You Don’t Have to Win Every Argument to Introduce Someone to Jesus

By Pastor John Erickson

Of all the disciples, I can identify with Nathanael's tendency to say what he is thinking.

Sometimes I am too direct. Sometimes my foot makes it into my mouth before my brain has finished checking the route.

So I hear something familiar when Philip tells Nathanael about Jesus of Nazareth, and Nathanael immediately questions whether anything good can come from there.

Philip could have taken the bait. He could have turned the conversation into an argument about hometowns, reputation, and why Nathanael should be more open-minded.

Instead, he gives a simple invitation: come and see.

That is a helpful correction for those of us who imagine introducing someone to Jesus requires winning a debate first.

Begin by spending time with him

Earlier in John 1, John the Baptist points two of his disciples toward Jesus. They begin following, and Jesus asks what they are looking for.

They ask where he is staying. He invites them to come and see, and they spend time with him.

There is something wonderfully direct about that encounter.

They do not receive a sales presentation about the benefits of joining a movement. They are welcomed into time with a person.

One of the two is Andrew. The other remains unnamed in the passage, and we do not need to settle that identity to notice what happens. Before Andrew begins inviting somebody else, he has been with Jesus.

We sometimes skip that part when talking about evangelism. We can become so interested in what we should say that we lose sight of the person our lives are meant to point toward.

Am I spending time with him? Is his character changing mine?

Those questions matter before and after every invitation.

Andrew starts close to home

Andrew finds his brother Simon and tells him that they have found the Messiah. Then he brings Simon to Jesus.

It is a short account, but the outcome reaches far beyond that moment. Simon will become known as Peter.

Andrew does not have to become Peter to have a significant part in Peter's story.

That is encouraging. We can look at a public leader and assume that meaningful ministry belongs to people with that person's gifts. Meanwhile, a quiet invitation may be the very thing God uses to bring someone toward Christ.

You may not be a platform person. You may be a brother, sister, parent, coworker, neighbor, or friend.

Those relationships are not interruptions to your potential ministry. They may be where it begins.

A simple invitation can be personal

At one point, I had small cards made for people in our church. One side invited someone to church. The other said they could sit with the person giving the invitation.

There was nothing powerful about the cards themselves. They were inexpensive pieces of paper.

The point was the relationship.

I did not want people scattering invitations everywhere and then forgetting who they had spoken to. I wanted somebody to arrive and find a person who knew their name, expected them, and had made room.

An invitation to an event is one thing. An offer to accompany someone is another.

That principle reaches beyond a church service. You can invite someone to read a Gospel with you, share a meal, ask a question, or meet people who follow Jesus.

You do not have to make the experience elaborate to make it personal.

Philip does not take responsibility for controlling Nathanael

When Nathanael responds skeptically, Philip does not appear to panic.

He does not need to force a result. He invites Nathanael to encounter the person he has encountered.

That is not an argument against thoughtful answers. Questions deserve care. Christians should be willing to learn, listen, and admit what they do not know.

But a conversation does not have to wait until I have mastered every objection anyone might raise.

I can say that I am still learning. I can be honest about why Jesus matters to me. I can offer to explore a question together.

What I cannot do is make another person's decision for them.

In the Gospel, Jesus meets Nathanael with knowledge Philip could not have manufactured. The encounter becomes personal in a way an argument about Nazareth could never accomplish.

Live in a direction worth inviting someone toward

There is also an uncomfortable responsibility here.

If I invite someone to follow Jesus while treating people carelessly, I make the invitation harder to hear.

My former pastor, Lance, expressed a principle I have found valuable: become what you want others to become.

That does not mean waiting until I am perfect. It means refusing to separate my message from the direction of my life.

An apology can be part of a faithful witness. So can admitting that I handled something badly. People do not need me to act as though following Jesus has removed every flaw. They need to see whether I am willing to let him address those flaws.

Think of a name

It is easy to discuss reaching people as an abstract goal. John 1 gives us names and relationships.

Andrew finds Simon. Philip finds Nathanael.

Who comes to mind for you?

Do not start by planning how to corner them. Start by caring. Pray for them. Listen to what matters to them. Consider whether there is a natural, respectful invitation you can offer.

Make room for a real answer, including no.

Then keep loving the person.

You do not have to become the answer to every question. You can be a friend who is walking toward Jesus and is willing to say, "Come and see."