Day 20

Written by Ps. Craig Maher

Extending Your Circle of Friends

Read

John 1:35-51

Reflect

Sometimes we see a movie that wows us, and we rush to tell others about it. We want them to go see it for themselves, so they may share the experience we had. Something similar to this is what happens in our reading today.

One disciple after another encounters Jesus and has a transformative experience that leads him to tell others, so they too will "come and see" this man from Galilee and be changed by that experience. In John's Gospel, the way the community of disciples grows is more like the "sleeper hit" whose box office success results from "word of mouth" than from a well-funded advertising campaign.

In our reading, when Jesus notices two of John's disciples following Him, He asks them what they want? They indicate they want to see where His is staying. Jesus invites them to "come and see," an invitation that at one level means to go and look at where He is staying, but at a deeper level is an invitation to approach Jesus with the openness to see Him through the eyes of faith.

Spending an afternoon with Jesus transforms them, as seen in the change in titles they use to refer to Him. At first, they call Him "Rabbi," a title of respect to be sure. But when Andrew speaks of Jesus in verse 41, he refers to Him by the more significant title of "Messiah." Andrew quickly invited his brother Peter to meet Him. Little did they know where that would lead them. Likewise, Philip and Nathanael.

There is tremendous power in the simple act of extending an invitation. As I reflect on the last six years of pioneering our Church in Melbourne, the number one strategy for growth we have employed is the invitation. Come and see is powerful. The wonderful thing is that anyone can extend an invitation. When we extend them prayerfully and intentionally, heaven literally can touch earth! Enlarging our circle of friends through inviting others to spend time with us and therefore, to see our genuine love for Jesus is authentic and real. God uses such simple acts of faith to lead those made in His image from darkness, into the light of His presence.

Respond

Write down a plan for inviting others to spend time with you with the genuine aim of sharing your love for Jesus. Jot down the names of people you want to invite. Consider "what" it is: dinner, lunch, coffee, exercising together, church service, a driving trip, connect group, the possibilities are endless.  

Also, consider "when". Always be open to being spontaneous, but also plan intentionally.  

Pray asking God to show you who to open your heart and your home to.