The Compelling Invitation

John 1:35–42 NIV

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

Have you ever heard of a missionary by the name of Jim & Elizabeth Elliot? Let me tell you a bit about their story.:

January 2, 1956, was the day that 29-year-old Jim Elliot had waited for most of his life. He jumped out of bed, dressed as quickly as he could, and got ready for the short flight over the thick Ecuador (Eck-wah-door) jungle. Almost three years of jungle ministry and many hours of planning and praying had led Jim to this day. Within hours, he and four other missionaries would be setting up camp in the territory of a dangerous and uncivilized Indian tribe known then as the Aucas (Ow-cuz), known now as the Waodani (Wah-o-dah-nee). The Aucas had killed all outsiders ever caught in their area. Even though it was dangerous, Jim Elliot had no doubt God wanted him to tell the Aucas about Jesus.

Growing Up

As a little boy growing up in Portland, Oregon, Jim Elliot listened carefully as visiting missionaries told about life on faraway missions fields. He asked them questions and dreamed about being a missionary himself some day. It made him sad that so many people in other countries died without knowing about God. 

The Long Boat Trip

On February 2, 1952, Jim Elliot waved goodbye to his parents and boarded a ship for the 18-day trip from San Pedro, California to Quito (Kee-toe), Ecuador, South America.

He and his missionary partner, Pete Fleming, first spent a year in Quito learning to speak Spanish. Then they moved to Shandia (Shan-dee-ah), a small Quichua (Kee-chew-wah) Indian village to take the place of the retiring missionary. Jim and Pete studied hard to learn the language and fit in. Their hard work paid off; in six months, both were speaking Spanish well enough to move to Shandia. When they arrived in Shandia, they also had to learn the speech of the Quichuas.

Planning to reach the Aucas

Three years later many Quichuas had become faithful Christians. Jim now began to feel it was time to tell the Aucas about Jesus.

The Aucas had killed many Quichuas. They had also killed several workers at an oil company-drilling site near their territory. The oil company closed the site because everyone was afraid to work there. Jim knew the only way to stop the Aucas from killing was to tell them about Jesus. Jim and the four other Ecuador missionaries began to plan a way to show the Aucas they were friendly.

Nate Saint, a missionary supply pilot, came up with a way to lower a bucket filled with supplies to people on the ground while flying above them. He thought this would be a perfect way to win the trust of the Aucas without putting anyone in danger. They began dropping gifts to the Aucas. They also used an amplifier to speak out friendly Auca phrases. After many months, the Aucas even sent a gift back up in the bucket to the plane. Jim and the other missionaries felt the time had come to meet the Aucas face-to-face.

One day while flying over Auca territory, Nate Saint spotted a beach that looked long enough to land the plane on. He planned to land there and the men would build a tree house to stay safe in until friendly contact could be made.

The missionaries were flown in one-by-one and dropped off on the Auca beach. Nate Saint then flew over the Auca village and called for the Aucas to come to the beach. After four days, an Auca man and two women appeared. It was not easy for them to understand each other since the missionaries only knew a few Auca phrases. They shared a meal with them, and Nate took the man up for a flight in the plane. The missionaries tried to show sincere friendship and asked them to bring others next time.

For the next two days, the missionaries waited for other Aucas to return. Finally, on day six, two Auca women walked out of the jungle. Jim and Pete excitedly jumped in the river and waded over to them. As they got closer, these women did not appear friendly. Jim and Pete almost immediately heard a terrifying cry behind them. As they turned they saw a group of Auca warriors with their spears raised, ready to throw. Jim Elliot reached for the gun in his pocket. He had to decide instantly if he should use it. But he knew he couldn't. Each of the missionaries had promised they would not kill an Auca who did not know Jesus to save himself from being killed. Within seconds, the Auca warriors threw their spears, killing all the missionaries: Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Nate Saint, Pete Fleming and Jim Elliot.

Waiting to Hear

Late in the afternoon of Sunday, January 8, Elisabeth Elliot, Jim's wife, waited by the two-way radio to hear Nate Saint and his wife discuss how things had gone that day. But there was no call. As evening turned to night, the wives grew worried. They knew the news was not good.

The next morning another missionary pilot flew over the beach to look for the men. He saw only the badly damaged plane on the beach.

News quickly spread around the world about the five missing missionaries. A United States search team went to the beach, found the missionaries' bodies, and buried them.

But don't think Operation Auca ended there because it didn't. In less than two years Elisabeth Elliot, her daughter Valerie, and Rachel Saint (Nate's sister) were able to move to the Auca village. Many Aucas became Christians. They are now a friendly tribe. Missionaries, including Nate Saint's son and his family, still live among the Aucas today.

Elisabeth Elliot even helped make a movie about Operation Auca called Through Gates of Splendor. It showed real life scenes of the five missionaries on the beach with the friendly Aucas. It also included footage of the two years she and her daughter spent living in an Auca village.

Jim Elliot's Mission and Legacy

During his life, Jim Elliot longed for more people to become missionaries. In his death, however, he probably inspired more people to go to other countries to share the love of Jesus than he ever could have in life.

https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1901-2000/jim-elliot-no-fool-11634862.html

Let’s take a couple moments and consider Jim and Elizabeth’s story. They were determined to follow God’s call no matter what. They were on a journey to tell people about Jesus. They didn’t just wear the name badge “Christian” they lived it out, with Jim ultimately sacrificing his life following God’s call.

If we take a look at Jesus’s ministry, we see that he didn’t stay in one place. He was an itinerant preacher, prophet and healer. He was always on a journey somewhere and always talking about God’s Kingdom. He was teaching, healing, telling people about the Kingdom. And it wasn’t just among those who were Jews or those who were religious leaders, to Jesus it didn’t matter who you were.

Now let’s look at the disciples. As Jesus calls them, what did they do? They followed Jesus. Now I’m sure that they didn’t really know what they were getting themselves into, but there was something about Jesus that when he said “Come, follow me....see what I am doing,” they went. They went on this journey with him, not waiting until he might show up again.

This journey of grace that they embarked on with Jesus didn’t just spontaneously happen. It started with an invitation. The journey of grace in our own lives started with the same “come and see.” I think about the story my grandfather told about how he, Grandma, and the kids (my dad) were invited to church. They were invited to come and see. This grace that is embodied in Jesus is so compelling that it doesn’t need to be forced into our lives, it simply invites us to come and see what this Jesus thing is all about, get acquainted with it.

However, it doesn’t stop there, instead it is just the beginning. The invitation to come and see moves to a point where “come and see” becomes “follow me.” No one follows along with Jesus for long before being confronted with a series of decisions. Following Jesus on this journey requires a willingness to allow him to poke at things in our lives that he wants to transform. This doesn’t happen overnight, but happens over time for the rest of our lives as long as we continue to follow him. This journey with Jesus truly is a truly a journey.

It is at this point where “come and see” becomes “follow me” that we get to a decision point. Before we can make this decision, there are a few things we need to realize.

Your decision is made possible through the extension of God’s grace. There is no other way it is possible. We cannot do enough or earn it in any way.

Secondly, this grace is personal but not private. God’s grace meets us where we are in the unique way that he created us. It will be painful at times accepting this grace, it will be uncomfortable. However, as personal as it is, we are not called to live in this grace alone. We are called to journey together with other believers.

This grace is costly. There is always a cost to following Jesus. That cost could look like many things. It may mean giving up something we like to do in order to do what Jesus calls us to. It may mean leaving family and friends as the Elliot’s did to follow God’s call to be a missionary. It could mean lots of different things, but there is always a cost to following Jesus. The Kingdom of God is counter cultural today, just as it was when Jesus initiated that Kingdom when he was on this earth. Following Jesus and what he calls us to will often require courage that only he can provide, because without that sometimes what he calls us to doesn’t make sense.

I can tell you from first hand experience just how compelling this journey of grace is, but I can also attest to the cost. However, this journey is a powerful journey of transformation. You will see people differently, the world differently, and you will love people in ways that you never imagined possible. Following Jesus is evidenced in being made radically different. If you’ve been following Jesus for long, you likely know what I mean. Have you ever had people notice that there is something different about your life? I have, and it is a great opportunity to tell people about what Jesus has done for us on this journey.

It is often said that Jesus loves us enough to meet us where we are—but he also loves us too much to leave us there. Think for a moment about what it took for Elisabeth Elliot to go back to the people that killed her husband. Think about the courage and determination that would take to go without revenge, but with the desire to share Christ with them. That is only possible through Christ working in us. I know I wouldn’t have that kind of strength and courage on my own.

Matthew 4:19 NIV

19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

This simple call from Jesus transformed how the disciples saw themselves and gave them purpose. That simple call does the same for each of us. This statement is a truth of journey of grace that we are on with Jesus. If we follow long enough, we will be called, commissioned, and continually transformed. We never know where that path may lead, but I can promise you it is far better than anything else we can come up wtih. However, it requires us to truly follow and surrender ourselves to Jesus and his way, not ours. Over time as that transformation happens, our thoughts and desires start to look more and more like his, and certainly not like anything else we see in the world.

This journey starts with “come and see,” moves to “follow me,” promises “you will be,” and then commissions with “go and do.” It is compelling not only for us, but through us, to others. Jesus affords us the opportunity to join Jesus in partnership in his mission.

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