Podcasts about finding philip

Ever wondered, "How can I find faith for myself?" In this sermon, Megan, Vicar of Saint Philip's Deep Creek, explores this very question. Discover how we're all people of faith already, trusting in things we can't always see, from the air we breathe to the reliability of a chair. But how does this relate to faith in God, who is unseen? To catch up on the latest sermons from Deep Creek, go to iTunes, Spotify ordeepcreekanglican.comand check out the website for more info about whats happening. Transcription I am Megan and I am the current vicar of Saint Philip's Deep Creek. but I stand in a long line of terrific leaders who have worked in partnership with a terrific bunch of people. Now we're here today asking a question. We're in a series called finding Faith. And we're starting today with our question. How can I find faith for myself? Believing in the Invisible And I wanted to go looking for something. I wanted to go looking for something in here. That's invisible. All right. What in here is invisible. Anyone? What can't I see? But that is definitely here. Don't overthink it. Yeah, okay. Faith is here. Thank you. You did overthink it, but I appreciate it. Yes. God is here. Yes. Thank you. Yes. Nikki. The Holy Spirit is here. Wow. You guys are all amazing. But there's some other things here that I can't see right now. Oh, yes. There's air. I can't see, but there's air. Does anyone know what's in the air? There's oxygen. Anything else? I mean, oxygen is my favorite, but there's nitrogen. Yes, there's there's argon. There is some carbon dioxide. Yes. There's all kinds of things. There's some water vapor. There's some, Trace elements of krypton. And there's methane, and I promise it wasn't me. So there are things that we can't see that are here. Is there anything else that we can't see that is here? Correct? Yes. I can't see your heart. That is good. That is a very good thing. but in terms of your thoughts, I can't see your thoughts. I can't see your feelings. But they're here. Your fight? Yeah. What you've been through. Absolutely. That is so good. Well, what about you? Some of the things that are very important to you. There's electromagnetic radiation which goes between your devices. That's here, right? There's radio waves and all those things that make our phones tell us amazing things. Yes, mommy and daddy. Yes. Well, I can see them, but do you know what? You're right in that I can't necessarily see that they're your mommy and daddy. I could do a blood test, and I could work that out. But you're right. Everyone is a Person of Faith There are many things here that we can't see. And sometimes when people say to us, well, I don't have faith because I just believe in things that I can see. We could say, actually, everybody here is a person of faith already, because being a person of faith is just about believing and trusting in things. So. I've got a chair here, and I can trust that if I sit on it, I'll be safe. I wasn't 100% sure, but I, you know, I had faith that I could sit down on it and it wouldn't break. You never know. If I put a couple of chairs together and decided to stand on them. That would be a bigger step of faith. It might not be very sensible at all, but there are other things that you and I have faith in that we can't see. So if I said to my daughter, we're going to have ice cream after church today. Now she and my husband says yes. She has to decide. Do I believe that? Do I have faith in what mum said? And there's been things that throughout our life have built up a trust in her that, if I've said it, probably will do it. I've said it in front of 100 people, so it's even more likely if I said, we're going to go to my favorite restaurant, Meat and Wine Co, and we're going to order the most expensive steak on the menu. What is like 400? I don't know, it's I've never, then she might think, no, I don't think that's going to happen, but an ice cream, we've done that before. And she can trust. So let's imagine that we are all in some way people of faith, and that there are things that we always take on trust. Sometimes if we put the effort into it, we could find out a scientific reason, for example, that Nick and Tam are a mom and dad. But sometimes there are things that we can't see at all. And we do believe. Pin the Tail on the Donkey: Faith vs. Guessing Right now, I've got a game here, and I'm going to need at least six little people to play this game. It's called pin the tail on the donkey. I'm going to put it up here. All right. So what happens in pin the tail on the donkey is you need to add to the donkey's rear end the tail. You're going to be blindfolded. And we're going to spin you around a little bit. And you're not allowed to give a good feel to this piece of paper. So you need to just have a look, okay. You're going to have a blindfold on. We're going to spin you around. You're going to trust that we're going to put you in front of it, and then you're on your own. Okay. You're ready for it. Okay. There we go. I do, I think you are the closest. Well done. Congratulations. We do have a little prize for you. Well done. All right. All right. What the Bible Says About Faith We're going to have some Bible readings now. And it's going to help us to understand more about faith. Two Corinthians four verse 13 to 18. It is written, I believe, therefore I have spoken. Since we have that same spirit of faith. We also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore, we do not lose heart, though through outward we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day, for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. Since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Now. Faith is confidence in Hebrews 11 verses 1 to 2. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. Perfect. Thank you so much. So the Bible tells us that faith is assurance of what we hope for, but it's about what we cannot see. So the two readings that we had today talked about faith, particularly in the future. So when I sat down on the chair, that was me trusting that my future sitting would be safe. But it was something that you could see. It was over and done with. When I say to Phoebe, we're going to have ice cream. She has to trust because it's in the future. It's unseen, but it relies on what she knows about me. The availability of ice cream and possibly what's in my bank account. So when the Bible tells us that we are to put our trust, our belief, our faith in God who we cannot see, and in the promises about our future which we cannot see. We have to know that it's not the same as pin the tail on the donkey in. Pin the tail on the donkey. You have a blindfold and you are turned around, and you're not allowed to touch the outside of the page. Now, these guys had a pretty good idea where the tail might end up. This is pretty good, although I think the best one was on Nick's nose. Well done. But in general, it's a bit of a guess. The thing about faith in God is that it's not a blind guess. Reasons for Faith: More Than a Blind Guess We've got lots of reasons why we can know where we're aiming. So you're right. We can't see. And the Bible admits that we can't see God. Everyone said God's here, but we can't see God here. But the Bible tells us to trust not because it just tells us to trust. But because there are lots of reasons. So it tells us a few different things. Number one, it tells us that we've got a whole written record. If kids you've got a Bible, it might not look like this. It might have way more pictures, which is good. But we've got a written record so that we're not entirely turned around in looking for God. This tells us how. But the Bible also tells us, and you and I know that we can look around the world, and there are many things that we can see that point us to evidence of God. Now, has anyone seen any Marvel movies lately? Kids that the littlest ones know. But, well, one of the things that Marvel has been getting into is a thing called the multiverse. Does that ring any bells with anyone? That means that, you know, you might have an infinite number of spider-mans because there's an infinite number of universes. And in the sci fi world of Marvel, you might be able to move through those universes, and one day all the spiders will end up all together. Now we actually have no evidence at all. For anything other than the universe that we have. There is no evidence. Nothing. Entirely zero evidence for multiverses. But the reason it's an attractive idea. Is because it it gives us some sort of reason. Outside of a creator for this incredible experience called life. So if you look at our experience called life, if you look at our earth, actually it's quite hard to reason away that there is a creator. The only thing you can do is say, well, all the odds that have come together to cause humans right now. Everything that could have happened at any point will happen everywhere. We must have multiverses. It'll all. It's all happened somewhere. And so an infinite number of things have come together and it's totally random. But as fun as that is in Marvel. Actually, on Earth, in our universe, there's so much evidence that a good creator made us. So there's the skies, the earth, everything telling us that this didn't happen by chance. Then we have the Bible, and then we have the way in which we experience the love of each other. And sometimes that sense that something outside us really loves and cares for us. Different Ways of Knowing There are lots of ways of knowing things. So you might think, well, I, I know things because of science. Well, there are plenty of things that we know that cannot be proved by science, because science requires something to be able to be done over and over again. So if you do an experiment, you need to be able to do it again and again and again in order to be sure that the result you get is the truth. But when it comes to something in history, for example, you will have a good trust that a certain event happened, but you can't make it happen again. You can't apply the scientific method to historical knowledge. That's a different way of knowing. So you look for different things eyewitness accounts. You look for archaeology, archaeological evidence. You dig things up. You look for sources that are trustworthy. And then there are things like, how do we know that Avery and Maisie have a mum and dad? Well, we can see that in the way that they treat each other. How do we know that we have friendship? We can see that in the way that we treat each other, and in the way that we feel about one another, and how someone else makes us feel. There are lots of different ways of knowing things. And we have to go forward in our lives. Never letting anyone tell us that there's only one way of knowing things. The truth. We actually come at it all the time from lots of different ways. Trusting the Skateboard: Knowledge vs. Action Now I've got up here a skateboard. Okay, so I know this is a skateboard for a few reasons. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and, I used to sit on one and go down the hill. Right? That's. That's about as good as it was. I can work it out from a book or online. I can take a picture of it now and something will tell us. Now, how do I know? then, so I can work out what it is. How do I know that it's trustworthy for me to stand on it? Okay. All right, well, I know this one was, especially ordered by Phil, and he's a bit heavier than me. and he got the really the really good one, right? Especially asked, can this 50 year old man trust this particular skateboard? It didn't come from Kmart. Okay. All right, so I can I can have a look at it. I can trust I know the backstory. I know the history. I know that the company doesn't want to be sued. And so I have to trust that they're interested in safety. Okay. Now. That is all very well and good. You'll have lots of ways of knowing that God is worth trusting. You'll have lots of ways of knowing that Jesus is who he says he is. Lots of ways there really are, and it's trustworthy. But that's a bit different than. Getting on it right? It's a bit different knowing that there's a God out there. Believing that Jesus is the Son of God and actually putting your trust. Now, Philip, could you come up here, please? The suspense. Okay. Now, first of all, for me to really know I'm going to I'm going to put someone else on this right before I go on it. What do you got? Okay. You can stand on it. Good. Oh, that sounds interesting. Okay. Yeah. All right. Now, can can it. Can it do anything? Okay. All right. It can do a few things. What about anything else? Whoa! All right, that seems. That seems okay. All right, so what I've done there is I've had a look around. Is someone else able to trust? Is someone that I love and trust able to trust this thing? Yes. All right. Now, could you help me, please? Thank you. Right. I think maybe two hands. Right. Great. Together. Okay, so I've got someone here helping me, holding me and telling me, don't do that. telling me. Yeah, if you are, if you put your feet too close together, it's going to go out the back from you. All of these things. All right. Now. Okay. All right. Now. 00000. Hang on. It's stuck in the little thing now. And that's going to be really problematic okay I'm going to get this way. All right. So I'm not going to go down the stairs right now. Taking the Step of Faith But what what we've done is gone through a whole process. How can I have faith? I can work out whether the object that I am thinking about is trustworthy. Lots of different ways. Then I have to decide, can I take that step for myself? What I did was check out whether someone I love and trust can do that. He could. Then I said, can you help me? And he did. And then eventually I took my hands away and I moved a little bit. Now I only do this on carpet because otherwise I would absolutely it's going to fall off. But eventually, with that sort of help and the right protective gear, I'd be able to ride that for myself. So I want to say, can you have faith? Well, you absolutely can, because you're already a person who believes and trusts things. You absolutely can. Because there are all kinds of ways of knowing things to be true. And all of those ways can be brought to bear on the Bible and the truth about Jesus. But eventually you will have to take a risk. You will have to say, I'm going to get on this thing for myself. But you don't do that on your own. So what we're going to do now is one of the things that we don't do on our own, and that is to share communion together. This is a way in which we see other people who can get on that skateboard, and we stand with them and they show us, and Jesus shows us that he is trustworthy. Learning from Saint Philip: Ask, Follow, Invite Well, today is the day that we celebrate Saint Philip. And this church is named after Saint Philip, but we mostly just call ourselves Deep Creek Anglican. but Philip was a great follower of Jesus who really wanted to know how he could have faith for himself. So he asked lots of questions and he followed Jesus around wherever he went so he could find out as much as possible, even really early in his following Jesus around what we sometimes call being a disciple or an apostle. he was convinced that Jesus was someone very special. And so in John's Gospel we read these words. The next day, Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, follow me, Philip, like Andrew and Peter was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip, after following Jesus for a bit, found Nathaniel and told him, we have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and about whom the prophets also wrote Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Nathaniel, also someone who took a little while to get some faith, said Nazareth, can anything good come from there? Come and see, said Philip. We've got an opportunity over these next couple of weeks to be like our namesake, Philip, and, well, ask questions, follow Jesus around. When Jesus says, follow me to maybe take that step of faith with the help of others. But we've also got one more thing that we can do. We can say to other people, come and see. Faith is about having enough confidence that you think it would be good for someone else to find out more about Jesus. Faith is not simply saying this is good for me, but saying this is good for the world. An Opportunity to "Come and See" And so over the next three weeks, the kids will be doing their special program, and the adults also have a chance to invite friends to think about who they would like to pray for, and maybe at work, or at home, or at family gatherings or at the footy to say, why don't you come and see? Doesn't have to be come and see here it could be come and see, read something, could be come and see. Search online. Could be. Come and see. Talk to my friends from my growth group. Or let's go out with a few of us and have pizza. But in three weeks time on the 25th of May, we will particularly be having an opportunity for people who are here in this gathering to say yes to Jesus. So Richard Bruce, who some of you may know, some of you might not know, who's a member of our congregation is going to be preaching, and he will give us all an opportunity to say, Will I take that step of faith for myself? And if you have someone that you know, it would be great to have them there. Then why not invite them along? We are a welcoming and growing multigenerational church in Doncaster East in Melbourne with refreshing faith in Jesus Christ. We think that looks like being life-giving to the believer, surprising to the world, and strengthening to the weary and doubting.

The more we understand the transformation available through Christ, the more we long to see our loved ones accept His gift of grace. Our desire for their salvation is beautiful and holy. Problems come, however, when we lose sight of our role and forget our limitations. We can't argue someone to faith. There is power in a gentle invitation. Listen here to find out why. SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. John 1:43-46 Early in my faith journey, I created a lot of conflict in my desire to see loved ones develop a relationship with Christ. My pride also pulled me into numerous unproductive conversations where I attempted to debate people into belief. Inevitably, this pushed the other person further away and left me with regret and shame. Sadly, in the years that followed, I erred in the opposite direction in which I largely remained silent. I told myself others would see Christ in the love and grace I displayed, but I failed to share the truth necessary for people to draw that connection. I've since learned the value of Philip's approach, recorded in John 1. Upon encountering Jesus, he immediately sought out his brother, excited to share the news of the Messiah.  Nathanael responded as many people do today, with mocking disbelief. “Nazareth,” he said, “Can anything good come from there?”  Had Philip been me, in my early years, he probably would've tried to convince his brother of his discovery. Had he been me in my silent period that followed, he might've shrugged and simply walked away. Instead, Philip invited Nathanael to investigate Jesus for himself.  “Come and see,” he said.  Curiosity evoked, Nathanael got up and followed. The Lord took care of the rest. Verse 47 states, “When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, ‘Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit'” (NIV). “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked, to which Jesus replied, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree, before Philip called you.”  These words, ignited by the Holy Spirit, birthed within Nathanael life-changing faith. In verses 49-51, we read, 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on' the Son of Man.” Did you catch the progression? Philip encouraged his brother to check out Jesus for himself. When he did, he encountered the Lord, who spoke a nugget of truth. Again, Nathanael responded, this time with faith, after which the Lord revealed deeper truth.  Intersecting Life and Faith The more we understand the transformation available through Christ, the more we long to see our loved ones accept His gift of grace. Our desire for their salvation is beautiful and holy. Problems come, however, when we lose sight of our role and forget our limitations. We can't argue someone to faith. Our attempts to do so will likely only push them further away.  But while God commands us to love others and live as radiant reflections of Him, kind actions alone don't often lead to spiritual conversations. People need to see how we are different and understand why. They need for us to draw the connection and then invite them to experience the truth for themselves.  A missionary friend with Cru refers to believers as cojourners. We're travelers who gently invite people to embark on a journey of spiritual discovery. Then we walk beside them, first as an explorer, then a guide, builder, and finally, mentor. This is what it looks like to, “meet people where they're at,” while, through active listening and remaining compassionately present, lovingly nudging them forward.  In doing so, we are imitating our Savior who invited people to come closer and evoked their curiosity through questions and stories. When people, like Nathanael, responded positively, Jesus revealed more of Himself and His truth. When they rejected Him, He didn't try to argue them into belief. Instead, He let them go, remaining available should they decide to return. We honor Him and experience the best results when we do our part to invite and walk beside and trust God to create life change.  Further Reading: 1 Peter 3:15 John 4:28-42 John 1:38-39 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

John 1:40-46 (NIV)40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.“Come and see,” said Philip. 2 Corinthians 5:14 (NIV)14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. Matthew 16:25 (NIV)25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

Send us some fan mail here!It's Fall y'all! Nick and Josh sit down and chat with one of the most prolific and creative hikers in the White Mountains: Philip Carcia!Nick has been taking selfies with scary clowns and hiking a local hill on repeat for the Tay's Summit Challenge, Josh is excited to get spooky in the coming months, and we dive into a multitude of hiking-goodness including long trails, the Kancamagus Highway Yo-Yo, the Single-Year-Grid, 39 summits of Mount Wachusett in 24 hours, thinking "outside the box", a fun game of FKM with months in the Whites, and miles(!) more with Phil Carcia, on this inspirational episode of the PUDs Podcast!Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:Adventurisitq Clothing - use code "PUDSPOD" for 20% off your first order!Roots Coffee Roasters - use code "puds10" for 10% off your order!Episode Links:Finding Philip WebsitePhil's InstagramPhil's Facebook PageTaylor James Steeves Foundation WebsiteTay's Summit Challenge Signup PageDonate to Nick's Fundraiser for Tay's Summit ChallengeNick's Music Moment:Achtung Baby - U2 - 1991Josh's Jazzy Music Moment:Let's get to the main topic...Follow us on Instagram: @pudspodcastFollow us on Facebook: PUDs PodcastSubscribe to Nick's YouTube Channel: Nick in NatureFollow Nick on Instagram: @nick__in__natureFollow Josh on Instagram: @jrogers.32Email us at: pudspod@outlook.comRecorded and Produced in Black Cat Studios by Nick Sidla© 2024 PUDs Podcast

'The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” ' John 1:43 https://www.bible.com/bible/111/JHN.1.43

John 1:43-51 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on' the Son of Man.” What does this say about God? About people? What is your response? A full transcript can be found at amyburgin.com.

Bible readings (NIVUK) John 1:35-46 John's disciples follow Jesus 35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!' 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning round, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?' They said, ‘Rabbi' (which means ‘Teacher'), ‘where are you staying?' 39 ‘Come,' he replied, ‘and you will see.' So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah' (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas' (which, when translated, is Peter). Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.' 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' 46 ‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?' Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,' said Philip. Romans 10:8-15 8 But what does it say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,' that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 if you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.' 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'

John 1:35-51 35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, Look, the Lamb of God! 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, What do you want? They said, Rabbi (which means Teacher), where are you staying? 39 Come, he replied, and you will see. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 40 Andrew, Simon Peters brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, We have found the Messiah (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas (which, when translated, is Peter). 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, Follow me. 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wroteJesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46 Nazareth! Can anything good come from there? Nathanael asked. Come and see, said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. 48 How do you know me? Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you. 49 Then Nathanael declared, Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel. 50 Jesus said, You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that. 51 He then added, Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe[h] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[i] you[j] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[k] the Son of Man.” John 1:43-50

Peter Frere | John 1:35-51  The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.' Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' ‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?' Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,' said Philip. Last week, Ben introduced our new series by looking at the calling of Jesus' first disciples. This week Peter focuses on John's account of the story and the reaction of those who met Jesus: to invite others to discover him for themselves. The recording begins with the reading from Kate Routley. An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.

43.  The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”  44.  Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.  45.  Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  46.  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.  “Come and see,” said Philip.             47.  When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48.  “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.  Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”  49.  Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”            50.  Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”  51.  He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on' the Son of Man.”

Micah Roddy, "Great Things" (8:45 Service).    43.  The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”  44.  Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.  45.  Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  46.  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.  “Come and see,” said Philip.   47.  When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48.  “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.  Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”  49.  Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”  50.  Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”  51.  He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on' the Son of Man.”  John 1:43-51 (NIV)

Micah Roddy, "Great Things" (8:45 Service).    43.  The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”  44.  Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.  45.  Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  46.  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.  “Come and see,” said Philip.   47.  When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48.  “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.  Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”  49.  Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”  50.  Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”  51.  He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on' the Son of Man.”  John 1:43-51 (NIV)

John 1:35-45 John's Disciples Follow Jesus 35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter[a]). Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Pastor Austin continues in Acts with his sermon "Finding Philip". The Bible should be savored together. Don't limit yourself to solo reading because your interpretation will be confined by the limits of your own experience.

John 1:43-47 - The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mildred-kingsley-okonkwo0/message

    Welcome to Redemption Church in Plano, Texas. My name is Chris Fluitt and I am glad to welcome everyone. Thank you for joining us in worship. Nobody Left Out We are in the 2nd week of our sermon series “Nobody Left Out.” We are inviting you to read along in a 4 day devotional with the same title. Last week we met a ‘no-good- thief' named Zacchaeus and discovered how Jesus came to “the spot” and called Zacchaeus by name. Today we are going to talk about Nathanael the ‘know-it-all'. John 1: 35-42(NIV) The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). Invitations These are the early days of Jesus' ministry. Jesus had just been baptized by John the Baptist, and the next day John the Baptist was with 2 of his disciples and seeing Jesus passing by the Baptist said “Look, the lamb of God.” The 2 disciples followed Jesus at the invitation of John the Baptist. Would Jesus allow these 2 disciples to follow? Yes. Jesus doesn't leave anyone out. All are invited. One of the 2 disciples is named Andrew and he tells his brother Simon whom Jesus calls Peter. The other disciple remains unnamed. In my opinion the best guess is that the unnamed disciple is John, the writer of the gospel of John, the epistles 1st 2nd & 3rd John, and the book of Revelation. John 1:43 (NIV) The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Invitations These are such great moments: where someone meets Jesus, and they turn around and invite their friends and family to meet Jesus, also.  Church, this is how it is supposed to work. When you meet Jesus you are supposed to share Jesus. You are not supposed to meet Jesus in secret. All of your friends are supposed to know about your first love. All of your family are supposed to know. We are invited to meet Jesus and we invite others to meet Jesus, as well. There is even something Jesus taught us about called baptism. Someone who has met Jesus is plunged into the water and we invite everyone to come watch us profess our following Jesus. Have you been baptized?  I want you to be baptized and I want you to invite all your family and friends to watch you and see with their own eyes that you belong to Jesus. This story started with Andrew finding Jesus. Andrew tells his bro Simon Peter.Then the story shifts to Jesus walking up to a guy named “Phillip” and says “Follow me.”  Now an excited Phillip finds his friend named Nathanael and tells him - “We have found Him!” 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Phillip does not undersell Jesus. He says that we have found the one we have always sought.  The One we have been looking for… we found the one that Moses told us about. Deuteronomy 18:18 (NIV) I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites,

THE THESIS: The Party's unanimous demand that everything but Putin's invasion of Ukraine be disappeared from focus and concern is allowing Fauci, Collins, Walesnsky, Gates and Big Pharma to hide the record setting, ongoing deaths they have caused. From McConnell and Pelosi, down to local tv news, The Party is ignoring the deaths. God is watching. He will not forget. THE SCRIPTURE & SCRIPTURAL RESOURCES:  Psalm 5 1 Listen to my words, Lord,     consider my lament. 2 Hear my cry for help,     my King and my God,     for to you I pray. 3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;     in the morning I lay my requests before you     and wait expectantly. 4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;     with you, evil people are not welcome. 5 The arrogant cannot stand     in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; 6     you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful     you, Lord, detest. 7 But I, by your great love,     can come into your house; in reverence I bow down     toward your holy temple. 8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness     because of my enemies—     make your way straight before me. 9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;     their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave;     with their tongues they tell lies. 10 Declare them guilty, O God!     Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins,     for they have rebelled against you. 11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;     let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them,     that those who love your name may rejoice in you. 12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;     you surround them with your favor as with a shield. John 1:43-51; Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on 'the Son of Man.” THE NEWS & COMMENT: URGENT PUBLIC NEWS: U.S. Senate expert witness testimony states that there are 410,000 unexplained deaths in Americans. Insurance company data shows 40% increase in deaths of people under 64. This is the greatest killer of mankind. This is the worse coverup in human history. -Steve Kirsch Alcohol-related deaths spiked in 2020 – killing more under-65 Americans than COVID Fauci's COVID-Origins Allies, the EcoHealth Alliance, Boosted Investment Income by 350% Since Pre-Pandemic. Following EcoHealth's “longtime” collaborations with Wuhan, the American nonprofit experienced a sizable surge in its investment income, according to the group's 990 filings and analysis by ProPublica. In the Fiscal Year 2019, which runs until June 30th, EcoHealth reported $81,277 in investment income. The following Fiscal Year, which encompasses the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, EcoHealth Alliance reported $359,381 in investment income. The sizable shift in income amounts to a 342.2 percent increase. In the six preceding years, EcoHealth's investment income never broke $70,000, with the 2020 income representing, on average, a massive 480.9 percent increase. This nearly six-fold increase in investment income followed the years 2011 and 2012, where EcoHealth Alliance's investment income averaged $113,737. Biden admin operated with missing data as CDC issued pandemic guidance, emails show; Dr. Anthony Fauci sent CDC Director Rochelle Walensky an article scientifically tearing down the 6-feet rule, emails show 'It created an environment which led to the biggest assault on freedom of speech and democracy I've known in my lifetime.' Ex-Sky & ITV News Executive Mark Sharman on Ofcom's warning to 'not question the official Government line.' Moderna wants to sell mRNA shots for children that barely lowered Covid infections and caused 15 percent of kids to spike fevers BREAKING: Siding with the Biden administration, the Supreme Court BLOCKS a lower-court ruling that had barred the Pentagon from considering the COVID vaccination status of Navy SEALs in making deployment decisions. Thomas, Alito, & Gorsuch dissent. Next Up: Fake meat using the same scare tactics: Bill Gates: Rich nations should move to '100 percent synthetic beef' "Impossible and Beyond have a road map, a quality road map and a cost road map, that makes them totally competitive," Gates said, referring to popular plant-based meat companies. "As for scale today, they don't represent 1% of the meat in the world, but they're on their way." Gates told Technology Review that he acknowledges the alternative argument that getting rid of cows is viewed as an unpopular approach, but he said that the benefits of plant protein are worth a shift for some countries. "Eventually, that green premium is modest enough that you can sort of change the [behavior of] people or use regulation to totally shift the demand," Gates said. "So for meat in the middle-income-and-above countries, I do think it's possible." Gates also spent $43 million on a Del Mar house his climate lies pretend will be under ocean water by 2050 or so . . .  Bill Gates' Bachelor Beach House is a $43 Million Nightmare for Del Mar See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark 16:15  // He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Why did Access grow? Someone invited you. Invest and Invite. John 1:29 // The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:35-42 // The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. Evangelism: Just means spreading good news. Evangelism: An enthusiastic advocate. Jesus needs to be experienced, not explained. 275,000+ People in 338_ _ 220 - 250 churches @ 200 each is 50,000 in church 19.7% of our city goes to church. Over 200,000 are not going to church in our city. County is 660,000+ 530,000 people in our county do not go to church. Do you care?

John 1:43-51 1. See how special you are to Jesus. "and the next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow Me.” John 1:43 2. Your highest calling in life is to help others experience Jesus. 3. Stop underestimating the power of your invitation. What do I say to someone when they ask a difficult question? Answer: I don't know. Come and see. 4. Come and see what Jesus will do through you. You are ready. 5. Come and see what it is like to know Jesus personally.

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.  Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. (John 1:43-46) In today's passage we see Jesus calling Philip.  Just as Andrew went to find Peter, Philip found Nathanael to invite him to also come and see. The invitation was too good to keep to himself. But Nathanael is unsure. Sarcastic even.  What good could possibly come from Nazareth?  Nazareth was southwest of the Sea of Galilee, a very small community which probably had less than 500 people during Jesus' lifetime.  It was not located near any major city centres and so it was not somewhere that Nathanael thought was of any importance.  Calling someone a “Nazarene” may have been today's equivalent of calling someone a “hillbilly” or some such word.  How then could the Messiah, the Saviour of the world come from such a back water town? How do you perceive Jesus?  As your healer, your Redeemer, your Lord, your Saviour? As your friend?  Or do you feel like He has let you down, that He's distant, that He's difficult to talk to in prayer?  Jesus isn't who we expect Him to be.  We see that again and again in Scripture.  The Pharisees expect Him to be one thing, the disciples another and the crowds yet another.  Yet Jesus never changes.  He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  He remains true to His own nature so we can be assured therefore that we can trust in Him. Philip doesn't argue with Nathanael's skepticism.  He doesn't need to.  He simply invites him along. “Come and see.”  Philip wanted Nathanael to come and experience Jesus for himself.  Philip knows that talking about Jesus is nothing like meeting Him in person.  Philip's invitation also echoes the one that Jesus gave to Andrew and John in verse 39 when Andrew and John asked where He was staying. “Come and see.” It's an invitation to us too.  Jesus promises not to turn away those who earnestly seek Him.  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matt 7:7-8).   It's okay to doubt and it's okay to have questions, but God wants us to bring them to Him in prayer.  Even in our incredulity and doubt we are loved by Him.  We can bring all of our frustrations to Him with confidence because “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).  What a wonderful God we have!

Greetings! Welcome to the show! It's good to have you with us. Our passage today comes from the book of John; chapter 1, verses 43-44. It reads… John 1:43-44 (NIV)— 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. We have been talking in recent weeks about the reality that anytime Jesus has truly touched our life; anytime we have truly experienced who He is and what He has done for us, our immediate response is always to go out and find somebody else that needs His touch on theirlives. And the next disciple Jesus calls also has this same spirit. If you have your Bibles, go ahead and look with me, starting at verse 43… John 1:43a (NIV)— 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Galilee of the Gentiles-- Now Galilee was a highly unusual place for a good Jewish Rabbi to begin His ministry. Because way back in the Old Testament, Israel (if you remember) was carried away into captivity by Assyria. So when the Jews in Galilee were carried away, they were “replaced by a colony of pagan immigrants (2 Ki 15:29; 17:24). That is why it became known as “Galilee of the Nations” or “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Isa 9:1; Mt 4:13, 15–16). Now even though Jews returned to Galilee after the captivity, it still remained predominantly Gentile and therefore was (in the Jewish mind) unclean. And so, because of that pagan influence, you could tell a Galilean by his accent (John 26:73). And this unholy mix “caused the southern Jews of ‘purer' blood and orthodox tradition to despise the Galileans (Jn 1:46; 7:52).” Why Galilee? It Was Dark-- So why would a good Jewish Rabbi, much less the Messiah; the Son of God choose this region as the place to begin His ministry? I read an author some time ago who said that [Galilee's very darkness was the Lord's reason for granting more of the light of his presence and ministry to this region than to self-satisfied and privileged Judea. Christ was sent for “a light for the Gentiles” (Isa 42:6), as well as to the “lost sheep of Israel” (Mt 15:24). {He said} Galilee's very debasement made some of its people feel more acutely their need of the Savior.] Jesus Comes to Those Whose Hearts Ache for Him-- Now you know what that says to me. Jesus comes to those whose hearts are aching for Him. He will not come first to those who feel satisfied. No, He comes to those who (having come to the realization that they are lost without Him) cry out for His touch. And even while that cry is still on our lips, He is already in our midst.Now we don't have Philip's backstory and therefore we don't know why Jesus came to Philip; all we know is that Jesus intentionally goes to Galilee and apparently seeks Philip out. And it says in… John 1:43b (NIV)— Finding Philip, he {(Jesus)} said to him, “Follow me.” He will find you-- And what this shows us is that no matter who we are; where we live; what it is we are going through or what it is we are struggling with; when our hearts cry out for Jesus, He will find us. And He will lift us up. Now it says of Philip… John 1:44 (NIV)— 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. The Disciples from Bethsaida-- And actually Andrew, James the Elder, the Apostle John, Simon Peter, and Philip were all from Bethsaida, though Peter and Andrew had re-located to Capernaum.  In Mark 1:21,29 we find that Andrew lived with his brother Peter and Peter's wife in Peter's house (remember Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law in Mark 1:31; she was staying with them). And this house has been discovered and you can go and see it today. Fishing Villages-- Now both Bethsaida and Capernaum were fishing villages on the northern coast of Galilee. In fact [Bethsaida means “house of fishing”] Sounds like my kind of place. And I have been to the coast of Galilee and witnessed the people there still fishing those same waters. And I got to eat some of that fish in a restaurant there. I prefer my fish headless; this one was not. I don't particularly like food that looks back at me while I am eating it. But nevertheless it was fascinating to me to watch the people there (millennia later) still bringing forth that harvest from the sea in order to sell and trade. And these fishing villages (like Bethsaida and Capernaum [were important places because they resided on the main highway (the Via Maris or Way of the Sea) that brought traffic from the coastal hills of Judea to the northern regions of the country.] And so they did not only sell fresh fish locally, but exported fish as well. In fact, one of Bethsaida's chief exports was dried fresh-water fish. During that time you had only tilapia, sardines, and eel in the Sea of Galilee. And eel was unclean to eat. You will remember that in the feeding of the five thousand (which took place only about 9 miles away from Bethsaida) a small boy approaches with five loaves and two small fish; and those two fish were most likely a couple of these dried sardines; a little protein to go along with his bread. And so we see that many of the disciples have this kind of industry in their background; most likely Philip as well. So this is the kind of place where Philip grew up. Imagine This-- Now imagine this. Jesus walks up to Philip and probably greets him. Philip probably greeted him back and said, “Hello good sir, what's your name and what brings you to Bethsaida.” “My name is Jesus.” “Oh that's right, you're that rabbi from Nazareth. I have heard of you. I am deeply honored to meet you. What can I do for you?” “Come, follow me.” “Come, be my disciple.” Not Random-- Can you imagine? I mean Philip has never even met Jesus. Jesus comes all the way up from Judea, and the scriptures say he finds Philip (which implies that he was looking for him) and says “follow me.” You know, I don't know about you, but it always seemed to me that Jesus' way of choosing disciples was kind of random. I mean, it seemed as though Jesus would just pull random guys from whatever location he happened to be in. But here we see that Jesus is very intentional about the disciples He chooses. Nothing is random. He comes toGalilee; and not only because that is where He is going to start His ministry. No, He goes specifically to Bethsaida to handpick His first disciples. Now we are often tempted to think that our coming to Christ was random. But that is not true. Christ has specifically chosen each one of us for a special plan and purpose. He has handpicked us for a special task. And, I don't know about you, but that is a great comfort to me; to know that my following Christ wasn't a random decision with little to no aim in mind. But Christ sought out each one of us in order to bless us and call us to be His disciples. Phillip's Response-- Now I would have loved to see Philip's reaction to Christ's call. It must have been one of fascination and awe because we have no other explanation than that Philip obeys that call. Apparently his own personal experience of Jesus; his experiencing Jesus for himself was all he needed; and he became immovably convinced that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. And so he begins to follow Jesus. And, as anyone who has encountered Jesus must do, he has to go and tell somebody. And of course he will go to tell Nathaniel, which we will talk about next week. The Living Link— But not long ago I read a historical story shared by Warren Wiersbe. [Britain's King George V was to give the opening address at a special disarmament conference, with the speech relayed by radio to the U.S. As the broadcast was about to begin, a cable {that ran to the generator that powered the whole broadcast} broke in the New York radio station {(somebody having tripped over it)}, and more than a million listeners were left without sound. A junior mechanic in the station, {NY NBC radio engineer} Harold Vivien, solved the problem by picking up both ends of the cable and allowing 250 volts of electricity to pass through him. {And, though his body twitched with spasms, he held on (in pain) for 20 minutes until new wires could be connected.} He was the living link that allowed the king's message to get through.] We Are the Living Links— This morning I want you to imagine yourself as that living link between Jesus and those who need to hear Him; that (like that cable) allows His message to come through and touch their lives. You and I, whether we realize it or not, are often God's means of allowing the very voice of Jesus to be heard. (LONG PAUSE) Yet sometimes the worst thing we can do we end up doing; and that is to remain silent. The Silent Lawyer— Once there was […a court case that was lost because of the silence of an attorney. The distinguished lawyer Samuel Hoar (1778-1856) was representing the defendant. When it was time to present his case, he told the jurors that the facts favoring his client were so evident that he would not insult their intelligence by arguing them. The jury retired to deliberate and returned in a few minutes with a verdict of guilty. Samuel Hoar was astonished! "How," he asked, "could you have reached such a verdict?"  The foreman replied, "We all agreed that if anything could be said for a case, you would say it. But since you didn't present any evidence, we decided to rule against you." Silence had lost the case. How often the opportunity to speak a word of testimony for Christ is lost because we remain silent. Those who need to hear the gospel may conclude that salvation is not important enough to talk about. ] Through Your Life— This is why it is so important for us to speak up; to be that link that connects people with the voice and presence of Jesus. Through your life; through your witness, people come face to face with Jesus. We are all Christians because of the ministry of somebody else. I guarantee it. None of us has come to Christ on our own merit. All of us came because of the ministry of somebody else. And that was because Christ, in and through that person, was seeking to save you and to call you to come follow Him. Now the question is, who is Christ calling you and I to bring to Him? Who is Christ burdening our hearts for? Are we going to allow Christ to use us to bring those people to Him. This week I want to challenge you, find who that person is and begin praying for them. And look for opportunities to share with them the life you have found in Jesus. Amen.

John 1:43-51 (NIV)Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.“Come and see,” said Philip.47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”50 Jesus said, “You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[d] the Son of Man.”Footnotes:John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ?John 1:51 The Greek is plural.John 1:51 The Greek is plural.John 1:51 Gen. 28:12

John 1:43-51 (NIV)Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.“Come and see,” said Philip.47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”50 Jesus said, “You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[d] the Son of Man.”Footnotes:John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ?John 1:51 The Greek is plural.John 1:51 The Greek is plural.John 1:51 Gen. 28:12

John 1:43-51 (NIV)Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.“Come and see,” said Philip.47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”50 Jesus said, “You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[d] the Son of Man.”Footnotes:John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ?John 1:51 The Greek is plural.John 1:51 The Greek is plural.John 1:51 Gen. 28:12

John 1:43-51 (NIV) Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[d] the Son of Man.” Footnotes: John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ? John 1:51 The Greek is plural. John 1:51 The Greek is plural. John 1:51 Gen. 28:12

John 1:43-51 (NIV)Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.“Come and see,” said Philip.47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”50 Jesus said, “You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[d] the Son of Man.”Footnotes:John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ?John 1:51 The Greek is plural.John 1:51 The Greek is plural.John 1:51 Gen. 28:12

John 1:43-51 (NIV)Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.“Come and see,” said Philip.47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”50 Jesus said, “You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[d] the Son of Man.”Footnotes:John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ?John 1:51 The Greek is plural.John 1:51 The Greek is plural.John 1:51 Gen. 28:12

John 1:43-51 (NIV)Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.“Come and see,” said Philip.47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”50 Jesus said, “You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[d] the Son of Man.”Footnotes:John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ?John 1:51 The Greek is plural.John 1:51 The Greek is plural.John 1:51 Gen. 28:12

John 1:43-51 (NIV) Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[d] the Son of Man.” Footnotes: John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ? John 1:51 The Greek is plural. John 1:51 The Greek is plural. John 1:51 Gen. 28:12

John 1:43-51 (NIV) Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[d] the Son of Man.” Footnotes: John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ? John 1:51 The Greek is plural. John 1:51 The Greek is plural. John 1:51 Gen. 28:12

John 1:43-51 New International Version (NIV) Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit." 48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel." 50 Jesus said, "You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that." 51 He then added, "Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see 'heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[d] the Son of Man."

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The Word Became Flesh1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'”)16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders[c] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”He said, “I am not.”“Are you the Prophet?”He answered, “No.”22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.'”[d]24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”26 “I baptize with[e] water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know.27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.John Testifies About Jesus29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God's Chosen One.”[f]John's Disciples Follow Jesus35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas”(which, when translated, is Peter[g]).Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.“Come and see,” said Philip.47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”50 Jesus said, “You believe[h] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[i] you[j] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[k] the Son of Man.”

The Word Became Flesh1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'”)16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders[c] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”He said, “I am not.”“Are you the Prophet?”He answered, “No.”22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.'”[d]24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”26 “I baptize with[e] water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know.27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.John Testifies About Jesus29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God's Chosen One.”[f]John's Disciples Follow Jesus35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas”(which, when translated, is Peter[g]).Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.“Come and see,” said Philip.47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”50 Jesus said, “You believe[h] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[i] you[j] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on'[k] the Son of Man.”