In this series we’re looking at the lives of the disciples Jesus called into his team of 12. Andrew became the first known disciple of Jesus and his story begins in John 1:35-42.
In many ways Andrew is a great example of what it means to be a disciple and a leader. Although he was one of the first to be chosen by Jesus, very little is said about what he did. But what we do know is that he had a profound effect on a lot of people. He was an unschooled, ordinary Jewish man, a fisherman by trade like his brother Simon. He lived under Roman occupation and will have experienced all the pressures that brought on the nation of Israel.
Like many in his generation, Andrew looked forward to a time spoken of by Old Testament prophets (Isaiah 9, Micah 5:2, Daniel 9 and Zecheriah 9:12) when a saviour king would rescue the nation of Israel from oppression and bring in an everlasting Kingdom. So when John the Baptist appeared in the desert calling people to repentance in preparation for the Messiah who was soon to come, Andrew became one of his disciples. He understood that John the Baptist wasn’t the one he would ultimately be following, but he knew that John could point him in the right direction.
Andrew knew his life had a greater purpose than catching fish to provide for his family. So in spite of all the inconveniences being a disciple of John would bring, he was willing to pay the price because John would help him to find that purpose.
1. Andrew became a convinced follower of Jesus (Proverbs 13:20; John 1:37-39; John 14:6; Matthew 7:7)
2. Andrew introduced people to Jesus (John 1:41-42, John 12:20-22)
3. Andrew saw a great miracle through his testimony (John 6:5-11)
Apply
1. Andrew became a convinced follower of Jesus. We are encouraged to ‘Walk with the wise and become wise…’ (Proverbs 13:20). Andrew understood and applied this principle and so should we. Andrew had learned a lot from John the Baptist and had been faithfully following and serving John, but then he realised John was pointing to One greater than himself. Andrew came to see that Jesus was the Messiah, the one he had been looking for. When John said ‘look, the lamb of God!’, Andrew knew the next stage of his journey to find the Messiah had begun. He and his fellow disciple started following Jesus (John 1:37). They weren't being rude or dismissive of John; following Jesus was the logical next step. They had heard much about the Messiah from John but wanted to check Him out for themselves (John 1:38-39). To become a convinced follower of Jesus, you need to know Jesus is real: that He really lived, He really died, and really rose again from the dead. The more you find out about Jesus, the more you will see He really is who he said He is (John 14:6). That very afternoon in the home of Jesus, Andrew became convinced this is the one they were looking for, this is the Messiah! Just like Andrew, you too have the potential to be convinced about Christ (see CS Lewis, JR Tolkien, Lee Strobel). Strobel, an atheist journalist, came to his own conclusion based on the evidence he found that Jesus is in fact real. So many people have gone on a journey, and as you go and find out more about Jesus, you will not be disappointed (Matthew 7:7). At Andrew’s first encounter with Jesus, Jesus lit a fire in his heart that was contagious. You and I can have as much of Jesus as we want! We decide if we will just do a tick box devotional time squeezed in around other priorities, or if we will leave that well-worn path of ‘business as usual’ and pursue a daily encounter with Jesus that will bless His heart and enlarge ours. You can make that choice from today and every day. The great revival preacher John Wesley was asked, “What is your secret? Why do so many people come to hear you preach?” Wesley answered “I get alone with God in prayer. He sets me on fire. The people come out to watch me burn.” As a result of this meeting with Jesus, Andrew went on to become a pioneer in personal evangelism by following the example that had been set by John the Baptist, and by Jesus, who had invited Him to His home to see how He lived.
2. Andrew introduced people to Jesus. Andrew’s meeting with Jesus that day changed him forever. He had great news to tell. And that is the responsibility of every Christian, not to just keep what we have, but to share the good news, to impart, introduce others. And who do we introduce? Well the first person Andrew introduced was one of his closest family members, his brother Simon (John 1:41-42). As Andrew spoke of his life changing encounter with Jesus the Messiah, his testimony motivated Simon to go with him to meet Jesus. Simon Peter would later become a hugely influential leader in the church after Jesus had ascended back to heaven. But it doesn’t stop there; we share the good news around with all our family; with brothers, with sisters, with fathers and mothers, this is where a whole family can be transformed when you share your story with them. Also you can share the gospel with your closest friends, that is always how Christianity spreads. We must all learn how to be like Andrew, introducing people to Jesus in person. Leading them to repentance, helping them to join the family of God. If you are thinking of opening up your home to lead or host a Life Group, just think about the chain of events that took place beginning with Andrew’s decision to be a disciple:
- Andrew was introduced to Jesus by John the Baptist
- Andrew introduced his brother Simon to Jesus
- Jesus gave Simon a new life, a new name (Peter) and a new purpose
- Peter became the dominant leader in Jesus’ team of 12
- 3000 men responded to the preaching of Peter by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost!
And Andrew didn’t stop there! He became recognised as one who could bring people to Jesus from other cultures (John 12:20-22). Philip knew Andrew was the best person to introduce people to Jesus, so he brought them to him. As a Christian, are you trustworthy with new people who are looking for Jesus? Are you committed to bring them to Him, and not just to events? Will you help to bring them into the family of God by bringing them to an open Life Group or start one yourself? Andrew was really good at this. He would minister to the few. He saw how small things can have a huge impact.
3. Andrew saw a great miracle through his testimony. Andrew learned how to depend on God, to use every available resource to the glory of God. When Jesus gave His disciples an opportunity to solve a big problem, it was Andrew who responded with faith (John 6:5-11). Andrew learned that normal rules of logic do not apply when you have Jesus on your side. He had his doubts, but Andrew recognised the potential in the small boy and his lunch to be the seed for a great miracle, so Andrew spoke up in faith and brought them to Jesus. That day over 5000 people were fed from the 5 loaves and 2 fish Andrew had placed at the disposal of Jesus in expectation of a miracle. When we do what we can to share, and when we see the potential in people and situations, God can work miracles. When we bring what we have to Jesus, however little it may be, miracles can happen. Today miracles can happen in your life. What do you have? Do you say ‘I don’t have much in the way of money or education’? When you give you what you have fully to Jesus, He can work miracles. And so it goes on and on just like Andrew influenced this situation so the multitudes had their fill. Because of this Andrew was a key figure. We often think of Peter, his more famous brother but he was absolutely pivotal. The formation of the 12 starts with Andrew, his influence had great effect. What started in Andrew can start in your life today, what can be done through you if you just have faith and say I need to know Jesus, I need an encounter with him, God help me to share my faith in a convincing way in a real in a genuine way with my friends and family and then I can look at every opportunity. There may be hunger, there may be problems, there may be needs bigger than we can handle, but if we can just bring people to Jesus, and put them in his hands, he can work miracles. ‘I am Andrew’, ‘You are Andrew’, that is what Billy Graham and his son Franklin Graham used for many years as their motto ‘be an Andrew, be an Andrew’ and bring people to Jesus. Let’s make that decision today.
