Come and See
In the first chapter of John’s Gospel, one-by-one people begin to follow Jesus. Andrew leads the way; he invites his brother Simon Peter; Philip joins the little group the next day and soon finds Nathaniel. Upon hearing Philip exclaim that Jesus is long-awaited Messiah, Nathaniel doubts . . . Philip responds with a simple invitation, “Come and see.” (John 1:46 ESV) Nathanael came and he saw and he followed Jesus.
By God’s grace, we have many “Philips” among us and as a result of their personal invitations, 131 “Nathanaels” decided to “come and see” the presence of Jesus being made real in our fellowship during the first six months of 2022. We have welcomed these new followers into our fellowship as our paths crossed with theirs; but beyond getting to know them individually, most have never given much thought to the group demographics of those the Lord is sending our way – let’s do that today with a closer look at the “Nathanaels” who responded to our invitations to come and to see by joining our growing band of disciples during the recent twelve weeks.
· Male 64, Female 67
· Average age 53
· Worship service attended: Historic Campus: 5:28pm 9, 8:00am 1, 10:00am 40; Cross Schools Campus: 9:00am The Chapel 29, 10:30am CrossPoint 52
· Prior denominational affiliation: Anglican 10, Baptist 7, Catholic 24, Episcopal 23, Lutheran 5, Methodist 6, Presbyterian 11, Other 18, Nondenominational 10, None 17
· Zip code: 29909 (not Sun City) – 22, 29909 (Sun City) – 30, 29910 – 62, 29926 – 7, 29927 – 5, 29928 – 1, 29935 – 2, 31326 – 2
“Come and see” . . . a three-word invitation to meet the Son of God. On behalf of the Crucified and Resurrected One, I say, “Thank you!” to the “Philips” and “Welcome!” to the “Nathanaels” amongst us . . . it is an honor to be journeying through this world in your company!
Seeking to do His will in His way in His time,
