The apostle Andrew was the brother of the apostle Peter. Being the brother of a frontrunner like Peter automatically consigned Andrew to a lesser status in terms of history. That does not mean, however, that his service to Christ was lacking. Much to the contrary, Andrew is famous in his own right for one thing in particular. Do you know what it was? Whenever the gospels talk about him, he is usually bringing someone to Jesus.

Scripturally speaking, Andrew’s story begins with the events of John 1:29-42. There we learn that he was a disciple of John the Baptist. Presumably, he was an eyewitness to John the Baptist baptizing Jesus and calling Jesus, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (1:29-34). The next day Andrew and an unnamed disciple of John the Baptist — the unnamed disciple was probably John, the modest writer of the gospel — listened to Jesus speak and followed Him when He walked away from the scene (1:35-37). At some point, Jesus turned around and asked them, “What do you seek?” to which they answered, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” Jesus’ answer was simply, “Come and see.” John tells us it was 10:00 a.m. when Jesus extended that invitation to Andrew and John, and the three spent the rest of that day together (1:38-39).

Sometime shortly after all that, the Bible says that Andrew brought his brother Peter to Jesus. John 1:41-42 says:

He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone). (N.K.J.V.)

The second instance of Andrew bringing someone to Jesus is found in John 6:1-14. That’s John’s account of Jesus using a young lad’s lunch of five barley loaves and two small fish to feed 5,000 men and an unreported number of women and children. Who was it that brought that young lad to Jesus? You guessed it. It was Andrew. John 6:8-9 says:

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” (N.K.J.V.)

The third instance of Andrew bringing someone to Jesus is found in John 12:20-26. In that story, a certain group of Greeks approach the apostle Philip and ask for an audience with Jesus. Rather than take the request straight to Jesus, Philip tells Andrew about it because, evidently, he wants to get a second opinion on the matter. Andrew and Philip then go together and present the request to Jesus. As John 12:22 says:

Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. (N.K.J.V.)

Concerning Andrew, M.R. DeHaan, that famous preacher of another day, said this:

He was not known for his oratory, his literary ability, his unusual personality or popularity. He had no degrees that we know of. He could not sway a crowd, but he could convince a soul. He never wrote a book, but in the Book of Life are the names of precious souls brought to Jesus by Andrew. Give us a few more soul winners like Andrew and we can begin praising God for revival instead of praying for it.

I ask you, Christian, how much “Andrew” do you have about it? Do you bring others to Jesus? Do you point others toward Him? Like M.R. DeHaan said, you don’t have to have a great oratory ability or literary ability to do it. You don’t need an unusual personality that makes you wildly popular. Neither having a seminary degree or being able to sway a crowd is a requirement. If you know the basics of the plan of salvation, if you have a personal testimony, if you are willing to make an effort, Jesus can use you to bring others to Him. Even if you think of your evangelistic abilities as being as small as that young lad’s lunch, Jesus can use you to bless thousands if you will give those abilities to Him and say, “Here I am, Lord. Use me.” Perhaps you’ll never become famous like Peter, but even the Peters of the world need Andrews to get them started with Jesus.