Constant Coulibaly

In the gospel of John is found a story not mentioned in any other gospel of a person being brought to Jesus by another individual. The person brought to Jesus is Simon, and the one doing the bringing is his brother Andrew. Andrew was one of the disciples of John the Baptist, like others who later became followers of Jesus. Yet, upon learning from John about the sacrificial role of Christ in atoning for the sins of men, Andrew went with another unnamed disciple of John to be with Jesus.

It is possible that these two disciples sought to hear from Jesus Himself what they had heard John call Him, that is, "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29; 36) Andrew’s encounter with Jesus led him to believe in the personal Messiah, meaning the Messiah had come in the flesh, as the writer of this gospel (John) states in John 1:14. John further says that he himself was among those who "beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Messiah is the Hebrew term for Christ in Greek, and Christ means Saviour or Anointed One.

Andrew became convinced that the man Jesus, born in Bethlehem in the southern part of Judea and raised in Nazareth in the north, was indeed the Saviour that God had promised to send to save man from sin (Gen. 3:15; 1-3). God later outlined His plan of salvation to Abraham and repeated it to Abraham's son Isaac and grandson Jacob (Genesis 26:2-4;28:13-14).

For Andrew, it must have been moving to see in person the Saviour whom the Jewish people and their ancestors had longed to see. This Saviour, whose coming the prophets had foretold for hundreds of years, had finally arrived, exactly when God had planned for it to happen (Galatians 4:4). After being first announced some two thousands years ago, He had now come into the world in the 1st century, fulfilling God's promise.

The first thing Andrew did after meeting the Saviour was to look for his brother Simon and tell him about the Saviour, saying, "We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ." (John 1:42) The gospel writer then goes on to say that Andrew "brought him to Jesus."

Andrew is presented to us as an example of a personal evangelist. Jesus wants all His disciples today to be like Andrew and to be focused on leading others to Him. Remember, the Lord has commanded us individually to make disciples. He said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

What does it mean for us modern-day Christians to bring someone to Jesus? It means sharing the good news of the gospel with those around us. There are several ways to do this. The simplest one, in my view, is to extend an invitation for them to attend our church services. You could also hand out tracts, host a home Bible study with a neighbour or meet them at a café. Many Christians feel apprehensive about how to start talking to people about Jesus. It's understandable. But you could begin with a conversation about the chaos in the world and people's need for peace, hope, and the courage to persevere in the face of their daily struggles. This can provide an open door to discuss the gospel. When we feel nervous about personal evangelism, we need to remember that Jesus promised, "I am with you always." The Lord’s constant presence with us should give us confidence when we share His word with others.

Now, we may be zealous in reaching strangers with the gospel, which is commendable, but we must not neglect the need for our circle of friends and family to know Christ. I am aware that teaching the Bible to those closest to us can be challenging, but we can approach this task prayerfully and do our best.

Jesus set an example by preaching to both gentiles, as seen in His dealings with the Roman centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13), and to his own Jewish people. In fact, He preached to the Jews first, and so did the apostle Paul. Wherever Paul was travelling and preaching in gentile countries, he first went to the synagogue to proclaim the gospel.

Does it not strike you that the man Andrew led to Christ, Simon Peter, became a leading figure among the apostles? The Bible says that Simon Peter was a pillar in the church at Jerusalem, alongside James (Galatians 2:8). It is possible that Peter may never have attained such a prominent spiritual stature had his brother Andrew not brought him to Jesus. We may never know the impact of the good we do in leading people to Christ. And Andrew can in this case be credited with the fruits of Peter's remarkable apostolic work.