The Six Beliefs · 7 of 8
Belief 6 — Where We Take People
The destination — and the order that matters.
We take people to Jesus and His Word; joining the church comes after.
Where are we taking people? Not first to a building or a service — to Jesus and His Word. No one in the New Testament invited an unbeliever to a worship service in order to be saved. We invite people to the Bible, and we let the Word and the Spirit bring them to faith for themselves.
Gathering with the church is good and comes next — as fruit, once someone has committed to Jesus and wants it, never as the front door. The town in John said it best: “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves” (John 4:42). Our aim is people who hear for themselves and become their own spring — who don’t need us anymore.
Scripture — John 4:42 (ESV)
“They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’”
Recite it: We take people to Jesus and His Word; joining the church comes after.
Reflect & do
Who in your life are you tempted to invite to church before you’ve invited them to the Bible? Invite them to read one story with you instead.