In the parable of the great banquet, Jesus explains how a man invited many guests, but they all made excuses for why they couldn’t attend. "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full” (Luke 14:23).
In the gospel of John, we see one of Jesus’ early encounters with His disciples. “As Jesus walked by, John [the Baptist] looked at Him and declared, ‘Look! There is the Lamb of God!’ When John's two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. Jesus looked around and saw them following. ‘What do you want?’ He asked them. They replied, 'Rabbi, where are You staying?’ ‘Come and see,’ He said. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with Him to the place where He was staying, and they remained with Him the rest of the day” (John 1:36-39).
These are examples of “Come and See” evangelism. It’s Biblical and a valid way that people are introduced to a relationship with Jesus. As important as a personal encounter with Jesus is in the process of salvation, there is also a community aspect that can only be experienced when someone encounters Christ in a community of believers worshiping together and doing life as a spiritual family. Psalm 68:6 declares: “God places the lonely in families; He sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.”
Examples of “Go and Tell” evangelism can also be found in many places. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). And in Mark 16:20: “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”
Jesus sent out His disciples: “And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Matthew 10:7). And in Luke 10:1-3: “After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, ‘The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.’”
Rather than debating about which way is right or better, we need to be obedient and do both. It’s hard to get people to come to a church service, but it’s easy to go to them with the love of Christ. Studies have found that the more times a non-Christian interacts with Christians BEFORE they attend a church event, the more likely they are to respond positively and become a Christ-follower. The point: we must Go and Tell so that some will Come and See.