His name was "Andrehas" in the Greek. It means "manly". When we first see him in the New Testament he is being called by Jesus in Matthew 4:18. In Matthew 10:2 he is listed as one of the twelve. However, it is in John's gospel record that we see "Andrehas" usefulness and he provides an example to us. It's in the gospel of John that we learn more about Andrew.
First, in John 1:40-42, "one of the two who heard Jesus speak and followed Him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He (Andrew) first found his own brother, Simon, and said to him, 'we have found the Messiah'...he (Andrew) brought him (Simon) to Jesus."
WOW! Praise the Lord. Here is an individual who sees, hears and experiences the Messiah who is not just content to have the touch of the Master on his own life but wants to share it with others. He immediately thinks of his brother, Simon, and wants to tell him the good news. Andrew goes out of his way to find and invite his brother, Simon, to come and see for himself what Andrew found, the Messiah. Can we learn anything from this event? I hope so.
Secondly, we find Andrew again in John 6:1-9. Here we see a great gathering of 5000 men not counting the women and children present to hear the words of Jesus. They become concerned because the people look weak in need of food. But, as they talk amongst themselves, they realize just how much food would be needed to feed such a crowd. Guess who steps up? Yep, here he is again. "One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother said to Him, 'there is a lad here...' Andrew, again, is bringing another one to Jesus. A small boy this time.
The third time we Andrew in John is chapter 12 verses 20 thru 33. A group of foreigners who were preparing for worship sought to see Jesus. Who steps up? You guessed it. It is Andrew, AGAIN. Along with Philip, Andrew is mentioned as one who leads these foreigners to the Master.
In these three examples Andrew is shown as the one who is concerned about OTHERS. He is concerned about his relatives, little children and even foreigners. We can learn valuable lessons from "Andrehas", the manly one.
Look around. There are folks in your sphere of influence who are searching, longing, maybe even hurting who are looking for "the promised one". The one who can bring hope, healing and strength. The ONLY one who can bring SALVATION.
May I encourage you to take up the cause of Jesus Christ, just like Andrew. Let's take the message of love, hope and salvation to the world. Allow it to begin TODAY and let it begin with US.
I am praying for you and your family,
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