Thousands of your friends, family, and neighbors converge in Acworth for an Egg Hunt you will never forget.
• We have a real live Easter Bunny jumping out of an airplane and parachuting onto the field to kick off the festivities that night. Lord, help that guy land safely so we can avoid a very awkward start
• I love how our church enjoys giving out the “It’s On Us” cards so much!  Yes you can pick up more at the office.  You keep hooking others up and we will do the same for you.  As Jesus has been for us – so we will be for others.
• Easter Weekend is less than two weeks away and we are kicking off a brand new series called AfterLife: A series on Heaven and Hell.  
• Invite every person that you know, see, or come in contact with in any way.  People who would never normally attend church will do so on Easter.  Many people are going to show up expecting to check church off their list and they will have their life changed forever!
• The schedule Easter Weekend is as follows:  Saturday Night, April 7th at 6PM and Sunday, April 8th at 9:45 and 11:30AM.
• YOU GET TO PLAY A PART IN GOD’S PLAN TO REACH OUR CITY!  It’s that important!  Invite, Invite, Invite!
• Freedom Church does whatever it takes.  This is our moment!