Inviting people who dont come

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,177
113
#1
I was thinking on this recently because I dont know about you but when I like to organise get togethers but its so frustrating when people say they will come and dont turn up.

It is like parable Jesus told of inviting everyone to a wedding banquet but so many people gave excuses. Does this annoy you? So he invited those who werent on his original list of guests. And compelled them to come. For what is a wedding with no guests, not much of a celebration!

Check out Luke chapter 14
 

tourist

Senior Member
Mar 13, 2014
41,322
16,306
113
69
Tennessee
#2
Yes, I can understand the frustration if were to happen. If invited somewhere and you have no real intention of attending then don't say you will and then don't even bother to show up.
 

Subhumanoidal

Well-known member
Sep 17, 2018
3,672
2,890
113
#3
If it's someone that consistently does this, then yeah, it would be frustrating and I'd quit inviting them. If it happened once or rarely, well, that's life.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,177
113
#5
Yeah it the same as extending the invitation to follow Jesus to Heaven if people refuse well they just going to miss out, too bad, you cant say they werent invited. I do feel for Jesus though that it was his own flesh and blood family, people who were his own brothers, that gave the excuses.

And interesting that the lame, blind and sick were called. And people who couldnt afford to give anything back. Thanks to the jews refusal to enter in, salvation comes to the gentiles.

JEsus wanted his fathers house to be a house of prayer for all nations, he must have been so angry? Annoyed? Frustrated? that one tribe pretty much tried to bar all the rest from entering. But thankfully anyone who believes in Him can now come right into the throne of Grace and receive mercy. Thank you Lord.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,090
1,754
113
#6
I was thinking on this recently because I dont know about you but when I like to organise get togethers but its so frustrating when people say they will come and dont turn up.

It is like parable Jesus told of inviting everyone to a wedding banquet but so many people gave excuses. Does this annoy you? So he invited those who werent on his original list of guests. And compelled them to come. For what is a wedding with no guests, not much of a celebration!

Check out Luke chapter 14
We had a much lower turnout at my house for New Year's than for Christmas, lower than expected. My wide referred to that verse, and I did send out some last minute messages to try to get guests. Part was due to sickness. Partly due to last minute things popping up.

It is a good thing we had a fridge for the food.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,177
113
#7
We had a much lower turnout at my house for New Year's than for Christmas, lower than expected. My wide referred to that verse, and I did send out some last minute messages to try to get guests. Part was due to sickness. Partly due to last minute things popping up.

It is a good thing we had a fridge for the food.
I wonder whats the optimal time to send out invites or are their certain days when people are just too busy. Ive never had to plan a wedding before but I suspect you cant base it on when people can come you just set a date and stick to it. With New Years everyone knows thats a date to celebrate tho, and its a public holiday so most people wont be working.
 

JaumeJ

Senior Member
Jul 2, 2011
21,237
6,530
113
#8
I wonder whats the optimal time to send out invites or are their certain days when people are just too busy. Ive never had to plan a wedding before but I suspect you cant base it on when people can come you just set a date and stick to it. With New Years everyone knows thats a date to celebrate tho, and its a public holiday so most people wont be working.

You sound like our Father...……...set a date and if the folks are not ready, well, you know. They remain in the outer reaches of the wedding guests. So be it.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,177
113
#9
I wonder how many people Jesus invited to follow him and how many refused. Scripture records that twelve disicples followed him but did he pick many more or were they the first twelve to say yes?

How bout the lepers, ten were healed and only one came back to thank him.

How big was the remnant compared to the rest of Israel?

Of the two million israelites at the time, only two, Jacob and caleb could enter the promised land.

Its not as bad as people just didnt hear the call, but what about people that ARE called, yet then dont follow through. What about the two sons in Matthew 21 One says he will come work in his fathers vineyard, but doesnt, the other says he may not, but then does. Which one is obedient.
 

JaumeJ

Senior Member
Jul 2, 2011
21,237
6,530
113
#10
I think you mis-spoke, it was Joshua and Caelyb……...
 
Feb 28, 2016
11,311
2,972
113
#11
a cheerful heart does the inviting -
a loving heart does the forgiving...
:)
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,177
113
#13
a cheerful heart does the inviting -
a loving heart does the forgiving...
:)
I wonder if its the way you word the invite also that could make a difference, like...

We request the pleasure of your company ...
Please rsvp by....

For catering purposes I mean you dont want to go to all that trouble and prepare everything and then nobody turns up. But what about things like potluck dinners (never works because men dont bring any food) picnics (always depends on weather) bbq (vegans most probably wont turn up) dances (not everyone has a partner or can dance) or, even church (can you invite non believers, hoping that the day they turn up at your church, they will start believing??)
 

Deade

Called of God
Dec 17, 2017
16,724
10,530
113
77
Vinita, Oklahoma, USA
yeshuaofisrael.org
#14
When in the mission field, I fought the mission head over the cancelling of the Bible study sessions. We had people to come from a long ways off to attend sometimes. If there was a low turnout she would cancel the next one. Unless we called everyone that might attend, we may have caused someone to travel a ways for nothing.

The same applies when running a small business. If you post hours open, make sure you keep them. I had a gunsmith shop for a while and people would travel 50-60 miles to come there. :rolleyes:
 
O

obedienttogod

Guest
#15
Don't set yourself up for failure is the key here. To me, Yeshua did not fail sharing the Truth and it resulted in many refusing it. Spirituality is a different venue than being invited to watch a professional sporting event. Intelligent people will always find it difficult to reason between faith vs fact.

To the other concerning house parties, wedding parties, barbeque's, etc, people can be very much like a piece of paper in the wind.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,177
113
#16
When in the mission field, I fought the mission head over the cancelling of the Bible study sessions. We had people to come from a long ways off to attend sometimes. If there was a low turnout she would cancel the next one. Unless we called everyone that might attend, we may have caused someone to travel a ways for nothing.

The same applies when running a small business. If you post hours open, make sure you keep them. I had a gunsmith shop for a while and people would travel 50-60 miles to come there. :rolleyes:
Yes considering how far people need to travel and how they going to get there is it on you or them. If you have the venue right, maybe more people can make it. If you the host then you responsible for being there first and providing all the refreshments unless you tell people to BYO.
This is why in some things people give out tickets...? But then thats different again.

For something like church, would you give out tickets? What if everyone want to come and there was no room. And who would get the best seats?
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,177
113
#17
Don't set yourself up for failure is the key here. To me, Yeshua did not fail sharing the Truth and it resulted in many refusing it. Spirituality is a different venue than being invited to watch a professional sporting event. Intelligent people will always find it difficult to reason between faith vs fact.

To the other concerning house parties, wedding parties, barbeque's, etc, people can be very much like a piece of paper in the wind.
He just said shake the dust off your feet and move on if people arent willing to welcome you..but maybe going to people is quite different from inviting them to come to you.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,177
113
#18
Calling everyone that might attend..isnt this what God does for us, calls each and every one us. After all you wouldnt just show up if you hadnt been called. Invitation need to be personal. Otherwise an invitee could be thinking well, they only want me to make up numbers. They wont care if I dont attend as lots of others are going.
 
Feb 28, 2016
11,311
2,972
113
#19
we always have to question our deepest motives for what ever it is that
we are doing, simply because, we should always desire to be faithful stewards,
doing/believing what The Holy Spirit is leading us to do, this will bring us security
and the precious strength that can only come from our Saviour...
'the reason WHY we are doing what we are doing should be because we do truly believe
that we are in unity with God every moment...
 

maxwel

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2013
9,371
2,447
113
#20
I was thinking on this recently because I dont know about you but when I like to organise get togethers but its so frustrating when people say they will come and dont turn up.

It is like parable Jesus told of inviting everyone to a wedding banquet but so many people gave excuses. Does this annoy you? So he invited those who werent on his original list of guests. And compelled them to come. For what is a wedding with no guests, not much of a celebration!

Check out Luke chapter 14
This is just life, I wouldn't worry about it.

Many people don't even show up to events where they've paid for tickets.
Just do your get togethers, invite a few extra people to make up for the ones that won't show, and then call everyone a day or two ahead to get an idea of the actual attendance.
..