The Power of Personal Invitations

(John 1:35-51)
In America over the past several decades, the church has generally failed to ‘go and make disciples’of unchurched people in fulfillment of the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19-20). When the church has attracted newcomers, they rarely stay… How can Christian congregations improve at [reaching] the unchurched?” (from http://www.missionportland.org/reports-assimilation.htm)

The early disciples began to follow Jesus through personal invitations. Jesus set the example for how to reach people. The Mission Portland study reports: ... the significance of personal relationships is illustrated by the fact that when asked, “What attracted you to this church?” over 70 percent of the new Christians interviewed responded by saying it was a personal invitation.

In John 1:35-46, we see three models of personal interaction resulting in a commitment to follow Jesus:

1. Influence from a leader or mentor
2. Relationship with a family member or friend
3. Personal encounter

When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he introduced his followers to Christ. John was viewed as a Rabbi, a person of respect with his own disciples and followers. He was a person of influence, a leader. In a recent leadership meeting with the South Carolina Association of Realtors, Don Brock, Sr. Pastor of Gateway Baptist Church (Irmo, SC) made the statement, “The single most important trait of a leader is influence.” John used his position of leadership to influence his disciples to follow Christ. In verse 36, we see that when John saw Jesus passing by, he exclaimed, “Look, the Lamb of God!” Notice that there was an exclamation. This excitement influenced his followers. Verse 37 describes the response of two of his followers: “When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.” Most of us are in some position to lead or influence people. We should us this position as an opportunity to point people to Christ.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to share Christ with a friend or family member. Our love for them becomes confused with the need to be loved or accepted by them. Yet, the greatest gift we can give to them is an introduction to Jesus Christ. There are two examples of this in John 1. First we see Andrew. Andrew was one of John the Baptist’s followers. After spending the day with Jesus, his first recorded action was to go and find his brother to bring him to Christ. “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him… And, he brought him to Jesus.” (Verse 41-42) After his personal invitation from Jesus, Philip’s response was similar. “[He] found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one… Come and see’.” Don’t let your love become an obstacle in reaching your loved ones.

Finally, and most importantly, people need a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Even after the two disciples were introduced to Jesus by John, we see Jesus’ interaction with them, “Come and you will see.” (Verse 39) When Peter was brought to Jesus, Jesus said to him, “You are Simon … You will be called Cephas.” Cephas is translated Peter which comes from petros meaning stone. In a way, this was the foretelling of how Christ would use Peter in expanding his kingdom – Christ made a connection with him from the beginning. The final example in this passage involves Philip and Nathanael. Of these early disciples, Philip is the only one which is referenced as being found by Jesus. Verse 43 records, “The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’” Nathanael needed reassurance. After Philip’s introduction, Nathanael was a bit skeptical. But, when he encountered Jesus, that all changed and we see Nathanael’s response, “… you are the son of God.” While there is a place for mass communication, nothing can replace the importance of personal invitations. At Gateway, our mission is to be a family connecting with people and experiencing LIFE together in Christ. The LIFE acrostic covers our purposes:

Living for others (fellowship and service)
Inviting others to LIFE in Christ (evangelism)
Following the teachings of God’s Word (discipleship)
Exalting God above all (worship)

The I requires personal involvement – an invitation. Be prepared and be willing to invite others to meet Jesus.