One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).
— John 1:40–41
You would think the endorsement of Jesus by John the Baptist would be enough. But not for Andrew. Andrew was the cautious type. He didn't do something just because someone else did it. He had to know for himself.
I can almost see a comical situation when Andrew began following Jesus—literally. Maybe he was following a little too closely. Have you ever had someone walk so closely behind you they were almost breathing down your neck? There was Jesus, walking along with Andrew right behind him, along with another disciple of John's. Finally Jesus stopped, turned, and said to them, "What do you seek?" (John 1:38). Andrew didn't know what to say, so he asked Jesus where He lived. Jesus invited them to come and see.
Andrew went and saw, and from that time on, he never stopped following Jesus. The thing about Andrew is that once he knew something was true, he wanted to tell others. So he went and told his brother, Simon Peter.
We all will meet people like Andrew. You tell them about Jesus, and they will say, "I don't know."
So we will say, "Well, you need to know. You need to decide." But be patient with people. Don't try to rush the conversion process. The Bible says, "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient" (2 Timothy 2:24). Sometimes we want to put the pressure on. We want to get a result. But if a person can be pressured into a decision, they can be pressured out. If they can be argued in, they can be argued out. Let God convert them. Let's just live the life and be the example. They will follow Jesus when it is time for them to follow.
I can almost see a comical situation when Andrew began following Jesus—literally. Maybe he was following a little too closely. Have you ever had someone walk so closely behind you they were almost breathing down your neck? There was Jesus, walking along with Andrew right behind him, along with another disciple of John's. Finally Jesus stopped, turned, and said to them, "What do you seek?" (John 1:38). Andrew didn't know what to say, so he asked Jesus where He lived. Jesus invited them to come and see.
Andrew went and saw, and from that time on, he never stopped following Jesus. The thing about Andrew is that once he knew something was true, he wanted to tell others. So he went and told his brother, Simon Peter.
We all will meet people like Andrew. You tell them about Jesus, and they will say, "I don't know."
So we will say, "Well, you need to know. You need to decide." But be patient with people. Don't try to rush the conversion process. The Bible says, "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient" (2 Timothy 2:24). Sometimes we want to put the pressure on. We want to get a result. But if a person can be pressured into a decision, they can be pressured out. If they can be argued in, they can be argued out. Let God convert them. Let's just live the life and be the example. They will follow Jesus when it is time for them to follow.
No comments:
Post a Comment