Soul Winners in the New Testament
(Study No. 2) Andrew the Apostle
One of the most moving passages in the Bible is Luke 16:19-31, where Jesus tells us of the rich man who died and was buried, "and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments." If we believe the Bible, we must take this account at face value. Jesus gives the name of Lazarus, who lay at the rich man's gate full of sores. Lazarus may have been a real person, and the story maybe not fiction. The rich man too may have been a real person. Doubtless, Jesus would have given his name, too, but for the loved ones or friends of the rich man who would be grieved or embarrassed. This account is a story of what happened to two men, one who went to Heaven and the other who went to Hell.
It is foolish not to face the fact of death and the eternal certainties that are beyond death for the saved and the lost. Preachers seldom preach about a Paradise where the saved are comforted and consciously happy, and about a Hell where the unrepentant are "tormented in this flame," as the rich man said that he was.
Those of us who know the bible must believe in a literal Hell of eternal, conscious torment for those who do not repent of their sins and seek salvation. No argument against a literal and eternal Hell of torment can weigh against the plain statement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who do not believe what Christ said should certainly not call themselves Christians nor pretend to believe the Bible. And those who would win souls must carry in the background of their minds this fundamental fact: men without Christ are lost, Hell-deserving and Hell-bound.
We are all interested in the unseen world. Our interest in those we love does not cease when they die. We know from the Bible that the soul does not cease to exist at death. There is life beyond death. Only the hardened, perverted, embittered and wicked cynic denies the eternal existence of the soul...
The saved in Heaven are deeply concerned about the race we run here on earth. The rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents (Luke 15:7, 10) is shared by the saints of Glory. Heaven is concerned about soul winning.
The rich man in Hell died as he had lived, an unrepentant sinner. He did not love God when he lived, and he did not love God after he died. People do not repent in Hell. People cannot repent in Hell. As the tree when cut falls in the direction it leans, so men in Hell are still the same kind of men that they were when they lived. God's mercy is withdrawn, and Holy Spirit’s influences is absent, and the wicked, rebellious, sin-loving, Christ-rejecting soul of the sinner is still the same.
When he lived the rich man loved his five brothers. When he died he still loved his five brothers. Now that he is in Hell, he does not want them to "come into this place of torment." He knows that unless they repent they must come to the same torment and doom which had fallen upon him. It appears that men see clearer in Hell than they do on earth. When the rich man lived, be did not expect to go to Hell when he died; he did not see his own danger. But now that he is in Hell, he knows why he is there, and he is desperately afraid for his unsaved brothers who are not concerned about themselves!
Even his own torment could not drown the cries of his scourging conscience. He felt accountable for his brothers and begged that they might be saved. We suppose that in Heaven there are two concerns: first, the unceasing joy and glory of a blessed salvation in the presence of Christ and the Father; and second, an interest in the salvation of men on this earth.
So in Hell, we suppose there are also two concerns:
First, the awful realization and torments of the wages of sin; he was concerned to know if there was some way to alleviate the awful torment brought on by his sin. and
Second, a concern about those left behind on this earth. It becomes clear that in this account in Luke 16:19-31, that soul winning is a principal concern of those in Heaven and also of those in Hell!
I am assuming that the rich man was an older brother. He died first. This rich man had had his own mansion, his own wealth, and the beggar "was laid at his gate." But the five brothers are back at their father's home, and from Hell the rich man cried for Lazarus to be sent to "my father's house; for I have five brethren." This man in Hell faces the tormenting realization; that the brothers, like himself, will die in their sin, and spend eternity in Hell.
Now coming to our study series.
The apostle Andrew is mentioned in the Bible only a few times but those occasions grant the reader a strong glimpse into his heart. It is obvious that Andrew described in the Gospels as a disciple of John the Baptist, had a spiritually sensitive heart.
John the Baptist does not cry out “behold the Temple” or “behold the synagogue” nor did he cry out “behold the high priest”. But he did declare to his disciples and others, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World” (John 1:36). ?What John knew concerning Jesus, he shared with those around him. John the Baptist’s? declaration of the Gospel began immediately with those under his influence – his disciples.
Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist before he was a disciple of Jesus. We read of an encounter between Andrew, John and Jesus in John 1:40-42 “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.”
Andrew’s first response to John’s declaration was to “follow Jesus” (John 1:37) and inquire of him. Having encountered Jesus and beginning to believe He may be the long awaited Jewish Messiah, Andrew went “to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’” (John 1:41). which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus" (John 1:41,42).
Old stubborn-hearted, loud-mouthed, blustering Simon Peter must have been a pretty hard man to influence. He wanted to lead, not to be led. This old fisherman had his own opinions and was quick to express them. I have an idea that he was older than Andrew, though the Bible does not say so. Certainly he had the stronger character of the two. But when Andrew came, the first thing after he was saved, and said, "We have found the Messiah," he brought Simon Peter to Jesus right away!
This gives us the first glimpse of Andrew’s style of evangelism. Some men are mass evangelists – John the Baptist, The Apostle Peter, Billy Graham. On the other hand Andrew was a relational evangelist.
Andrew heard the good news — “Behold, the Lamb of God” — and he soon heralded the news to those within his circle of influence beginning with his more familiar brother, Simon Peter. The Bible says Andrew “brought him (Peter) to Jesus” (John 1:42)
Andrew also was sensitive to the working of The Holy Spirit around him even at the busiest times. Once during the feast of Passover some Greeks approached Philip and said, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus” (John 12:21). Philip, uncertain of what to do, went and told Andrew. Andrew knew exactly what to do – he, along with Philip, took them to Jesus.
There are different accounts of exactly how Andrew came to be the first disciple. The Gospel of Matthew shows (Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20 Luke 5: 1-11 and John 1:35-51) that Jesus was walking along the shore and saw Simon and Andrew fishing. He then called them and promised to make them fishers of men. The Gospel of Mark tells a similar story, while the Gospel of Luke only mentions Simon and not Andrew (at least not directly).
John gives us a different tale. In his Gospel, Andrew and Simon are already disciples of John the Baptist. John the Baptist recognizes Jesus as the Messiah and tells his followers to become disciples of Jesus instead. Andrew does and later brings his younger brother to Christ as well.
Biblical scholars disagree on exactly how to reconcile these stories. Some say that it's a matter of chronology (one event happened before the others), but all scholars agree that what really matters is that Andrew and Simon become the first disciples.
John's account is interesting, however, because it illuminates something about Andrew's treatment in the Bible. In all four Gospels, Andrew is rarely mentioned by name. He's simply one of ''the 12'' .. However whenever Andrew is named, however, it is nearly always in a story about bringing somebody into a relationship with Christ, just as he did with Simon Peter..
John has a Greek name: Andreas, There are only two disciples, who had Greek names. Philip is one and Andrew is the other. Philip means “a lover of horses.” Andreas means “manly.” And of those two men, John says that the first thing Andrew did was to find his own brother Simon . .and he brought him to Jesus [John 1:41-42]. The characterization of Andrew is beautiful and encouraging to behold.
He was born in Bethsaida, which is a town right where the Jordan River flows into Galilee The two brothers were in a partnership with the sons of Zebedee, James and John [Matthew 4:18-22]. And they were fishermen.
As the days passed, Jesus called them to be fishers of men [Matthew 4:19]. And Peter, James, and John were of a close-knit circle around the Lord Jesus. But, in the naming of the apostles, Andrew is always the fourth one [Mark 3:18]. He was not as near to the Lord as Peter and John, And as a follower and disciple of the Lord Jesus, Andrew is the one that brought to the Savior the little boy who had a lunch. And Jesus took the l “the loaves” and the little fish that the lad had in his lunch—and multiplied it and fed the five thousand [John 6:8-13]. That was Andrew’s work.
When the Greeks came to see Jesus at the feast in Jerusalem [John 12:20-21], it precipitated quite a confrontation in their own hearts. What should they do with these Gentiles who are asking to see the Lord? And it is Andrew, along with Philip, who bring these Greeks to the Lord Jesus and probably asked Jesus : “What shall we do with these Gentiles, these Greeks, these pagans, who want to listen to the Word of God?” [John 12:22]. And the Lord replied: “And I, if I be lifted up. . .will draw all men unto Me” [John 12:32], signifying how He would diie” lifted up” “,all men” and that the gospel would be for the whole world: the Greek as well as the Jew [John 12:32-33].
We read of Andrew and Peter’s calling in Matthew 4:18-22 “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”
Both Andrew and Peter and the sons of Zebedee left everything behind to follow Jesus to become “fishers of men.” This is astounding if you think about it because they left their lifelong job security, the only thing they had ever known, everything that was familiar to them, and obviously they had to leave their family behind too, all walking away at Jesus’ invitation. The words “Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him” reveal to us the true nature of this “all” that they left to follow Him. They forsook both their living and their father and family.
What I like about Andrew’s nature was that he was always bringing people to Christ. Perhaps he had been doing the same thing for John the Baptist. It wouldn’t be surprising if he did given the fact that he was bringing others to Jesus. Maybe that’s because Andrew immediately recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of the long-prophesied Messiah (John 1:41). The thing that impresses me most about Andrew is that he forsook everything and everyone to follow Jesus and then he was determined to bring others to Christ. How much am I like that or how far do I fall short of that willingness to forsake all and bring others to Christ?
If Andrew’s life is an example to us, let it be that like he did, we need to be bringing people to Christ and to go into all the world, even if it’s our next door neighbor. He forsook everything to follow Christ, including his family and his job security
Though he is only mentioned in the Gospels a few times, Andrew has proved himself to be a crucial figure in the New Testament. Each time Andrew appears in the Gospels, it is a turning point or famous act in Jesus’ ministry. Although the spotlight does not shine on Andrew as brightly as other apostles (compared to his brother St. Peter), Andrew has three profound lessons we can learn from his life,
Andrew, was a disciple of John the Baptist. One day as Jesus passed by Andrew heard John exclaim “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” (John 1:37) and so he left John to follow Jesus. Andrew soon realized that Jesus was the Messiah for whom the world had been waiting. His first act was then to find his brother, “He first found his brother Simon and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' ." John 1: 41.
The next time we see Andrew is at the site of one of Jesus’ greatest miracles, the feeding of the five thousand. The people have followed Jesus deep into the wilderness to hear him preach. Seeing the crowd tired and hungry, Jesus seeks to console there needs and commands the disciples to feed them. A nearly impossible task, as there was so many of them that Phillip responds that two hundred days wages worth of food wouldn’t be enough for each person to have a little bit. However,. Andrew responds by bringing another to Jesus, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” (John 6:9) The rest is history. Jesus multiplied the food such that there were twelve wicker baskets of leftovers.
In both of these events, it would have been easy to simply stay silent and not share the Good News of Christ or to not mention what seemed like a crazy solution to the problem. How could five loaves of bread and two fish extend to feed that many people? Andrew didn’t worry about what his brother Simon had to say about Jesus being the Messiah. Andrew simply was quick to act and follow Jesus.
How do we speak up about our faith even when it is uncomfortable or seems silly? How do we teach others about Christ? Do we share our meager solutions, even when it seems they are impossible to work, just like the loaves and fishes seemed impossible?
The vast majority of sincere Christ-followers are well acquainted with the great commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). The question today for the average Christian should not be “Do you know it?” but rather “Do you do it?”
Biblical “belief” does not just involve intellectual ascent but also includes practical application. For example, the Great Commission is meant to be practically acted upon, not just intellectually embraced.
It is our responsibility as Spirit-filled Christ Followers to bring men to Jesus. It is God’s work to save them. Every Christ-follower has been chosen to partner with the Lord to share the joyful news: Jesus Saves!
