Have you ever found yourself impatient during the invitation song? Are you ready to race out of the parking lot so you can beat the crowds at local restaurants? Is your mind already rehearsing conversations you want to have with friends in the congregation? Are you thinking about the current sale going on at the shopping mall down the street?
If so, it must drive you absolutely crazy if all four verses are sung rather than the traditional three. What is the value of that extra verse?! There are brothers and sisters sitting in auditoriums all over the world that can literally feel their blood pressure rising when a song leader elects to sing all the verses of a particular invitation song? After all, it's just a waste of time, isn't it?
Several nights ago my family arrived home from a long Labor Day weekend out-of-town. We had postponed coming home as long as possible so that we could spend every available minute visiting with family and friends in Nashville. As we were getting settled in, we went through our mail and listened to our answering machine. Message #3 was a dear friend that made us put down the mail as she slowly began to tell us just how important an extra verse really is.
Twelve days earlier Stage Road church of Christ wrapped up their gospel meeting. Burt Jones was the featured speaker, and his efforts resulted in 42 souls responding to the invitation. On the last night, Burt commented that he wanted to leave Stage Road knowing he had done everything he could to bring lost souls to Christ, so that his conscience would be clear. His last effort was to add one more verse to the invitation song. There had already been many to respond that night, but Burt's love for the gospel and love for souls was strong enough to beat the "traditional" 3 verses. On that occasion, during the extra verse, a young man named David Mills stepped out into the isle and came forward. The reaction from the family at Stage Road was clearly obvious. This young man had just graduated from high school and had yet to obey the gospel. Everyone was so excited to see him make that walk down the isle. He was buried with Christ in baptism that very night!
The message on our answering machine went on to describe how this young man and his girlfriend were out driving around enjoying the long weekend on Sunday night. Sometime late that night David and his girlfriend were apparently cut-off by someone, words were exchanged, and David drove away. Sadly, the man who had cut them off wasn't finished making his statement, so he followed them. When they came to a stop the man pulled up behind them and shot a series of 3 bullets that raced through the body of the car, through the bucket seat, and found their way tearing through David's body. He died at the scene, just 11 days after being baptized. Fourteen days after being buried with Christ, David Mills was buried in the ground.
I only share this tragic story with you so that you will think. Often we enter worship and just go through the motions. We don't listen to the message. We check our watches. We look at what others are wearing. The invitation song becomes just another song... something keeping us from "being done." Please do not be impatient; someone's soul could be at stake. The few extra minutes that it took to sing an extra verse two weeks ago are priceless to this young man and his family. Remember, we are not there to be entertained, and we are not the "audience." We are there to worship and praise God! Also, we MUST get busy spreading the gospel to lost sinners, instead of bickering and fighting among ourselves. We are spending large quantities of time and energy on nit picking while evangelism takes a backseat. The truth should always be upheld, but it should be upheld as we are saving those lost souls that may need one extra verse. Last, hug your family and friends, because you may not get the chance tomorrow. I talked to many of David's friends at the funeral, and they all wanted to have one last conversation to tell him how much they loved him and how much he had influenced their lives. Look around; you still have that opportunity with those around you! Think about it.
Brad Harrub