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Today I would like to focus our attention on a character mentioned whose name is Andrew. If I asked you to write down three facts that you know about Andrew, what would you write down? The Bible does give us some facts about him: His name means 'manly' or 'mighty one'. His trade was that of a fisherman. John 1:44 tells us he lived in Bethsaida, the same city as Phillip and Peter. John 1:40 informs us that he was Simon Peter's brother and that his father's name was John. In Mt. 4:18-19 Jesus asked him to abandon his fishing and become 'fishers of men'. In Mt. 6:2 Jesus appointed him as an apostle. In the lists of apostles, his name always appears next to that of Phillips. In Jn. 12 he beseeched Jesus to speak to some Greeks. He was one of the four who asked Jesus questions like, "How can you rebuild the temple in three days" or "When are you coming again?". Acts 1:13 is the last account of Andrew and he is never mentioned in the Bible again. Tradition says he suffered martyrdom in Achaia and was crucified on an X shaped cross. That cross today is referred to as St. Andrew's cross. Today, he is also known as the patron saint of Scotland. But the facts you might have remembered about Andrew are a Bible character, an apostle, one of the disciples, maybe even the brother of Peter. If I went out on the street and took a gallup poll and asked, "What do you know about a Bible character by the name of Andrew? Most would not even know he was a disciple of Christ. Those who are great in God's eyes aren't always considered so great in the eyes of mankind, are they? Isn't it amazing to think of the mass of humanity that have lived and died since Adam and Eve, and that God picked out certain people and recorded their names in the Bible? How many Bible characters can you list? I think I would be hard pressed to name 50. Did you know there are 2,930 characters in the Bible? In fact if I studied one person a day it would take me eight years and 10 days to study them all. But it would be safe to say that out of that list of 2,930 people in the Bible, most of them have gone to eternity forgotten by mankind. But I would like to tell you of a group of people that never forgot who Andrew was. It was those whom Andrew introduced to Jesus Christ.
How many of you can remember the name of the person who introduced you to Jesus? I will always remember the name of the man whom God used to introduce me to Christ some 48 years ago. Not a famous man, not a name that will be remembered by mankind, but a name I shall never forget. Who is it that will never forget the name Andrew? In John 1:40-42 Andrew introduced a relative to Jesus and that relative will never forget the name of Andrew. That verse indicates a priority Andrew developed because of his relationship to Jesus. It was a priority that became a sense of urgency. v.41 says, "He found first his own brother". It was a personal encounter. He personally made contact. No Roman road tract, no understanding of Hermeneutics, no study of Homiletics, no theology proper, no Eschatology, no Ecclesiology, no Soteriology, no Pneumatology, not even any Christology, just - I found Christ, the Messiah. I can still remember the day the phone call I received from my brother a few years before I became a Christian. He simply said to me, Jim, I can't explain it very well to you, I don't know enough to defend it to you, but I want you to know I found Jesus and He has become my Savior. At times just a personal testimony will do. Hey Simon, I found Jesus; let me introduce you to him. I can remember a co-worker who worked with me when I had a brief tenure I had at a Drug and Alcohol Rehab. I was hired to teach seminars on spirituality as part of the 12 step program. He must have spent a considerable amount of time studying Christianity and other religions. He loved to pick an argument with me. One day I simply said to him, Paul, I know you love to argue with me but I want to say this and be done with any more discussions. Here is what I have to say, I found Jesus as my Savior and I no longer need to find the 'right' way. He changed my life and if you ever want to consider how he can change your life, I would be willing to introduce you to him. Do you realize that the one to whom Andrew introduced to Christ became one of the main instruments God used to establish the church? Won't it be glory when we get to heaven and meet those whom we talked to Jesus about? Imagine Peter's delight in seeing the 3,000 souls that came to Christ on Pentecost Day because of a sermon he preached. I think Peter will stop in the middle of the crowd and say, "folks excuse me but I need to introduce to you a man by the name of Andrew who introduced me to Christ. If not for Andrew I never would have preached that sermon on Pentecost Day." How many of you have ever heard of a Sunday school teacher by the name of Ezra Kimball? He brought a man by the name of Moody to Christ. Moody is credited with speaking publically to 100,000,000 people in his lifetime about Christ. Out of that mass of humanity one out of every 10 American Protestant missions was established. We may not know who Kimball was but I bet Moody never forgot who he was. We may never be a Moody or a Billy Sunday, or a Finney or a Billy Graham, but maybe by the grace of God the next person we introduce to Jesus will be. Andrew introduced a relative to Jesus, have you?Secondly, Andrew was introduced by Christ to the possibility of little things. Jn. 6:5-13. One commentator wrote this about this narrative, "Some had their eyes on the lad, some had their eyes on the lunch, Andrew had his eyes on the Lord." Jesus fed thousands with but a little thing, 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. I spent some time recently reading letters old friends had written me as a note of appreciation. As I read them I was amazed how little things can affect people's lives. One wrote how a little note of encouragement changed her day. Another wrote how a gift of $5 gave her hope. Little things. Are you beginning to see the value of little things? It is the little things that can change a person's life. It is the little things that can change destiny. One little vote kept Andrew Jackson from being the first President to be impeached. One little vote plunged our nation into the war of 1812. I was reading the account of the widow’s offering in Luke 21:1-4. Remember the story, she gave all she had. One commentator titled the narrative, "The littlest that became the mightiest." Playing the piano, taking up an offering, reading a responsive reading, collecting or counting money, changing a light bulb, picking up a piece of paper off the floor, attending a meeting, never consider them but little things. I believe too often you and I have thrown away the opportunity to do a little thing, I think that is almost unforgivable. Throwing away opportunities. Opportunities to do some little thing in the name of Christ. Lastly, in John 12:21-22 Andrew pointed people to Christ. These Greeks were simply seekers. No relatives, no friends, no neighbor, just someone seeking Jesus. And Phillip went and got Andrew and Andrew pointed them to Christ. I wonder if I point people to Jesus or point them in the opposite direction by words or deeds. Statistics show that only 5% of those who come to Christ come without a particular person showing them the way. Unfortunately, statistics also show that 95% of all Christians respond the way Phillip did, they went and got someone else to show that person the way. I am wondering, the person who lives with you, the person who works beside you, the person who lives beside you, the person who sits beside you, the person who is but an acquaintance, do you point them to Jesus or away from Him? Andrew, he introduced a relative to Christ. Andrew, he was introduced to the possibility of little things. Andrew, he pointed people to Christ. On a piece of paper I wrote a poem years ago, I wish I could remember the author's name, but it goes like this: "Jesus, and shall it never be, a mortal man ashamed of thee? Ashamed of thee, whom angels praise, whose glories shine through endless days? Ashamed of Jesus! That dear friend, on whom my hopes of heaven depend! No, when I blush, be this my shame, that I not more share his name."
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The Rev. Dr. James Barnes is currently the pastor of White Memorial Church in Milroy.