Introduce them to Jesus

The other day, as I was re-reading the first chapter of John's Gospel, I was reminded of a message given by one of the pastors at our church. Think about what comes to your mind when you hear the following names: John, Peter, Paul, Moses, Abraham, Andrew. Many might nod their heads until they get to 'Andrew.' Who was that guy anyway?

Your memory might be helped by my John 1 reference. In John 1:35-42, we read about Jesus' calling of the first disciples. We hear that two disciples of John were standing with him when they saw Jesus and He invited them to follow Him. One of these two disciples was Andrew. What did Andrew do after meeting Jesus and spending a little time with Him? Verses 41-42 tell us: "He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah'...He brought him to Jesus."

What immediately happens once Andrew brings his brother, Simon, to Jesus? The focus shifts to Simon! "Jesus looked at [Simon] and said, 'So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas' (which means Peter)" (John 1:42). From what we read in the rest of the New Testament, we know that Peter is a very dynamic, up-front sort of guy. We can imagine the way his personality caused him to overshadow his brother, Andrew. Still, Andrew did not hesitate. He brought his brother to Jesus, perhaps giving up influence and notice for himself. Andrew's love for his brother and his desire to honor the Lord resulted in a leader like Peter, who was used by God to bring thousands to faith (see Acts 2:41)!

There is another setting in John's Gospel where Andrew plays a significant part in another opportunity to highlight and emphasize the power of God through Jesus. Remember the story of Jesus feeding the multitude? He took a small boy's lunch of 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread and distributed it to 5000 men plus women and children. In the face of all those mouths to feed, who brought the boy to Jesus? Andrew was the one (John 6:8-9).

What about us? Whatever gifts, skills, and abilities God has given. Whatever God's call on our lives. Are we willing to be like Andrew? Are we willing to operate in the background, giving our lives to the simple, yet powerful, process of introducing people to Jesus? Whether or not God calls any of us to be great and powerful leaders for His glory, I pray that we will all realize that the real power in the Gospel only happens when people get introduced to Jesus.