The Power of an Invitation
John 1:43-49
John 1:43-49
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."
48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
(NIV)
Did Jesus find Phillip
or
Did Phillip find Jesus?
John 1:43
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee.
Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
(NIV)
What did Phillip immediately do?
Found Nathaniel
John 1:45
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
(NIV)
Nathaniel was a seeker, just like Phillip. Nathaniel and Phillip had studied the Scriptures. They knew that the Messiah had been written about in the Law and the Prophets.
While Phillip surrendered,
Nathaniel is suspicious.
John 1:46
46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.
(NIV)
Nathaniel knew that the prophets said the Messiah would come from Bethlehem, not Nazareth. In fact the town of Nazareth never shows up in the Old Testament at all. Nathaniel is from Cana, a town just four miles north of Nazareth. Have you ever seen a small town rivalry?
What did Phillip do with Nathaniel’s prejudice?
“Come and see.”
John 1:46
46 "Come and see," said Philip.
(NIV)
Friendship Evangelism is effective
because of an
established relationship!
Not many people have been argued into becoming a Christian.
In his book In the Eye of the Storm, Max Lucado tells about something that happened to him while he was in high school. Every year, he and his family used to go fishing during spring break. But one year, his brother and his mom couldn’t go, so his dad let him invite a friend.
They looked forward to this vacation with great anticipation. They pictured the sun shining down on them as they sat in the boat in the middle of the lake. The yank of the rod and the spin of the reel as they wrestled the bass into the boat. The smell of fish frying in a skillet over an open fire. They could hardly wait. Finally spring break arrived, they loaded the camper and set out for the lake.
They arrived at night, set up the camper and went to bed anxious to get up the next morning and go fishing. But that night, a northeaster blew through. The wind was so strong they could barely open the door of the camper the next morning. The sky was gray. The lake was choppy. There was no way they could fish in that weather.
"No problem," they said. They could spend the day in the camper. They had brought Monopoly and Reader’s Digest. They knew a few jokes. It wasn’t what they came to do, but they would make the best of it and fish the next day. So they passed the day indoors. The hours passed slowly but they did pass. Night finally came and they crawled into their sleeping bags dreaming of fishing.
The next morning it wasn’t the wind that made the door hard to open, it was the ice! They tried to be cheerful. "No problem," they said. "We can play Monopoly...again. We can reread the stories in Reader’s Digest. And surely we know another joke or two." But they weren’t nearly as cheerful about it all.
And as the day went on, they began to get more and more irritable and edgy. It was a long day and a long night. The next morning, when they awoke to the sound of sleet hitting the roof, they didn’t even pretend to be cheerful. They were flat-out grumpy. They sat in misery the whole day, their fishing equipment still unpacked.
The next day was even colder and they finally headed home. But Max says that he learned an important lesson that week. Not about fishing, but about people. He writes,
When those who are called to fish don’t fish,
they fight.
Phillip didn’t fight or argue. He did not get into a religious or historical discussion. He just simply invited Nathaniel to check Jesus out!
What could happen if you just simply invited
someone to check Jesus out?
The Power of an Invitation:
1. Invitations are Personal.
An invitation makes someone feel special. It comes because of an existing relationship. On the other hand, informing is generally impersonal and no relationship is needed.
Top Ten Things People Won’t Say
When They See A Christian Bumper Sticker on Your Car
10. "Look! Let’s stop that car and ask those folks how we can become Christians!"
9. "Don’t worry, Billy. Those people are Christians-they must have a good reason why they’re driving 90 miles per hour."
8. "What a joy to be sharing the highway with another car of Spirit-filled brothers and sisters."
7. "Isn’t it wonderful how God blessed that Christian couple with a brand new BMW?"
6. "Dad, how come people who drive like that don’t get thrown in jail? Dad. . .can we get a bumper sticker like that, too?"
5. "Stay clear of those folks, Martha. If they get raptured, that car’s gonna be all over the road."
4. "Oh, look! That Christian woman is getting a chance to share Jesus with a police officer."
3. "No, that’s not garbage coming out of their windows, Bert - it’s probably gospel tracts for the road workers."
2. "Oh, boy! We’re in trouble now! We just rear-ended one of God’s cars!"
1. "Quick, Alice, honk the horn, or they won’t know that we love Jesus!"
2. Invitations are special.
When I’m invited to a party, my friend has already decided that he or she wants me to attend. I have nothing to do but decide yes or no, and show up.
3. Invitations are specific.
When I read the movie section of the local paper, I find many options for movies and show times playing at multiple locations. Nothing about reading this causes me to feel invited to the movies. But when Pastor Doyce invited me to attend the movie, “Fireproof” with his congregation a few weeks ago, it was for a specific time and a specific showing.
4. Invitations are about relationships.
How do you feel about the prospect of going alone to the office Christmas party when you’ve only been on the job for two weeks and everyone else has worked there for at least two years? You may feel a bit awkward. On the other hand, when you know folks well, you will probably feel right at home with them.
It was five days before Christmas when a stranger approached ten-year-old Christopher Carrier, claiming to be a friend of his father. "I want to buy him a gift, and I need your help," said the stranger. Eager to do something good for his dad, Chris climbed aboard a motor home parked up the street.
The driver took Chris to a remote field, claiming to be lost, and asked Chris to look at a map. Suddenly Chris felt a sharp pain in his back. The stranger had stabbed him with an ice pick. The man drove the wounded boy down a dirt road, shot him in the left temple, and left him for dead in the alligator-infested Florida Everglades.
Chris lay unconscious for six days until a driver found him. Chris miraculously survived his injuries, though he was blind in his left eye. Because he was unable to identify his attacker, police could not make an arrest. For a long time young Chris remained frightened, despite police protection. Finally at an invitation given after a church hayride, Chris trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior. He recalls, "I was overwhelmed with emotion . . . because I knew I had never really accepted and personally met the Savior." This turning point in Chris’s life came three years after the attack. At age 15 Chris shared his story for the first time. He eventually decided to pursue full-time ministry, helping others find the peace he had discovered in Christ.
In 1996 a detective told Chris over the phone that a man had confessed to the crime that had cost him his left eye. The man’s name was David McAllister. Chris made plans to visit the feeble and now blind man, living in a nursing home. The strong young man Chris remembered was now a broken, humbled 77-year-old.
Chris learned from the detective some of the background of what had happened years ago. McAllister had been hired by Chris’s father to work as a nurse for an ailing uncle. Chris’s dad had caught McAllister drinking on the job and had fired him. The senseless attack on Chris had been motivated by revenge.
As Chris now talked to the old man, at first McAllister denied knowing anything about the kidnapping. As Chris revealed more about himself, the old man softened and eventually apologized. Chris said, "I told him, ’What you meant for evil, God has turned into a wonderful blessing.’" Chris told his attacker how God had allowed his wounds to become open doors to share the good news of Christ.
Chris went home and told his wife and kids about meeting the man who had tried to kill him. The entire family began almost daily visits to McAllister’s nursing home. During one Sunday afternoon visit, Chris popped the most important question he had yet asked McAllister: "Do you want to know the Lord?" McAllister said yes. Both men basked in forgiveness as McAllister gave his heart to Christ. A few days later McAllister died—peacefully—in his sleep.
Carrier says it is not a story of regret, but of redemption. "I saw the Lord give that man back his life, and so much more," Chris said. "I can’t wait to see him again someday—in heaven."
Which friend will you invite this week?
