Day 14, Feb 18th 2024
Text: John 1: 35-42
Introduction- Our focus today is on Andrew, but we will do our best to learn from every character in this text. Andrew was one of the Twelve Disciples of Jesus Christ and the brother of Simon Peter. Andrew was the first apostle called by Jesus and the first to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. And as we have read, he was a disciple of John the Baptist before Jesus’ call. Now, let’s go ahead and highlight today’s life lessons.
Life Lessons:
- Be at the right place at the right time and show consistency. Verse 35 of our text says, “The next day, John was there again with two of his disciples.” The word “again” tells us that John and his disciples are always at the same place at a particular time every day. Jesus came and met them there. Andrew is one of the disciples; he was there when Jesus showed up. The lesson here is that in our daily lives, we must maintain our stand with God and consistently show it everywhere we go, even in our daily places of work or school. That is where we will connect with destiny. Meeting Jesus that day was meeting with destiny for Andrew; it was the best thing that could have happened to him that day. Promotion only comes after we have been consistently hardworking. One can’t be hardworking for one day, be lazy for many days, and be considered for promotion. In place of promotion, I’m sure such a person might be demoted, remain static, or get fired.
- Identify your role in life. Verses 40- 42 says, “40. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.
Andrew Identified his role in meeting Jesus. He was to introduce his brother to Jesus, and he did. He could have told many people about Jesus, but if he had not told Peter, I do not believe he would have entirely performed the task God wanted him to perform. As we all know, Peter was on fire for God. He had a great ministry, which he could perform through the lead he had from his brother to meet with Jesus.
It is easy to miss our target if we are constantly guessing. By being close to God and sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we will discover our mission or role in certain situations.
3. Always share the gospel and good information. Evangelism is the key here. Never keep the gospel to yourself. It is good news that needs to be shared with others. Andrew went with Jesus and found out he was the Messiah, but he did not keep it to himself. Look at the giant that came out of Peter, his brother whom he introduced to Jesus.
There are many ways we can evangelize. We can do it through our behavior; people find out that we do things differently, that we are just extraordinary, and they want to be with us and feel comfortable sharing with us. By sharing their problems with us, we can show them how we handle them, how to pray, offer Bible passages, share tracts, refer them to books that will speak life to them, and invite them to church. When you are with a spirit-filled person, they do not have to tell you they are Christians before you notice because a broken person does things differently.
Life applications
- The power of diligence. In the book of Matt Chap 4:18-20, we find out that Andrew was a fisherman- “18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.”
Before this time, in the book of John 1:28, when John the Baptist was preaching at Bethany beyond the Jordan, Andrew, like many of his countrymen, laid aside his daily work to go to hear the famous preacher. What Andrew saw and heard influenced him greatly. He became a disciple of John (John 1:35, 40). Receiving John’s baptism of repentance, he committed himself to receive the Messiah when He came.
Diligence means careful and persistent work or effort. Andrew knew what he wanted. He was careful about it and was also persistent. That was where his destiny lay anyway, and he diligently followed. In the same way, we all must be careful and persistent in our career choice, about serving God, about wanting to be the best wherever we find ourselves. It pays. Andrew was the first apostle called by Jesus. We could be unique in our way, too. God could attach special blessings to our lives as a reward for our diligence. May the Lord help us to be diligent in His presence.
- The power of endorsement. Let’s go back to our text John 1:36-37
“36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.”
Andrew and the other disciple followed Jesus because John the Baptist recommended Jesus. He showed them who Jesus was. Peter, in turn, followed Jesus because Andrew recommended Him. As Christians, we should be careful of who and what we endorse. We are role models and must lead people in the right direction. In the same way, we should not be silent when we need to speak up. Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish philosopher and writer, penned down a quote, “Silence speaks louder than words.” The quote captures the idea that silence can convey more meaning and impact than words ever could. Assuming Jesus walked by, and John the Baptist did not identify Him. Andrew would eventually find out who Jesus was anyway, and how would he have felt about John the Baptist’s silence about who Jesus was? The same John he respected so much. Sometimes, we want to keep good things to ourselves so that we are unique or possess something special and others will look up to us. Sometimes, we think endorsing someone would bring fame to them, and then we try to pull them down or make them feel like they are a nobody. We try to kill their self-esteem. Jesus would draw a crowd to himself anyway because he was destined to; John the Baptist only tapped into the blessing by showing Him to the world. Our desire should be to help others find Christ and find it easy in life, and by so doing, we are fulfilling our mission as Christians.
- Who is Jesus to You? Verses 38 and 39 of our text say, “38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So, they went and saw where he was staying and spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.”
Immediately Andrew found Jesus, he and the other disciples identified Him as their teacher, and they followed him. In your daily life, do you see Jesus? If you do, who do you identify Him to be? Is He your defender when you think everyone is against you? Is he your peace when you are troubled? Is He your teacher, rock, friend, manager, advisor, etc? Or do you ignore Him all day? Do you look for Him? Do you have a quiet place to talk to Him during the usual hustle and bustle of our daily lives?
Let us give Jesus a place every day as we navigate the oceans of our lives. It is easy to struggle alone and not ask Him for solutions because we are professionals and believe we have the answers, but we do not always. He can make our struggles easier only if we invite Him.
Lesson of the Day
Andrew had his own list of achievements. He was the first apostle to step out in faith and follow Jesus, and he introduced Peter to Him. He preached the gospel along with the other disciples even after Jesus Christ left the world. We can say he earned his name Andrew, which means “manly’ or “courageous.” Let us all be courageous like Andrew and follow Jesus without looking back. The task ahead of us as Christians could look challenging, but by being courageous, we will discover that the Lord has already made it easy. We just need a step of faith to move on.
Complied by: Adeola Oyekola
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