Not much is known about the Apostle Andrew. He is best known for being the brother of the Apostle Peter. Both were fishermen from the town of Capernaum (Mk 1:29), and labored in their trade together on the Sea of Galilee (Jn 1:44). Although Andrew is not prominent in the gospel accounts, those times when he is mentioned provide us with an excellent example to follow.
A disciple of John the Baptist, Andrew was obviously devout in his faith and interested in the promised coming Messiah. When John identified Jesus as “The Lamb of God!,” Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus, came to where He was staying, and remained with Him the whole day (Jn 1:35-40). The next thing we read concerning Andrew is this: “He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Christ). And he brought him to Jesus” (Jn 1:41-42).
Later on, Andrew brought a boy with two fish and five barley loaves to Jesus. The Lord was then able to multiply these to feed more than 5,000 people (Jn 6:8-13). The next time we see Andrew, he is accompanied by Philip, bringing some Greeks to Jesus who wanted to meet Him (Jn 12:20-22). Are we seeing a pattern here? Time and time again, Andrew brought people to Jesus!
This is something that all of us can do. We can invite others into our homes and to the services of the church. We can tell our story and share with them what Jesus has done for us (Philemon 6). If we aren’t able to conduct a Bible study, we can introduce them to someone who can. The Apostle Andrew obviously made Jesus the most important thing in his life, and we should too (Mt 6:33; Mk 12:30). We are to love Him with all our hearts and put Him first in all things (1 Jn 4:19; 2 Cor 5:15). And it’s this love for Jesus and what He has done for us that should motivate us to reach out and share the gospel with those still lost (Mk 12:31; 2 Cor 5:14, 21; Rom 5:6-11).
May God help us to do just that in the days ahead! And with God’s help, and by His strength, may we (like Andrew), become known for bringing people to Jesus!
Terry Schmidt
07-09-17
