by Kimsey Wade based on John 1:29-50

“Here He comes, now!” John the Baptizer shouted. “Look, the Lamb of God!”

“What do you mean?” one of John’s disciples asked.

“This is the man I’ve been telling you about,” John said. “I’ve been preparing the way for Him. This is the Son of God.”

As John’s disciples watched Jesus walk past, two of them ran after Him.

“Jesus!” Andrew called out. “Wait up!”

“What do you want?” Jesus asked.

“Teacher, where are You staying?” John, the son of Zebedee, asked. “John the Baptizer has told us about You, and we’d like to know You, too.”

“Come and see for yourself,” Jesus replied.

Andrew and John spent the entire day with Jesus. The sun dipped below the horizon as they left for home.

Both men knew they’d found someone much greater than John the Baptist. The Baptizer had even said it himself. As soon as Andrew left Jesus, he ran to find his brother, Simon.

“Simon!” Andrew called. “You’ll never believe whom I’ve found!”

“Where have you been?” Simon said. “Dad’s waiting for us at the fishing boats. We need to hurry.”

“Simon, forget fishing!” Andrew said. “There’s someone you must meet! He’s the—”

“Forget fishing?” Simon interrupted. “What’s the matter with you?”

“Simon, we’ve found the Messiah!” Andrew said. “Come meet Him!”

Simon immediately left with his brother. They hurried down the narrow streets to the house where Jesus was staying. Andrew knocked on the door.

“I’ve brought my brother,” Andrew said.

“You’re Simon, the son of John,” Jesus said as he looked at him.

“Yes,” Simon answered.

“From now on, your name is Peter,” Jesus said. “Come in!”

The next day Jesus left Judea and traveled to Galilee, a region to the north. When Jesus arrived, he found Phillip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.

“Phillip, follow Me,” Jesus said.

In his excitement, Phillip ran to find his friend Nathaniel. They’d spent many hours together, studying the Scriptures and praying for the Messiah to come. The Messiah had found Phillip; now Phillip wanted to share the good news with his friend.

“We’ve found Him, Nathaniel!” Phillip said. “He’s the one Moses wrote about and the prophets preached!”

“Who is He?” Nathaniel asked with anticipation. “Where is He?”

“It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son,” Phillip said. “He’s the carpenter from Nazareth.”

“Nazareth?” Nathaniel said sarcastically. “You’re kidding me. Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

“Come and see,” Phillip said.

Nathaniel decided to check it out. As they approached, Jesus greeted Nathaniel: “Here is a true Israelite. There is nothing false about him.”

“How do you know me?” Nathaniel said, stunned by Jesus’ words. “Long before Phillip invited you today, I saw you under the fig tree studying the Scriptures and praying.”

Nathaniel realized only one person could have heard his prayers — the Messiah!

“Teacher, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!” Nathaniel shouted.

“You believe simply because I told you I saw you under the fig tree,” Jesus said. “You shall see greater things than that, Nathaniel.”

What would you do if Jesus walked up to you, said your name and called you to follow Him? You’d probably be in shock like Jesus’ early disciples. And you’d probably do exactly what they did — go tell your family and friends.

Well, Jesus may not walk up to you on the playground tomorrow. But once you pray and ask Him into your heart, He’s with you every day in the truth of His Word and in the presence of His Holy Spirit. And He still wants you to tell the people around you about Him.

One of the last things Jesus told His disciples was to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Telling others about Jesus Christ doesn’t have to take an in-your-face approach. Jesus demonstrates with Andrew and John that it can be a simple invitation: “Come and see for yourself.” Then when Andrew wants his friend to understand Jesus’ power, he simply says, “Come and see.”

You don’t have to preach, be a Bible scholar, hand out tracts or participate in public demonstrations to tell others about Jesus. It doesn’t take arguing, arm-twisting or demanding — just a simple invitation of “Come and see.”

Can you think of someone to invite to Sunday school, a youth meeting or church service? If you do your part by inviting others, the Holy Spirit is guaranteed to work in their lives . . . just wait and see!

	Q: What is a bird’s favorite game? A: Air hockey. Adam O., 9, Arkansas Clubhouse Jr. Click here to subscribe