Monday 22 July 2019

Be An "Andrew". You May Win A "Peter" For Jesus.

In John 1:40-42, we see Andrew bringing his brother, Peter, to Jesus. In Acts 2:37-42, we see Peter bringing three thousand people to Jesus.
When we lead someone to Jesus, we have no idea of what a remarkable future may lie ahead of that person.
Note the immediacy of Andrew's response.
He was a man who had been waiting for the Messiah. He had been waiting with active and living faith. When Jesus appeared, Andrew was ready to become His follower.
Praise God for people like this, people who make an immediate response to Jesus. As soon as they hear the Gospel, they receive its message with joyful faith. It's so important that we bring Christ to such people so that, when they hear the Gospel, they will come, in faith, to the Saviour.
Andrew was a convert of the Lamb of God.
*There is such a difference between the preacher's converts and the Saviour's converts. Sometimes, people say, "Are you trying to convert me?" The answer to this question is, "No. I could never do that." We must never forget that the only real converts are the Lord's converts. Conversion is the Lord's doing. This is why prayer is so important. We must pray that the Lord will open the hearts of men, women and children.
  • Jesus is the Lamb of God. He's more than our Teacher, Example or Friend. We rejoice in the words, "What a Friend we have in Jesus", but we must take care that these words are not sentimentalized and stripped of their Gospel meaning. Jesus is our Friend because He is our Saviour. Behind, Jesus the Teacher and Example, there is Jesus the Saviour. Jesus Christ is the perfect sacrifice for sin. The death of Christ - this is the centre of the Gospel. This is why Paul said, "I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified"(1 Corinthians 2:2) and "God forbid that I should glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14).
    • We have noted the importance of both prayer for the Gospel's advance and preaching the Gospel message. We now note an important way in which the Gospel reaches others: "Come and see" (John 1:39). You can say, "Come and hear." You can "gossip the Gospel."
    • Let's return to our starting-point. Andrew was eclipsed in gifts and position, but this did not make the first disciple (what an honour!) envious. He knew what God had given him to do, and he did it well ("There's a work for Jesus none but you can do. 'Tis a task the Master just for you has planned.").
Witness at home. What a mission-field your home can be! Peter became a greater apostle, but without Andrew's simple testimony, there would have been no Apostle Peter. Who knows what might happen when we speak, simply and truly, for Jesus?

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