June 18th - John 1:40-41

John 1:40-41 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). There used to be a lot of talk about friendship evangelism – bringing people to hear the good news of Jesus through friendship. I never liked the sound of it. It seemed scheming and awkward to me. I would much rather talk simply about friendship, and that’s exactly what we see in this passage. Friendship is the most natural thing in the world. Andrew met Jesus and then he immediately wanted to share the experience with his family and friends, so he went to find his brother Simon to introduce him to Jesus. I remember speaking to a minister who said that his church had recently distributed thousands of leaflets to local homes inviting people to their services. It was a huge effort, and no one came. That doesn’t mean it was wrong to do, but the minister reflected that it would have been so much better if people had simply invited their friends. In our friendships, we naturally talk about the things that matter to us and which we enjoy, so what could be more straightforward than to offer an invitation to a friend to hear about Jesus? These days, there are so many ways in which people can discover more about Jesus and learn what it means to be a Christian, but most people won’t access a Christian book, website, Alpha or other introductory course, radio station or church without a warm introduction from a friend. We’ve all got a role to play. We don’t need to go on a sophisticated course, read loads of books or develop a clever technique. We just need to be friends. Question Who could you introduce to Jesus? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, I thank you for the way in which you have brought new life to me. Help me find more ways of helping others to meet you. Amen