The Invitation to a Feast

Guest post by Brian Frye

My Passion and My Story

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a passion to see the lost come to Jesus and for fellow believers to come to a deeper place of surrender. This heart that God gave me was forged through fire, through hardship and pain that led to a place of surrender.

When I was a younger man, I was the one who was deeply lost and without hope in the world. People would look at me and describe me as a lost cause and a danger to society. My parents loved me and did the best they knew how with the tools given to them, but once their marriage failed, I fell apart.

When I was 12 years old, I began drinking and using drugs. I cared for no one outside of my group of friends. My heart was full of hatred and my goal was to be dead by the age of 25. But God pursued me with His love, time and time again, and although I didn't want to acknowledge Him, He was always there.

I ended up creating a very difficult life for myself. I kept getting expelled from school from 6th grade until 10th grade when the superintendent finally convinced me to sign myself out. I was mean. I was a bully. If I didn't like you, you were a target of my anger.

But Father sent servants of His along the way to plant seeds. He knew one day that I would remember the love shown and how people looked beyond my reputation and attitude and reached out with Bold Invitation.

One of the first of these seeds that was planted was when I was a teenager working at Walmart. A young lady named Laura, who I wasn't particularly nice to, invited me to church. I thought she was bold to invite me, so I went a few times. I'll never forget how she looked beyond the way that I treated her and took that step of faith. The funny thing is, years later I not only became part of her church, but worked on staff there and was even sent out as a missionary from them.

Then there was another time when I was 14, my girlfriend's mom took us to a youth group. I thought people were nice, but strange. I couldn't put my finger on what made them different, but what I experienced there stuck with me forever. A young man about my age took a keen interest in me. He was asking questions about what music I liked and when I told him, he started sorting through a bunch of his CDs and gave me a shoe box full. I was blown away by his generosity and I even took the time to listen to them.

It was encounters like these, when I was pre-Christian, that built the foundation for when I finally surrendered to King Jesus. The moment my life changed forever, I was 20 years old. I was a full-blown alcoholic and I would do crazy things while under the influence. I was involved in illegal activities. I kept getting locked up. I spent more time in a cell than out of one. I was serving my second prison sentence for a burglary I committed when I was 16 years old. I was so bad they charged me as an adult when I was a teen. I basically grew up in prison.

It was during that second prison sentence that I began to sit and face reality. I saw some of the same people coming in and out like a revolving door and that terrified me. I thought, This is going to be my life. I need to change!

It was at that moment that in desperation I fell to the ground and cried out, “God, if you are really real and you can change my life, it's yours!” As I sat there on the floor, it was like everything faded away. I saw the universe before me and heard a voice say, “You have lived your life as though you were the center of it all, but I'm here today to tell you that my Son Jesus Christ is the center of it all. Him you must serve.”

I got up off the floor with a new heart and a desire to live for the One who revealed Himself and called me into His service. I had no one to teach me, so I turned to the best teacher there is. He became a Father to me and led me into a new way of living. He gave me a hope and a future and that's what I have given my life to share with others from that point forward. He changed my life and destiny.

The path hasn't been easy, but in the early days He gave me opportunities that I could've never even known to ask for. He took me from prison to leading a small leadership school, to living overseas for a few years as a missionary in Guatemala. After I came back from Central America, He led me to marry an amazing woman who is the love of my life and a great partner in this adventure we call life.

But the most amazing thing of all is that He's given me the privilege of knowing Him and walking with Him.

The Urgency of the Call

Luke 14:23 says this: “Then the Master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.'“

This passage shows how important it is to invite others and the sense of urgency behind His call. He tells us to Go. He doesn't ask us. It's not really an option for us to invite others into the Kingdom; it's what we do as His servants. If we belong to Him, we do what He says. In fact, that's a big part of what separates us from the world: our obedience.

One of the most sobering passages in scripture states that, “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21). The mark of one who's going to be at the Great Banquet is the setting aside of their own life and agenda for the Master's Plan. It is both hearing Him and responding in obedience.

I don't know about you, but I often find myself distracted and just going through the motions and I have to be reminded of the importance of being on mission. One thing I often do, and I'll share this even though it may sound strange, is that I take a walk to the local cemetery and think about my human frailty. I contemplate the day of my death and ask myself if I am truly living the life He's called me to live. Life is short and the older we get, the faster it seems to go.

We know that one day we'll all get to face the Master and give an account of our stewardship while here on Earth. This is one of the main areas we'll give an account for: our fruitfulness. Did we invite others in? Did we share the joy of our Lord? Did we urge and compel others to come in?

This is our opportunity; this one life is our chance to partner with God in pulling people out of darkness and seeing them set free, to invite others to partake of His great banquet. This is His call and it is urgent. Every 11 seconds someone on Earth passes from life into eternity and many do so without hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ and the gift of eternal life that He paid such a great price to give. And how will they hear unless someone is sent? How will they know if someone doesn't tell them?

There are times that I, as I'm sure you do, get weary, tired and self-focused. If I'm being transparent, I had one of those moments just a couple of weeks ago. I woke up with my heart feeling a little cold and distant, but when it dawned on me that the condition of my heart was growing hard and callous, I spent time in His presence. When I was with Him a song began to bubble up in my heart and when I heard the lyrics, I decided that it would be my prayer for the day. I pray these words may inspire you as well.

The song is called, Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath. The chorus goes, “Give me your eyes for just one second, give me your eyes so I can see everything that I keep missing, give me your love for humanity. Give me your arms for the brokenhearted, the ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me your heart for the ones forgotten, give me your eyes so I can see.”

I would encourage anyone who ever feels overwhelmed by the task or just a callous heart to sit in His presence, make this song your prayer, and ask for His heart. There's no greater joy than being part of advancing His Kingdom on Earth through reaching the lost.

Overcoming Bias with Hospitality

One thing that often gets in our way though is our mindset, bias or just plain pride. It's because we really don't grasp the inclusivity of the gospel. Sometimes this affects our willingness to offer hospitality to people who aren't like us.

Let's look at the text again and see where He calls His servants to go. It says, “Then the Master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house may be full.'“ We all have people that we feel comfortable with and others that are more of a challenge for us to approach, but we must recognize that the call of God is to the outsider, the outcast and the unlovable. It's good news to the poor, regardless of one's background, status or circumstances. He's calling us to compel them to come to Him.

I'm eternally grateful for people like Laura and the young man who showed me unforgettable kindness and hospitality when I was unlovable. They displayed the love of Christ through simple acts and gestures, through an invitation that planted seeds that led to my salvation. They lived like Jesus.

If we pull back and see the big picture of the gospel of Luke, we see hospitality. Jesus was either going to or coming from a meal. He was modeling what it meant to come alongside others of different status and treating them as equals. He was constantly lowering Himself and coming in the form of a servant to win the lost, to show them the heart of the Father.

If we look at the context of Luke 14, the first part of the chapter says that Jesus was at a prominent Pharisee's house (verse 1). This was a typical place of instruction and social interaction in the first century. It was likely that Jesus had taught at the local synagogue and was their guest of honor. It was in that context that He healed the sick (verse 2), addressed important theological debates (verses 3-6), and tackled the practical aspects of Kingdom life, such as what we're looking into right now, namely humility.

It takes humility to associate with people who are not like us and to not think of ourselves as better than others. This is the very nature of the upside-down Kingdom, and those who will be in the greatest places of honor at the banquet will be those who didn't think more highly of themselves than they ought to. Jesus says in verse 11, “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

To eat with another person in His day was to say, I accept you, like the time that Jesus went to eat at Zacchaeus' house after his public declaration of faith and repentance. Jesus even said that salvation had come to his house. Let us be like Jesus. Let's accept people where they are at and walk with them, modeling His love.

What would it look like in your life to offer hospitality to others? For me, I often practice hospitality by looking around for the person who seems left out or overlooked, no matter where I am. I go to them primarily to listen, to hear their story. Once they know that I genuinely care, I can tell them about the One who offers a love far beyond anything they could ever imagine. If they seem closed off or guarded regarding a spiritual conversation, then I look for a practical way to serve them. I try to live by the saying that goes, People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care.

An example of this is when I lived as a missionary in Guatemala. There was a local family that I would spend time with, that I was building a relationship with, in hopes that they too would become disciples of Jesus. One day when I went over to their house there were a couple of young Mormon elders there. They were there sharing a different Jesus and a different gospel. I went on the offensive, deconstructing their faith, debating them, and tearing down the lies they were sharing. I left them looking at the floor, ashamed.

After they left, I started walking home, and in my pride I thought that I had really accomplished something. I thought I did a good thing until the Holy Spirit confronted me. I heard Him speak to my heart, “Have you ever won anyone to me doing that? Why don't you try something different?”

A few days later the Mormon guys walked by my house and I stopped them. I told them life here isn't easy and I just want you to know that my home is a place of rest for you. They began coming over for ice cream and conversations regularly and we formed a friendship that I still have years later. After they left Guatemala they would write to me and ask my thoughts on issues of faith. One of the young men studied at Brigham Young University. He would write and ask my thoughts on what his professors were teaching him. And shortly after he returned to the US and married, his young wife passed away after only 3 months of marriage. I had the privilege of walking him through some of the grieving process.

Once people know that they are loved, they are more apt to hear the message of the gospel.

The Power of the Gospel

We are empowered by the Gospel. So what is the gospel? The first-century followers of the way, as they were commonly called, borrowed the term Evangelion and applied it to Jesus. It essentially means to bring or announce good news. In its classical definition, the person bringing the news was someone who brought a message of victory or other political or personal news that brought joy.

In our modern meaning, we emphasize the personal salvation of individuals. Although the gospel certainly includes personal salvation, it's much bigger than us. It's God's rescue of all of creation. There's a new Lord and Master named Jesus and He is the Sovereign over all.

If we keep Him and His work the main thing, we will fare better and learn to live a life of love, holiness, and purpose. We will live On assignment when we see the Kingdom as a reality. We will be known like those in the early Church, who were said to have turned the world upside down.

The early believers saw themselves as part of a revolutionary movement with a new King, not part of the world system, but aliens and strangers in the world. People with a purpose, an assignment to continue the work of King Jesus on the Earth. People who took the Lord's Prayer to heart, especially the part where we ask for His Kingdom to come and His will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.

The Apostle Paul said that the gospel is “...the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16). It's a message that comes with power. Every time we declare that Jesus is Lord it means that no one else is, whether that be demonic or political powers.

I'm reminded of a time a few years ago when I led a small leadership school in Elkhart called ConneXions. My job was to mentor young people to understand the things of the Lord. It was a gap year program before going into college. As part of the school we would give the students Challenging Assignments.

One week as we were studying Evangelism, we spent a few days preparing them on how to share the gospel as a form of personal evangelism. Toward the end of the week, we sent them out, two by two to share their faith wherever they felt the Lord highlight within the city.

About 45 minutes later one of the students called me frantically and asked that I join them in a sketchy neighborhood. He said they were in over their heads. So I decided to jump in my car and come to their aid. When I pulled up to the house, there were a few guys sitting on the porch, drinking alcohol and smoking weed. I heard one of them call out, “Dang, these Christians roll deep,” meaning we come in numbers.

Having grown up in prison, I wasn't super intimidated, but I was still quite unsure of what this interaction was going to bring about. I asked if I could come up on the porch. They invited me to join them and I began trying to discern who was the leader and who God was highlighting. Once I figured out who was in charge, I began to dialog with him. I started by trying to get to know him as a person. He didn't seem too open to hearing about God, so I just listened to him for a little bit, to gauge where his heart was.

After 15 minutes, he told me the source of his pain and the problem he had with God. He said, “You see, my dad was in a bad car accident this morning. He's in the hospital. If God was real, why would he let things like this happen?” I just sat and listened with compassion. Then I told him that God does see and is aware of his struggles and pain. He's right here with us, in the middle of all this.

As I was saying those words, I felt led to ask him if I could pray for him and his dad. After that, we would go and leave them in peace. He agreed to let me pray for him. I said, “Would you mind if I put my hand on your shoulder?” He said sure, looking skeptically at me. Immediately I sensed God's presence and knew that He was going to move. I began to pray. I asked God for healing for his dad, skill for the doctors and that He would remove all doubt from the young man's life about whether God was with them in this time of trouble.

Towards the end of the prayer the young man began to cry out, “What's happening? I feel God's presence! I can't deny this!” That man had an encounter with God that day that he'll never forget. The empowerment that comes from the gospel shines forth as we go.

He promised to always be with us and that signs would follow those who believe. We just have to step out. The most fruitful ministry will flow out of our lives as soon as we learn to not just live by what our eyes see but stand on His word and step out in faith.

Something that I heard years ago, that I'm still learning to walk in, is a quote by Henry Blackaby who said, “Look to see where God is at work and then join in.” As we learn to partner with the Holy Spirit and what He's doing in the hearts and minds of those around us and join in that work, we'll see fruit that remains.

That's one thing that we can't ignore or devalue is the power of the Holy Spirit as we share the Good News of the Kingdom. He has called us to be “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10).

Yes, salvation is a free gift, but we were saved for a purpose, to be transformed and to be used as instruments of transformation in the lives of others. We were not saved just to go to church or be good people or to only reach out to people we like, but we were called to follow in the steps of our master who said that we'd do greater works than Him.

Jesus was busy seeking and saving that which was lost, revealing the Father, making disciples and destroying the work of the devil. He said that signs shall follow those who believe. Do we believe Him? Do we believe He still moves in power as He sends us out?

We have been granted the privilege of inviting others. It doesn't matter who they are or where they come from, if they're in the world, they are invited. He's calling us to walk in humility and offer hospitality no matter where we are.

We are on a mission. He is with us and for us and will fill us with His Spirit and teach us to partner with Him in calling those out in the roads and country lanes into His great banquet. Are you willing to be part of the bold invite?