His led a simple, anonymous life, teaching God’s Word to his Sunday school students in his little corner of the world, Detroit, Michigan. In 1854, he would visit a shoe store and witness to an employee, a seventeen-year old boy with little interest in God. That young employee was D.L. Moody, who would go on to become one of the greatest evangelists the world would know. Through Moody’s ministry, Pastor F.B. Meyer would be challenged and recharged, later touring America and impacting the life of William Chapman. Chapman would be used as a powerful traveling preacher, recruiting a converted baseball player, Billy Sunday, to join his team. One of Sunday’s preaching campaigns in Charlotte, North Carolina, would lead to a city-wide revival led by Mordecai Ham. At Ham’s revival, a young, high school student would surrender his life to Christ. That young man was Billy Graham!
Is it not amazing the domino effect of one, solitary life! When we think of the disciples of Christ, the name Peter generally comes to mind. In his shadow would be Andrew, his brother. Andrew was a bit of an anonymous man, rarely mentioned in Scripture, but when he is, he is generally bringing someone to Christ. When this lowly fisherman was impacted by the Son of God, he first “findeth his own brother Simon,” or Peter, and “he brought him to Jesus.” It would be Peter who would walk on water, preach at Pentecost, become a bold witness for Christ, and be used of the Spirit to pen a portion of Scripture. But it was Andrew that opened his window of salvation.
Andrew would later bring a young lad to Christ, a lad with “five barley loaves, and two small fishes,” and would change that young boy’s view of Jesus forever. And through the sensitivity of Andrew, along with Philip, “certain Greeks among them” would be brought under the teaching of the Master. Only eternity will reveal the impact that Andrew had on those unknown men. Andrew would evangelize Asia Minor and Greece and eventually be martyred during the bloody reign of Nero. He would be crucified on a saltire, a cross with diagonal bars of equal length used by the Romans in Greece to carry out death sentences. When the Scottish national flag was first hoisted in 1512, it would bear a white diagonal cross, in honor of this disciple in the shadows, Andrew.
Andrew, his name interpreted manly, warrior, valor, was a hero for Christ. He led a simple, unobtrusive life, a quiet warrior for the cause of Christ. Whose life can YOU impact today.
John 2:41 And first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
Lord, help me to be an Andrew, always bringing others to You.