I shared this on another thread but I thought it would be appropriate here as well. I was kind of terrified today when I had someone asked me if I thought it was okay for them to invite someone to church.
This person is a coworker of mine that just started visiting our church this year. She asked me at work and after she asked, I didn't get to respond because we had a kid go missing. So, I sent her a message later asking why she thought she had to ask permission.
She said, "It's like being invited to a friends house and you want to bring another friend along. You ask for permission first even though you know your friend will say yes!"
I promptly responded with, "I will grant you the request but only after a thorough background check. If they aren't sinners, then I don't want them here."
I have to tell you that her question reminded me of a time when I was in middle school or high school. I had a friend that asked to come to church with me.
When I told my mom about that, I was prompted to ask our pastor if it would be okay if they came to visit. The reason she told me to ask is because my friend wasn't white.
I remember asking my pastor and it being super awkward. His response was that he welcomed anyone into the church except purple people.
It's really weird to think about though. Why is it that people don't feel comfortable just visiting or inviting people to a church? What has man done to the body of Christ that makes outsiders think that we have to ask before we can even come in?