Found People Find People

“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 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.””
‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭43‬-‭45‬ ‭ESV‬‬

One of the most challenging things for followers of Jesus seems to be bringing others along on the journey. Study after study and interview after interview have shown this. A 2014 survey from Lifeway Research (https://research.lifeway.com/2014/01/02/study-churchgoers-believe-in-sharing-faith-most-never-do/) found that less than 22% of Christians had shared Christ in some fashion in the last 6 months. A 2016 survey found that more than 40% of unchurched people in the USA have never had the Gospel shared or explained to them.

There are all sorts of reasons people don’t share their faith, many of which we’ve been dealing with for a long time (fear of rejection, feel unprepared, etc). But what should really be alarming for followers of Christ is the increasing percentage of “Christians” who don’t believe it is the responsibility of Christians to share their faith (33% in a Barna Survey).

Now, I know, figures lie and liars figure, but these numbers tell a story that jives with my own personal anecdotes. Not only are we reluctant to share Jesus with a world in desperate need, we increasingly don’t think that’s our job to do.

When you look at the passage of John 1 that I started with, there are some key truths to understand:

1. Jesus Found Philip. Salvation begins and ends with Jesus. He pursues us, and we, led by the Holy Spirit, respond to him. Jesus told Philip to follow him.

2. Philip Followed Jesus. We don’t have the details. Was he fishing? Did an organist show up and play all the verses of “Just As I Am” while Jesus stood by an altar? That stuff doesn’t matter. What is important is that Philip followed Jesus. Sometimes we get so caught up on methods that we forget the mission.

3. Philip Found Nathanael. The first thing Philip did wasn’t to attend a new members class or sign up for baptism. He didn’t join the choir or become a member of the worship team. No, as soon as Jesus found Philip, Philip went after Nathanael.

Found People Find People. Philip went after someone who needed to know who Jesus was. He didn’t wait. He just went. And if you look at what he said to Nathanael, you’ll see that his theology wasn’t perfect. He didn’t understand the virgin birth or that Jesus was the second person of the Trinity. All that would come in due time. But he did understand two important things:

1. That Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior.

2. That he and Nathanael needed to follow this Savior.

Who are the people in your life today that need to know Jesus? Who is someone that you can, without having a perfect grasp of doctrine and theological principles, can invite to church or tell them that Jesus has saved you? Found people find people. If Jesus has changed you, it’s time to bring others along on the journey.

Medina Road

My travels this evening took me through Jackson County, WV, where my grandfather Wyers was born. He had a very difficult childhood, but he and his siblings rose above their poverty and sorrows to raise solid families. They’re all gone now, and now their children are starting to grow old and pass away. Memories fade, but legacies are like ripples that go on for eternity.

“Medina Road”
By Adam Will 1/4/2023

I couldn’t grab a picture
As I drove down the interstate
When I saw the exit that my grandma used to take.
Of the old run down church house
Barely standing all forlorn
Near the old abandoned farmhouse
Where my grandfather was born.

His parents, poor, died when he was young
His brothers and he stayed together
Toiling through snow, rain, and sun.
I went there once when I was a boy
Abandoned, broken, but standing still
My grandfather’s childhood home,
Nothing left but simple graves on a hill.

They loved him, of this I’m sure, but they left three boys behind
Just teenagers with older sisters who had their own kids to mind.
I never knew my grandfather, he died when mom was young
But I know that he loved Jesus
And to his grace, A.E. clung.

I’m amazed at the life those Wyers boys had
The grief of losing momma
and then losing their dad.
In the hills of Jackson County
Those orphaned boys strived
Audra, Fred and Clyde.

I think about them often
when I drive past that road
Where we had our family reunions
Not far from that abode.
They worked hard, they made it!
They raised their own families too
Never forgetting the struggles
And the love that between them grew.

The family is mostly gone now.
Faint memories remain.
Like the faded tombstones
And pictures in their frames.
That little church on Medina road
The memories it holds
Like that tiny Wyers house
Where love was kept, the stories told.

So when you drive through valleys,
Over hills and streams
Take thought, oh traveler,
Of visitors and sojourners before
And how they prayed and dreamed
How we’re blessed by those of old
By those folks long forgotten
Who gathered down by Medina Road.