"Come and see"!

One can't be in church leadership without thinking from time to time about outreach. Depending on who you talk to, outreach can be described in differing ways. We try to "program" it, setting up a committee and scheduling events and we set up study groups to teach people how to reach out to people. I've been there with everyone else, and I've been disappointed when you have a low turnout for an event or your plan doesn't work. So ... what's missing?

A recent discussion caused me to revisit the Gospel of John, first chapter, where Jesus began his ministry. John the Baptist was with two of his disciples when he saw Jesus passing and said, "Look, the Lamb of God!". The disciples left and followed Jesus. They then asked where he was staying and his response was, "Come and you will see." The introduction to Jesus was so simple. John the Baptist had prepared the way for Jesus, teaching his disciples about the one who was to come after him. What followed next is what really impressed me as an example of outreach. Jesus was calling his disciples, one of them being Philip. Philip found Nathanael and announced, "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." Nathanael's reservations were met with Philip's invitation to, "Come and see."

I can't write into the text the excitement I believe was there for Philip. He just had to share with Nathanael what he had found in Jesus, thus the invitation to "Come and see." All of us who have a personal relationship with Jesus can point to a time and place when we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior. Do you remember the excitement you experienced when you made that decision? Is that excitement still alive in you? Do you share that excitement with those around you, your neighbors, workmates, playmates? When they ask you about your excitement, do you invite them to, "Come and see!"? Now that's outreach.