It's the Neighborly Thing to Do

“Who should we invite?” My friend Shelly and I discussed hosting an outreach Bible study together. We prayed that God would show each of us whom to invite, and that He would lead us to women who may not yet know Him.

We were both nervous. Neither of us wanted to risk the relationships we had nurtured over time, yet we believed God was prompting us to host a Bible study. The day Shelly dropped off the invitations; she said this was way out of her comfort zone.  I agreed, assuring her that the inviting was the hardest part of what we were about to do, and asked if she thought it best for us to drop the whole idea. She replied, “No, I know God wants us to do this.”

I was particularly nervous having lived in my neighborhood for only two years. Our family was starting to feel “at home” and I didn’t want to lose these precious newfound friendships. On my way to a neighborhood luncheon I prayed that God would give me courage and direct me to women He was preparing to attend our Bible study.

After a couple hours women at the luncheon began to head for home, but five were left chatting around the kitchen table. I had developed relationships with each one through being room moms together, through our book club, through our children’s soccer and basketball games, and through our crazy knitting group that gets together often, but seldom knits. So I swallowed hard and asked if anyone would like to join me and a girlfriend for a Bible study. I couldn’t believe the response. They asked questions and genuinely seemed eager to participate. Four of the five said they’d come and eventually the fifth one came along too. Shelly had a similar experience with her friends.

The two of us met to pray for the Bible study. We asked God to encourage the women to enjoy each other. Many of our friends would be new to one another, for their children attended five different area schools. We prayed God would create a hunger within each woman to know Him. And we asked the Lord to use our little study to bring women to Himself.

At the conclusion of our six-week study, one of my girlfriends asked if the group could continue. She was enjoying learning about the Bible from the various backgrounds each woman represented and she especially enjoyed the comments from, as she put it, “the more learned women in the group.” Amazingly, everyone shared similar sentiments and agreed to continue. God answered Shelly’s and my prayers and we found that He truly is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20). Our second study was entitled “They Met Jesus.” This turned out to be an appropriate title as a few weeks into the study I received the following letter in the mail:

I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for inviting me to our Bible study. It has meant more to me than you will ever imagine. I’m not sure I can put into words what it has done for me. I never before understood what it meant to ask Jesus to come into your heart, but now I do. I have, and I know He is now there. It was such a simple thing to do, but it has made such a powerful, meaningful impact on me. It was more than I ever expected. Not only has the Lord given me a gift of faith and belief; I believe He has given you one also. If it weren’t for you (and the ladies of the group), it would not have brought me to Him. Again, thank you and God bless you.

This experience has been so exciting. We know this is exactly what God wants us to be doing! Our group decided to continue. We asked everyone to invite a friend who seems to be far from the Lord to attend so that she, too, might meet Jesus.

Prayerfully consider inviting your neighbors and friends to join you in a Bible study that just might change their lives forever!