You Are Invited to Follow Jesusדוגמה

You Have a One-of-a-kind Testimony to Share

Upon finding Philip, Jesus' invitation is direct and to the point, "Follow me."

"Follow me." These two words would change the trajectory of the lives of two curious students of the Torah and the Prophets in search of the coming Messiah.

The Gospel of John is short on details surrounding Jesus' open invitation to Philip.

In my mind, I imagine the events of this not-so-ordinary day playing out something like this:

"Andrew, Simon, wake up, it's time to go."

"What?" whispers Andrew, wiping the dust from his eyes. "Jesus, where are we going so early in the morning?"

"Galilee, and on our way, there is someone we need to meet up with. Someone I think you may know. He is from your hometown of Bethsaida."

At some point along the road, Philip joins Andrew, Simon, and Jesus on their way to Galilee. (Perhaps brothers James and John have come along as well.) As they all journey together, I can only imagine the questions that Philip must have had for Jesus. Questions about Moses and the Prophets. Questions about growing up as the son of a carpenter from Nazareth. And questions about why Jesus had chosen him to join the group on their way to Galilee.

One by one, Jesus answers each question with patience and compassion. Eventually, Philip has heard and seen enough to be convinced that Jesus is the One they have been looking for. Bursting with joy, he goes on ahead of the group to find his friend Nathanael. With this, the pattern of seeking and finding that is prevalent throughout the Gospel of John continues. Andrew finds Simon. Jesus finds Philip. Philip finds Nathanael.

Perhaps the events surrounding Jesus' invitation to Philip really did happen the way I have imagined them in my mind. Perhaps not. Either way, there is certainly a lesson here to be learned for you and me as Jesus' apprentices.

In much the same way that Philip extends Jesus' open invitation to "come and see" to Nathaniel, each of us has been given our own personal mission field in order to spread Jesus' message to others. As an apprentice of the King of Kings, there really shouldn't be any dead ends. Said another way, it would be a great tragedy if Jesus' invitation to abide in Him died with us.

Today, as you go, consider this thought: Whether you realize it or not, you are a missionary. You have a one-of-a-kind testimony that needs to be shared with the watching world around you. As you make time to abide in the presence of Jesus, let your testimony - made up of words and deeds - overflow into the lives of those around you.