Invitational Pressure and the Diamond
Most natural diamonds are formed at high temperature and pressure at depths of 140 to 190 kilometers in the Earth mantle. It needs pressure to form diamonds. There is within us a pressure when we think about invitation. If invitation is pressed on a congregation, there is the possibility that in that pressure many congregational members will not invite and in fact stay away on the invitation Sunday, because they have not plucked up the courage to invite someone and fear that someone in the congregation will find out. Fear can be a felt as a pressure on us, but if we can feel the pressure of fear and do it anyway then something precious can emerge. It’s called the abundant life in that area of our life which has been stifled by fear. In fact a quality Christian life is often accompanied at least in some periods of our life by some form of pressure. Jesus said except a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies only then will it bear much fruit. May the pressure of invitation bring forth the diamond character of who you were meant to be.