Good News! - July / August 2002

Ordinary-Andrew Evangelism

Barbara Hughes

My husband is a pastor, but we’ve discovered over the years that the greatest joys in ministry haven’t come in extraordinary church events, but in the normal avenues of everyday person-to-person witness—the things any Christian can do regardless of gifts or calling.

When Christians look to Scripture for an example of a strong witness, they often think of Andrew—an average man who shared Christ in patently ordinary ways. Andrew never achieved prominence among the disciples. He missed out on the great experiences shared by the inner circle of Peter, James, and John—the Transfiguration, the healing of Jairus’s daughter, Jesus’ sorrow in Gethsemane. He preached no sermons deemed worth recording. He wrote no epistles and performed no recorded miracles. A background figure, he appears to have had none of the bold audacity of his brother Peter. His one grand distinction? He excelled in bringing others to Christ.

A Knowledgeable Heart

Andrew may have been average so far as abilities are concerned, but he possessed an extraordinary knowledge of Christ. Andrew met Christ personally. It happened as Andrew and another disciple were standing beside John the Baptist when Jesus passed by. The Baptist cried out, “Look, the Lamb of God!” (John 1:35). Andrew and the other disciple followed Jesus and spent the rest of that day in conversation with Him (vv. 39-40). Though unrecorded, that conversation was a spiritual watershed for Andrew. Andrew heard Jesus speak words that were the truest he had ever heard, and his heart was set on fire.

Andrew’s extraordinary heart was magnetized by Christ. He was so drawn to the Savior that he was sure that if others could just once meet Jesus, that would be enough. “The first thing Andrew did,” the Scriptures tell us, “was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’” (John 1:41).

Andrew had the right idea! The Christ of Scripture is so winsome, so radically different, so utterly unlike other religious stereotypes, that when He is truly seen, He draws even the most resistant people to Himself.

The immediate response of Andrew’s heart to Jesus was, “Everybody needs to know this Christ!” Do you want a heart like Andrew’s? If you know Christ, you have the essential heart qualification to share Him—even if you don’t have all the answers. The key to ongoing effectiveness is a perpetual freshness in your growing knowledge of Christ through God’s Word. Learn about Christ!

A Selfless Heart

Andrew had a remarkably unselfish heart, as the Gospel of John shows: “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. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter)” (John 1:40-42).

From this point on, Andrew was commonly identified as “Simon Peter’s brother” and not the other way around (see Matthew 10:2-4; Luke 6:14-16; John 6:8). Everyone knew the big, gregarious fisherman Peter. He naturally drew people to himself, but Andrew faded into the wallpaper—especially when big brother was around. Don’t you think Andrew could see this coming? After all, he’d spent his whole life with his brother. But Andrew didn’t stumble here. He was unencumbered by self and introduced Peter to Christ anyway.

The true evangelist’s heart is a selfless heart. Who cares who gets the credit? Andrew’s heart was ordinary perhaps, but it was extraordinary in its selflessness.

An Optimistic Heart

Andrew was optimistic about what would happen when problems were brought to Christ. While Philip expressed dismay at the possibility of feeding the 5,000, it was Andrew who suggested to Jesus using the lad’s five loaves and two fishes (John 6:5-9). Andrew may have appeared foolish, but he knew Christ can mightily use all that is given to Him. The result was stupendous—the all-time picnic of the ages! Our attitude makes a big difference in bringing people to Christ.

A Big Heart

John 12:20-22 showcases just how big Andrew’s heart was: “Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we would like to see Jesus.’ Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.”

These Greeks were, of course, Gentiles and therefore accursed in traditional Jewish thought. Philip was unsure what to do with their request, so he approached Andrew. Andrew, without hesitation, went straight to Jesus. Andrew understood the universality of Jesus’ ministry—that Jesus is the answer for everyone.

Is there anyone you think is beyond the Gospel’s power to save? The cultural gap is so wide or the rebellion so deep that you feel certain they are hopeless? Don’t you believe it! Andrew was right—the Gospel is for everyone, and anyone can pass it along.

“Gospeling”

Turning the Gospel into a verb is exactly what evangelism is all about. Evangelism is about telling people the Gospel. Those who study different forms of evangelism have discovered that statistically Andrew’s relational evangelism is the most effective way to go. When church growth is surveyed, the pollsters indicate that 75 to 90 percent—that’s a whopping number—come to church through the influence of friends or relatives!

The biblical lists of spiritual gifts indicate that a small percentage of believers will have a special gift for evangelism—such as preaching or aggressive “on the street,” door-to-door witnessing. But biblical commands indicate that 100 percent of believers can do relational evangelism! While all forms of evangelism are important to the church, by far the most important is the personal, ordinary-Andrew approach—one person telling another person about the Christ.

Are you wondering how to get started? Read some practical tips for relationship evangelism below.

Excerpted from Disciplines of a Godly Woman, ©2001 by Barbara Hughes, published by Crossway Books.

Changed Lives

Each year we receive hundreds of letters from people whose lives have been impacted by the witness of a tract. Here are a few:

I have been given the pamphlet Four Things God Wants You to Know. I was coming home from my night job (nursing) and a gentleman handed me and my co-worker this pamphlet. I enjoyed reading it, and I’m writing to you to say, “Yes” in my testimony of my decision to accept Jesus into my life. I am interested in receiving Christian literature.
Thank you, Sharon (PA)

I was handed a tract [He Did This Just for You] by another inmate that was getting out. I let it sit there for about a week, then one day I just picked it up, read it, and gave my life to God. I wish to ask you for a good solid Bible to guide me to where I’m going, and if you can, maybe some Bible studies to help me grow in the truth.
Your new brother in Christ, Mark (NM)

I was wondering if you could send me information on being a Christian. I got a free pamphlet at a flea market. The pamphlet was called Do Good People Go to Heaven? It was a good pamphlet.
Sincerely, April (PA)

My name is Derek. I’m a Christian who was looking for some answers and found them through Jesus! I am 15 years old and wish to find out as much as I can about Jesus. I would like for you to send me some literature to help me with my walk with Christ. When I’m done reading them and studying them I will share with others what you’ve shared with me. That is one goal in my life—to give to others what Jesus gave to me. Thank you.
Your friend and brother in Christ, Derek (IL)

I was introduced to the You’re Special tract in November 2000. Recipients receive it with a smile and without apprehension. It is worth having in your pocket always.
Thank you, Max (FL)

From the President

What Do You See?

What do we see when we look out of our window? When we go to the grocery store? When we walk through the streets of our town? I hope that I will never see things quite the same after reading a story about D. L. Moody. Let me share this story with you:

D. L. Moody, America’s foremost evangelist during the 19th century, also preached the Gospel powerfully in London and other cities of Great Britain 120 years ago. Some clergymen, who were jealous of this uneducated Yankee, wanted to know his secret. So they knocked on the door of his hotel room and greeted him by saying, “Mr. Moody, we would like to have a word with you. You come here to London, you have a sixth-grade education, you speak horrible English, your sermons are terribly simple, and yet thousands of people are converted. We want to know, how do you do it?”

Moody invited his guests into his room and walked over to a window. “Tell me,” he said, “what do you see?”

One gentleman looked out and said, “I see a park and some children playing.”

“Anything else?” Moody asked.

Another man said, “I see about the same thing except there is an older couple walking hand in hand, enjoying the evening.”

A third clergyman added that he saw a young couple, and then he asked, “Mr. Moody, what do you see?”

As Moody stood there staring out the window, tears began to roll down his cheeks onto his gray beard. “Mr. Moody, what are you looking at?” one of his curious guests asked. “What do you see?”

“When I look out the window, I see countless thousands of souls that will one day spend eternity in hell if they do not find the Savior,” Moody said.

That was his secret. Moody had compassion for those who did not know Jesus Christ. That compassion governed his life, and he gave his life over to evangelism to rescue people from hell.

Do we see the people around us like Moody did—moved with compassion for the lost? I’m reminded of the passage in Matthew 9:36-38 where we read:

When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them. . . . Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

As I studied this passage, I was struck especially by four things:

But I think there is also a fifth point here. For we see in the very next verses that Jesus immediately sends out the disciples to go out into the harvest (Matthew 10).

May we also be moved with compassion for the lost. May we see the desperate need of those around us, with the compassionate eyes of the Savior. But most of all, may we go to those who are around us everywhere, proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God unto salvation.

Lane T. Dennis, President

Weekly Prayer Bulletin

Relationship Evangelism 101

Barbara Hughes

We all have a complex network of relationships. We have our family and church family. We have geographical contacts based on where we live. We have vocational contacts—the people with whom we work. And we have recreational contacts—originating where we play. We can make these natural contact areas a place for witness. We can use them to brainstorm a list of prospects for the Gospel and begin to pray for them.

As we pray, we can also invest our time, talent, and treasure in relationships. Become personally involved in the lives of others. Plan to spend significant time with those you’d like to reach, and then make sure your plan is represented on your kitchen calendar or in your day planner.

Seize the Day

I know from experience that some seasons of our lives are more conducive to evangelism than others. When we had children in our home, they opened doors for us we never could have opened on our own. If you have a young family, don’t take for granted that the same opportunities will be yours forever. Do something now about the kids’ teachers or their soccer coach. How about your son’s Muslim buddy? Invite the family over for dinner—today.

What about the woman who cuts your hair or the person who bags your groceries or takes in your clothes at the dry cleaners? What about the neighbor kid who mows your lawn or washes your car? What about the librarians at your local library? All of these are people in need of Christ—look at them!

Never underestimate the results your witness for the Lord may have for someone’s future. God is always pleased to do so much with the little we give Him. And it is never too late to develop the discipline of witness—this is God’s will for us in the Gospel.

A Step Further

Excerpted from Disciplines of a Godly Woman, ©2001 by Barbara Hughes, published by Crossway Books.