Good morning and welcome to our daily walk!
Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/377rhl
He is one of the most bypassed characters in the Bible, only being mentioned twelve times in the in the New Testament. He’s the brother of one of the greatest men to have ever lived and yet, few know who he is. He was originally from Bethsaida (John 1:44). He was the first of all the disciples to be called (John 1:35-40) although many other disciples overshadow him. His name is Andrew.
We are first introduced to Andrew when he decided to followed after Jesus. After having spent the day with Jesus, John records, “One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, we have found the Messiah (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus (John 1:40-42). This began what became a habit for Andrew. For in the few times we read of him, he is usually leading someone to Christ.
Although, living his life in the shadow of his brother, Andrew became a great servant for God. The first thing he did after having discovered the Messiah was to go and get his brother and bring him to Christ. In John 6 it was Andrew who brought the young boy with five loaves and two fish to Jesus when no one else knew what to do. He said, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish” (John 6:9). In John 12 we read about some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus. They came to Philip about their request and Philip turned and went to Andrew. It was both Andrew and Philip who told Jesus about the incident with the Greeks (John 12:20-22). In all three instances we see Andrew leading people to Jesus.
Although very little is known about him, one thing is evident. Andrew spent his life bringing people to Jesus. It did not matter whether he knew the person or not. He made it a point to lead people to Jesus. He did not let fear of rejection, time, distance, race, culture, or age stop him. He knew Jesus was able to take care of all their needs so he led people to Christ.
As people of God we are called to be servants. As servants it is our responsibility to lead others to Christ. Jesus said, “Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Matt. 28:19-20). This command given to the disciples is a command that we have today. The “Go Ye” means, “Go Me”. It is me who is to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. You may be thinking, “I can’t go into the entire world, into places that are in another country and overseas, I just can’t do it.” The truth is, you don’t have to leave the country to make disciples of the Lord. All God expects from you is that you go and try to convert those who are lost. Whether they are in Africa, Asia, another state, or across the street does not matter. God just wants you to go and try to reach the lost with the gospel message.
Andrew was a great servant in the Lord’s kingdom. Although only mentioned a handful of times in the New Testament, the times he is mentioned we see him leading others to Jesus. Andrew may have not realized the example he was setting for us today. After all, his brother was the more popular and outspoken one. Yet, the example that we see from his life is one that we all need to implement into our own lives. When we see people who are lost and dying in sin, we need to reach out to them and bring them to the only one who can cure their sins, Jesus Christ.
Thought for the day: “The gospel is like a lion. It doesn't need to be protected, it needs to be turned loose.” - Anonymous
May God bless you in your daily walk!
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