ANDREW, THE INTRODUCER

   RAYMOND WILBANKS and I met again after many years. During the 1950s, we attended Mountain View Elementary School together from first through fifth grades. His family attended Faith Temple, too. After our fifth-grade year, my family moved to Greer. 

Our first meet-up happened months ago. My wife Barbara’s middle child, Jack, works on cars on Saturdays behind our house. Raymond came to see Jack about his son-in-law’s truck, or something like that, and we renewed friendship.

Raymond played football at Blue Ridge High and then worked for Duke Power. He became a Sunday school teacher and served in churches they attended. I remember him as a quiet, kind, studious, tall fellow who could hit a softball a long way during recess at school. 

On another visit, Raymond brought a book he thought I’d like: Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur. The book’s subtitle is “How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He Wants to Do with You.” It’s a good book.

Of the 12 disciples, MacArthur calls Andrew “the Apostle of Small Things.” Peter is the best-known of the four disciples in Jesus’ inner circle. Andrew is the least-known, overshadowed by Peter, James, and John.  

Andrew first followed John who baptized Jesus. The day after that famous baptism, this happened:

“John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’”

John pointed to Jesus as the Messiah, so Andrew started following Jesus.

“He [Andrew] first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas’ (which means Peter)” (John 1:41-42 ESV). 

“Andrew lived his life in the shadow of his better-known brother,” MacArthur says. “Many of the verses that name him add that he was Peter’s brother … where one brother overshadows another to such a degree, it is common to find resentment, strong sibling rivalry, or even estrangement. But in Andrew’s case, there is no evidence that he begrudged Peter’s dominance.” 

Later, Jesus called Peter and Andrew as they fished. 

“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” (Matt. 4:18-20 ESV). 

MacArthur compares Edward Kimball to Andrew. Kimball was a young Sunday School teacher who made it a habit to personally give each student in his class an opportunity to accept Christ as their Savior. On April 21, 1855, Kimball went to a Boston shoe store where Dwight L. Moody (born in 1837) worked, according to moody.edu. Kimball, a timid and soft-spoken man, talked with Moody in the store’s stockroom. At the time, Moody was “crude and obviously illiterate … untaught and ignorant about the Bible.” 

Kimball said, “I decided to speak to Moody about Christ and about his soul. I started down town to Holton’s shoe store. When I was nearly there I began to wonder whether I ought to go just then during business hours. And I thought maybe my mission might embarrass the boy, that when I went away the other clerks might ask who I was, and when they learned might taunt Moody and ask if I was trying to make a good boy out of him. While I was pondering over it all I passed the store without noticing it. Then, when if found I had gone by the door, I determined to make a dash for it and have it over at once.”

“Shortly thereafter, Moody accepted the love of God, devoted his life to serving Him, and eventually left the shoe business to become a great evangelist. 

Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus. Kimball introduced Moody to the Lord.

The Bible doesn’t record what happened to Andrew after Pentecost, but tradition says he was eventually crucified — after he introduced many people to Jesus.