Matthew 9:9   ⁹ As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.”  And he got up and followed him.

John 1:38-39  ³⁸ When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?”  ³⁹ He said to them, “Come and see” They came and saw where he was staying,

Over the past few weeks, we have been building on this process of evangelism that is hopefully far less intimidating than the stereotypical image of the megaphone, gold leaf bible standing on the corner of Trade and Tryon.  I encourage you to go back to the past few weeks newsletters if your confused.

This final stage is probably the most risky for us; it is the challenge to invite friends and coworkers to walk with you in the spiritual journey.  It is risky, because relationships are risky.  As Katherine preached yesterday, “It is a whole lot more complicated to be a Christian in community, than it is to be one alone.”

Why do you think it is easier to invite someone to go get drinks after work, or to go to a ballgame with you, then to invite them to worship, a Bible study, or a fellowship group?  One reason, probably, is because you are holding something up to them that you find important, and offering them the opportunity to join you—or to reject you.

Ultimately, this is where I find connection with Jesus.  I love the simplicity of his invitations to people:  “Come and see,” “Follow me.”  There were no strings attached, some people gravitated to him, others were pushed away from him.  But the invitation was always extended.  And the truth of the matter is that the acceptance or rejection of a simple invitation says more about the invitee then the inviter.

So this series on doable evangelism concludes with a final challenge.  Consider a friend that you might invite to come join you in your spiritual journey.  Notice them, listen to them, pray for them, and then invite them.