FOLLOWING ANDREW'S EXAMPLE
The writers of the Gospels do not mention Andrew with the frequency they mention the other disciples, like Peter, John, and Thomas, but Andrew was the first of the twelve men Jesus selected to accompany him during his ministry on earth. Andrew accompanied Jesus when he was preaching the Good News in different towns for about three and half years. Andrew was the son of Jonah and the brother of Simon (Peter). He was from Bethsaida, a town in the region of Galilee. (John 1:44) Before Andrew became a disciple and apostle of Jesus, he was one of the disciples of John the Baptist, but then he heard John saying: “This is the Lamb of God”. John was talking about Jesus. Andrew accepted the invitation and decided to follow Jesus. (John 1:35-42) He was the first person Jesus called to be his disciple, when he was repairing the nets to go to fish. Years later, Andrew became one of most prominent leaders of the church in Jerusalem. I believe that as soon as Andrew heard the call directly from Jesus, his life was filled with joy, peace, hope and love. (Matt. 4:18) Immediately, after his encounter with Jesus, Andrew invited his brother Simon to meet the man who changed his life. Andrew wanted his brother Simon, (Peter) and other people to have a similar experience as he had with Jesus. This is a great example that we should observe and follow. Like Andrew, we also should introduce other people to Jesus. Simon, Andrew's brother, had the freedom to reject or to accept the invitation from his brother to meet Jesus, but he accepted the invitation and had the same experience his brother had.
One of the most important missions of Andrew was to introduce other people to Jesus. He started with his own family. Sometimes we present the gospel of Christ to many people, but we neglect to introduce our own family to Jesus. This is something we should imitate from this disciple; he started his ministry bringing his brother Peter to Christ. We have the responsibility to share the Good News of Christ with other people, but we should start from our family members and friends. On one occasion, Andrew introduced a boy to Jesus. (John 6:9) There was a need to feed a large multitude who was following Jesus, but people were hungry and had no food for them. While the other disciples were wondering how to find enough food to feed the multitude, Andrew learned that a boy who was among then had two small fish and five loaves of bread. Immediately, Andrew brought the boy to Jesus. This attitude of Andrew to bring people to Jesus caused a great miracle to happen. After Jesus multiplied the food, thousands of people were fed. The same thing may happen if we follow the example of Andrew; the pews in our churches will not be enough to accommodate all the people who will come to church. Our call is not to build large buildings, but to do our best to connect people with Jesus. When we bring people to Jesus, miracles can occur. The greatest miracle for any person who is brought to Jesus is that he or she will be forgiven and will receive the gift of eternal life.
At the end of his life, Andrew was sacrificed in the year 60 AD during the persecution of Nero, the Roman Emperor. Andrew offered his life for Jesus and became a martyr, offering his life for the cause of the Gospel of Jesus, but he left us a great example we should follow. Let us imitate this great disciple, by connecting as many people as we can with Christ. This is our main mission as followers of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
Pastor Pablo
The writers of the Gospels do not mention Andrew with the frequency they mention the other disciples, like Peter, John, and Thomas, but Andrew was the first of the twelve men Jesus selected to accompany him during his ministry on earth. Andrew accompanied Jesus when he was preaching the Good News in different towns for about three and half years. Andrew was the son of Jonah and the brother of Simon (Peter). He was from Bethsaida, a town in the region of Galilee. (John 1:44) Before Andrew became a disciple and apostle of Jesus, he was one of the disciples of John the Baptist, but then he heard John saying: “This is the Lamb of God”. John was talking about Jesus. Andrew accepted the invitation and decided to follow Jesus. (John 1:35-42) He was the first person Jesus called to be his disciple, when he was repairing the nets to go to fish. Years later, Andrew became one of most prominent leaders of the church in Jerusalem. I believe that as soon as Andrew heard the call directly from Jesus, his life was filled with joy, peace, hope and love. (Matt. 4:18) Immediately, after his encounter with Jesus, Andrew invited his brother Simon to meet the man who changed his life. Andrew wanted his brother Simon, (Peter) and other people to have a similar experience as he had with Jesus. This is a great example that we should observe and follow. Like Andrew, we also should introduce other people to Jesus. Simon, Andrew's brother, had the freedom to reject or to accept the invitation from his brother to meet Jesus, but he accepted the invitation and had the same experience his brother had.
One of the most important missions of Andrew was to introduce other people to Jesus. He started with his own family. Sometimes we present the gospel of Christ to many people, but we neglect to introduce our own family to Jesus. This is something we should imitate from this disciple; he started his ministry bringing his brother Peter to Christ. We have the responsibility to share the Good News of Christ with other people, but we should start from our family members and friends. On one occasion, Andrew introduced a boy to Jesus. (John 6:9) There was a need to feed a large multitude who was following Jesus, but people were hungry and had no food for them. While the other disciples were wondering how to find enough food to feed the multitude, Andrew learned that a boy who was among then had two small fish and five loaves of bread. Immediately, Andrew brought the boy to Jesus. This attitude of Andrew to bring people to Jesus caused a great miracle to happen. After Jesus multiplied the food, thousands of people were fed. The same thing may happen if we follow the example of Andrew; the pews in our churches will not be enough to accommodate all the people who will come to church. Our call is not to build large buildings, but to do our best to connect people with Jesus. When we bring people to Jesus, miracles can occur. The greatest miracle for any person who is brought to Jesus is that he or she will be forgiven and will receive the gift of eternal life.
At the end of his life, Andrew was sacrificed in the year 60 AD during the persecution of Nero, the Roman Emperor. Andrew offered his life for Jesus and became a martyr, offering his life for the cause of the Gospel of Jesus, but he left us a great example we should follow. Let us imitate this great disciple, by connecting as many people as we can with Christ. This is our main mission as followers of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
Pastor Pablo