In evangelical churches, the invitation is often given at the end of the message for people to ‘invite Jesus into their heart.’ And through this, many have come to know Him as their personal Savior. But too often it stops there and He is never allowed out to positively affect the rest of their life! 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says that we are tri-partite beings. We are a spirit, that has a soul (mind, will, emotions) and lives in a body.
Acts 2:36 says, that the Father has made Jesus both Lord and Christ. We cannot make Him Lord, He is already Lord. But we can make Him the Lord and Master of our life. We do that by obedience to the Word of God whereby He has input into all aspects of our life. We could call this process discipleship (Matt.28:19-20). Jesus did not just make converts, He made disciples. His ministry was not to just inform but to transform their lives. As His disciples, they were to carry on His ministry after He went back to the Father. Our ministry is to do the same! But because, too often, we have made converts and not disciples we have lots of consumers but few producers who believe the “ministry” is done by a few and little is expected from everyone else. This causes, to a large degree, weak church members who express very little victory, power, and vibrancy in their lives.
Don’t lock Jesus in your heart, invite Him to be Lord in your life. Ask Him to bless you, extend your borders, and minister to others through you. (1 Chron.4:9-10). If you do, you will discover a relationship with Him that is life-altering!