Saturday, July 1
Come and see
Scripture: 1 Chronicles 1-3, Psalm 76, John 1
John 1:45–46 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also wrote about—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip replied, “Come and see.”
Observation
This is the second occurrence in John 1 of “Find, Tell, Bring.” In the first, Andrew found his brother Simon, told him “We have found the Messiah” and brought him to Jesus. Here, Philip found his friend Nathanael and told him (in other words) “We have found the Messiah,” and then invited Nate to “come and see.” Later, in John 4, the woman at the well does the same, finding her neighbors, telling them about her encounter with Jesus and bringing them to meet Him.
Application
We have been using “Find, Tell, Bring” at Life Center since the 80’s when I found it in these passages. It is relational evangelism. Find someone you love. Tell them what you know. Bring them with you to meet Jesus—at church, small group, or simply with you as you follow Him.
I love the simplicity of “Come and see.” We used to have invite cards that simply said, “Come and see.” We called them “Come and See cards”—simple invites to church.
As we share Jesus with people, they may, like Nathanael, have questions. Often the best answer is “Come and see.” Come and see for yourself. Or in the words of the Psalmist, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Come experience Him for yourself.
Many years ago, I heard that churches in Brazil challenged people: “Come and see for yourself. Come to church 7 weeks in a row. If your life doesn’t change, you can say you tried it and it didn’t work. But we think your life will change when you see Jesus.”
Today, I’m ready to tell people, “Come and see.” Meet Jesus!
Prayer: Lord, I love You. Send people my way (or send me) that I can invite to Jesus. Come and see!