Revelation 11:12 — And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

I might have written about this before … but Myra and I went to the Memorial service of a great man today, and it brought to mind another aspect of Christ and “Come”. You see, the man we said goodbye today was a humble giant.
I’m pretty sure that when he reaches heaven and takes a seat at the Master’s table he’ll head for the bottom and Jesus will say “Friend, come higher up”. And he’ll accept the invitation.
One of the recurring themes of the Christian life is that Jesus issues invitation … that we need to accept.
The first invitation is the invitation to salvation:

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37-39)

I call this an invitation. Make no mistake, however. If this invitation is refused the consequences are terrible. It might be better to regard this one as a command!
The next invitation is an invitation that follows naturally — but is so often ignored:

And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:18-19)

“Come and be a disciple”, Jesus says. It’s an invitation every Christian needs to accept!
Then there’s one of my favorite invitations — “come and let me help you out”:

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Even disciples get tired! In fact, without great wisdom and good leadership, burnout is a big threat … But Jesus will pick up the load if we let Him!
Then there’s the greatest of invitations … the invitation to be in community with Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. (John 15:4 KJVA) … that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:21)

Then comes the final invitation … “Come up here”. All those saved disciples, burdens laid down, entered into community with the Lord. All feasting with the Lord.