By Gregg Woodall
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
Why greet visitors every service? Why go out of your way to welcome someone and ask to help them find a class, the welcome center, or a seat? It is very likely that the next adult baptized at Karns will have first been a visitor. When they are warmly welcomed, they will be encouraged to come again. After several visits they will hopefully learn enough to pique their interest to further study. They will enjoy the relationships they are building with those who look for them each visit. They will sit down with an individual who will help them to better understand the Word of God. They will then seek to be immersed into the Son. Note this fact, if during their first visit they don’t receive the love of Jesus from us, they will probably not return to learn the doctrine of Jesus. In this sense, we all practice the first step of evangelism every time we greet a visitor and show them the love of Christ.
If we say that we are serious about evangelism but aren’t serious about our visitors, we are kidding ourselves. When the best prospect in all of Knoxville is sitting right beside us Sunday morning and we don’t greet them, invite them to lunch, or befriend them, it is hard to say we are serious about evangelism. When they are coming to us, yet being ignored, it must break God’s heart. Thank God we are in a congregation with so many who go out of their way to welcome others before and after every worship service.
Don’t know what to talk about with visitors or can’t bear that awkward silence? Start by working on your F-O-R-M. Ask them about their Family, Occupation, Recreation, and then leave a Message with them to come to your Bible class, sit with you in worship, go to lunch, or to come back to the next service. We may not all be teachers, but we all can give a smile, a handshake, and introduce ourselves. We can all do our best! That is all God ever asked and it just may be enough to encourage another soul to give their best to the Lord too! Let’s be serious about evangelism and prove it at every service!