Andrew And Evangelism Series

The 12 Apostles

Week 1 – Andrew

Dr. Rik B. Wadge, Ph.D.

It’s around 26 or 27AD. Jesus is 30 years old. He’s just about to begin his public ministry. John’s been calling for repentance and then baptizing the people in the Jordan river in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Jesus can now be seen approaching the Jordan, right where John and all the towns people are located... there’s hope in the air. The people can’t help but sense that God’s silence over the past 400 years has finally been interrupted by this wild looking prophet calling for God’s people to publicly repent.

Let’s look at the scene from Luke’s gospel.

Luke 3:15-18

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.

Jesus is then baptized which commemorates the start of his ministry.

Now, what’s important for our study is who these men were that Jesus would place around him, disciple, call into leadership, and live with for the next 3 years (the most important years) of his life.

1.What I want to know as we come through this study is who were they before they met Christ?

2.Who did they become and what did they accomplish after they walked with Christ?

3. And then, how can I take what I learn from these 12 individuals and apply their life lessons directly in my own life?

The Calling of Andrew.

John 1:29-40

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” 35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 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. 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 the tenth hour. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.

The Lists:

No matter who gives the list of the disciples, it’s always 3 groups of 4.

Two ways to look at this group, either from the best known to the least known, or starting with Peter who was at the head of the church, working backward to judas who was at the foot of the church or the bottom of the church.

FIRST GROUP

Simon Peter

Andrew . . . . Peter’s brother.

James and John . . . . Sons of Zebedee, and sons of thunder.

SECOND GROUP

Philip

Bartholomew, or Nathanael

Thomas

Matthew . . . . The publican (so called by himself only).

THIRD GROUP

James (the son) of Alphæus . . . . (James the Less? Mark xv. 40.)

Lebbæus, Thaddæus, Judas of James, . . . . The three-named disciple.

Simon . . . . The Zealot.

Judas, the man of Kerioth . . . . The Traitor

Today we’re going to focus on the first of the 12.... Andrew.

Andrew’s name gives us a little background into who he was before He met Christ.

His name in Greek means: Manly. He’s the man’s man. He came from the Galilee, where he was a fisherman. We also know that He was a follower of John the Baptist.