By the end of John chapter one, Jesus has 5 of his 12 disciples following him. Along the way, he models three principles of outreach I want to imitate.
Principle #1: Find those who are already hungry
Of the five disciples in John 1 (John, Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael), Jesus himself recruits only one of them (Philip, v. 43). Even with Philip, v. 44 tells us he was from the same hometown as Andrew and Peter. They probably knew him and were the ones who told Jesus about him.
Jesus did not create hunger, he fed it.
Principle #2: Start where people are at
In v. 38, Jesus asks a simple question: "What are you seeking." He started with what they were interested in and used that to establish the relationship.
Principle #3: Give opportunity, not answers
In v. 39, Jesus creates an opportunity for relationship and learning. Too many times I find myself giving people answers to questions they are not asking! I want to try and create opportunities for people to learn from the Scriptures (Jesus) the answers to questions they have.
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