One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). … Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:40-46 ESV
The above event happened shortly after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. The four men along with John were with John the Baptist when he declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God and the Son of God at His baptism. No doubt that caused two of them, Andrew and John, to pursue Jesus and seek to know Him better the next day. Jesus’ simple invite to Andrew and John in response to, “Where are you staying,” was, “Come and see.”
After spending the afternoon and evening with Jesus (John records that Jesus’ invitation was around 4pm), Andrew goes to find his brother Peter who was also in the vicinity. He gives a short testimony and then he physically brought Peter to meet Jesus.
Philip also recruited Nathanael with a short testimony. He said, “We have found the One…” He too helps Nathanael overcome his hesitancy by simply saying, “Come and see.” Note that both said, “We have found…” Their testimony was backed by other’s experience as well – they say ‘we’ have found, not ‘I’ have found. And the use of the word ‘found’ implies that all were searching for the Messiah and now they had found Him.
As Kingdom leaders you will be the primary vision caster for your God-given mission. Yes, some of you will be better at it than others, but all will be expected to share this vision with others. And the vision is what you see by faith as you carry out your God-given task in the harvest.
“Come and see” is very effective in recruiting if what others experience is attractive and aligns with their personal desires. Here, both Peter and Nathanael were recruited with a testimony from someone they trusted and then were convinced when they personally experienced Jesus for themselves.
One noted difference: Nathanael responded to an invitation, but Peter was brought to Jesus by Andrew. Some will respond to your simple invitation, but others will need to be ‘brought’ to experience your mission for themselves. It is assumed that you have created such an attractive missional environment, with Christ at the center of it all, that a simple exposure will cause them to want to join with you.
The laborers are few for the harvest and thus are in high demand. God will provide all the people you need to accomplish His desired outcomes in your part of His harvest. Yes, pray for more workers for the harvest and ask specifically for more for your team (see Matthew 9:35-38). But, as you pray, also cast vision and recruit. God will take your small efforts and multiply it for His glory.
Can you clearly and succinctly communicate what you are seeking to accomplish? Good vision is clear, concise, and compelling.
Developing Kingdom Leaders - Tom Yeakley 