35 The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. 36 As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!”37 When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them. They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. 41 Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). 42 Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”). 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown. 45 Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied. 47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.” 48 “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.” 49 Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” 51 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.”

Commentary

– Read together –

Do you need others more than you love them? If you see a sister or brother walking through a dark time, do you simply say “it will be ok” or “I’ll be praying for you” and then remain quiet out of fear of rejection or insecurity about having the “right” answer? Grace Church strategically aligns our resources and time to engage the cultural needs of the Upstate. Those are the needs of your friends, neighbors, family, coworkers, Little League parents, and the mom of your kid’s best friend. We want to be the church that moves toward the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of others. Will you choose to be the connection between their hurt and the refuge that God provides? Take personal interest in the discipleship of others and help connect them to growth opportunities. When your spin instructor shares that she is having trouble balancing her work and family responsibilities, invite her to an Ezer study. When the coworker complains about his wife’s family, invite him to a Men’s Roundtable session. Familiarize yourself with where Grace Church is working and invite the people in your circle to join in on the life God promises. Invite them, in the manner of Jesus and Philip, to come and see.