Power of Personal Invitation

My Daughter told me told me something silly yesterday. She told me, you should go work in a bell factory since you always want to act like a ding dong.

Scripture: John 1:45–46 Theme: God uses ordinary people to bring others to Jesus. Aim: To help every believer realize that one simple invitation can change someone’s eternity because evangelism isn’t for a few on a stage, it’s for all who follow Jesus. For Social Media: One invitation can change a life. God uses regular people to bring others to Jesus.

You know, being a follower of Jesus makes us act differently. Some might, call us ding dongs, but we don’t care because we have a Savior who changed our lives!

For a lot of people, inviting someone to church feels scary. What if they say no? What if they think I’m weird? What if I don’t have all the answers?

But here’s what I’ve learned: God doesn’t call us to have all the answers, He calls us to make the invitation.

And sometimes, that simple invitation can change someone’s eternity.

We’re in week 2 of our series, “Who’s Your One?” Last week, Pastor Doug talked about God’s heart for the lost.

Today we’re talking about what happens next: how God uses us to reach them.

Let’s read our scripture for today:

John 1:43–46 CEV

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said to Philip, “Come with me.” 45 Philip then found Nathanael and said, “We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip answered, “Come and see.”

Jesus has just called His first followers: Andrew, Peter, and Philip. Philip’s first move? He runs to find his friend Nathanael. He doesn’t preach. He doesn’t debate. He doesn’t overcomplicate it.

He just says, “We found Him.” And when Nathanael questions it, Philip simply replies, “Come and see.”

That’s evangelism in its simplest form, it’s one friend telling another, “I’ve met Jesus, and I want you to meet Him too.”

ORDINARY PEOPLE TOUCHED by EXTRAORDINARY JESUS

It’s important for us to see that the first thing Philip did after meeting Jesus was go find his friend.

He didn’t get a seminary degree. He didn’t wait until he understood everything.

He simply went.

When people meet Jesus for real, they can’t keep Him to themselves.

This isn’t the first time we see this pattern in Scripture.

Andrew found his brother Peter and said, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41).

The Samaritan woman at the well ran back to town shouting, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did!” (John 4:29).

The man set free from demons in Mark 5 wanted to stay with Jesus, but Jesus said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you” (Mark 5:19).

Every one of them was an ordinary person who encountered an extraordinary Savior.

God doesn’t need celebrities; He needs witnesses.

You don’t have to know every answer to every question.

You just have to know who changed your life.

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

He said that we would be His witnesses…

Jesus didn’t say, “You will be My experts.”

He didn’t say that He was only calling the most qualified either. He called those first ministers of the Gospel witnesses.

Witnesses simply tell what they’ve seen.

Application:

The world doesn’t need more polished presentations, it needs more authentic invitations.

The Gospel spreads through conversations, not just sermons.

God’s strategy to reach the world is still the same: people reaching people.

You can be someone’s Philip.

PERSONAL CONNECTIONS, NOT PERFECT CONDITIONS

John 1:45–46 CEV

45 Philip then found Nathanael and said, “We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip answered, “Come and see.”

I like Nathanaels response, it’s like saying: “Can anything good come out of Eudora/Lawrence?”

His response tells us something: not everyone will be receptive. He was skeptical. He judged the message by the messenger’s hometown.

Maybe you’ve experienced that, someone who rolls their eyes when you talk about Jesus, or changes the subject when you mention church.

Notice Philip’s reaction. He doesn’t argue. He doesn’t quote scripture. He didn’t beg or plead.

He simply says, “Come and see.”

That’s powerful.

Let me tell you something I learned a long time ago:

faith isn’t born from arguments, it’s born from encounters.

Romans 10:17 NLT

17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

Basically, tell people about who Jesus is and what He’s done for you! You don’t need to prove anything.

The same Jesus that saved you can save them.

Philip trusted that if Nathanael would just meet Jesus, Jesus would handle the rest.

Application:

You don’t have to fix people’s skepticism.

You just have to get them close enough for Jesus to speak for Himself.

Psalm 34:8 NLT

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

You can’t taste for someone else.

But you can invite them to the table.

Some of us think evangelism is about having perfect timing or the perfect words, but it’s really about obedience and relationship.

God works through personal connections.

People rarely get saved because they lost an argument.

They get saved because they were loved by a friend who wouldn’t stop inviting.

That’s what our church is all about: reaching people with the truth, loving them, teaching them, and getting them to do the same for others.

Reaching people doesn’t start with a campaign, it starts with a conversation.

We’re not selling religion—we’re sharing relationship. Every believer is a bridge to Jesus.

GOD WILL MOVE

John 1:47–48 CEV

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said, “Here is a true descendant of our ancestor Israel. And he isn’t deceitful.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

I LOVE that last verse!

Before Philip found Nathanael, Jesus already saw him.

Before you ever invite your “one,” God’s already working on their heart.

You’re not starting something…you’re joining something. Evangelism isn’t convincing people to care about God; it’s cooperating with a God who already cares about them.

1 Corinthians 3:6–7 CEV

6 I planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God made them sprout and grow. 7 What matters isn’t those who planted or watered, but God who made the plants grow.

Your job isn’t to produce the fruit, it’s to plant the seed. And sometimes, the seed is a simple sentence: “Come and see.”

Application: You never know what hangs in the balance of a single invitation. You’ve got to have a burden that causes you to plant the seed.

That coworker. That classmate. That family member. They might say no today, but one day, your obedience might lead to their salvation.

Billy Graham was invited to a revival meeting as a teenager by a man named Albert McMakin. Albert wasn’t famous. He wasn’t a preacher. He just cared enough to invite a young man to hear the Gospel. And because he did, millions came to Christ through Billy Graham’s ministry.

One simple invitation changed the world.

Pray for your one. Write their name. Invite them. Because when you obey, God moves.

OUR INVITATION REVEALS GOD’S HEART

When Philip said, “Come and see,” he was echoing the very invitation of Jesus Himself.

Earlier in this same chapter, Jesus told Andrew and another disciple:

John 1:39 — “Come and see.”

The pattern is simple:

Jesus invites us.

We invite others.

Evangelism isn’t just an assignment, it’s imitation.

We’re reflecting the heart of the One who first invited us.

2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT

20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

When you invite someone, you’re speaking on behalf of Heaven.

You’re saying what God’s been saying since the beginning: “Come home.”

Application:

Your invitation might be the only sermon someone hears this week.

Your kindness might be the first glimpse of Jesus they’ve ever seen.

Every text, every coffee, every “Hey, come sit with me at church” is God’s love in motion.

—

Maybe you’re here today because someone invited you.

That wasn’t random. God saw you before they found you.

Just like Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree, He sees you right now.

He knows your doubts, your story, and your heart.

And still, He says, “Come and see.”

—

If you’re already following Jesus, this is your moment to become an inviter.

Because eternity changes when obedience happens.

For Believers:

Pray for courage and compassion to invite your “one.”

Ask God to give you open doors and divine moments this week.

For Guests / Seekers:

Maybe you’re Nathanael today.

You’ve been skeptical. You’ve been searching.

But now Jesus is saying to you, “I see you. Come and see.”

Today’s your day to respond.