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Come and See

In John 1:29-34, John the Baptist exclaims that Jesus is the "lamb of God." The next day he was with a couple of his disciples when he sees Jesus pass by and tells them to look at the lamb of God. They start following Jesus who eventually turns around asks them what they want. They ask, "Rabbi, where are you staying?"

Jesus could have responded with, "At the corner of Wilson Lane and Jefferson St," and be done with it. Instead, he says, "Come, and you will see." The disciples end up spending the entire day with Jesus and when they leave, Andrew goes immediately to tell his brother Simon (who Jesus would re-name Peter) about Jesus and bring him to spend time with him as well. The rest is history.

This story is indicative of the way Jesus started his revolution of faith: through inviting people to follow him and experience first-hand what the kingdom was all about. Jesus could have had a discussion with the disciples in which he told them where he was staying, talk about the weather, talk about the kingdom some, and then move on. Instead, he invited them to spend the day with him, experiencing what he was all about and they immediately became disciples and then brought others to experience the same adventure of following Jesus.

The most effective witness is inviting someone to experience the way of Jesus. Invite them to join you as you serve in the community and discuss why this is important to God. Spend time with them in the daily routines of your life and show how viewing your whole life as an act of worship gives a new perspective. Let them experience a heart-felt worship service where they see the value of living in community.

Most witnessing paradigms are based on convincing people to believe the right theological concepts and once you get that settled they are ready to experience God and engage in His work. Jesus models a different way in which he invites people to follow him, to experience the way of Jesus, and in the process the theological framework will come into focus.

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