How does God draw curious and skeptical people to Jesus and what part do we play in that?

John 1:43–51
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip,he said to him, “Follow me.”

44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “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.”

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

Mission begins with a kind of explosion of joy. The news that the rejected and crucified Jesus is alive is something that cannot possibly be suppressed. It must be told. Who could be silent about such a fact? The mission of the church in the pages of the New Testament is more like the fallout from a vast explosion, a radioactive fallout which is not lethal but life-giving.

— Lesslie Newbigin

1. Jesus Sees Us Before We See Him.

John 1:43
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip,he said to him, “Follow me.”

John 1:47-48
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

2. The Gospel Spreads Through Invitation, Not Argument.

John 1:46
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.

"Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

"Come and See."

Is there more to life than this?
Who is Jesus, really?
Why did Jesus have to die?
Can faith make sense in today’s world?
Does God actually still do anything today?

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How do you feel about inviting a friend to Flood?
Why would you want to?
What do you see as an obstacle?

3. Jesus meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be.

John 1:46-47
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

4. What we’ve seen, we can’t help but share.

John 1:49-51
Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.