Title: The Evangelist/Isaiah 52:7
Andrew is a pioneer of evangelism and an apostle, and is the brother of Peter, the chief disciple of Jesus. He was a native of Bethsaida, but lived as a fisherman in Capernaum. He became a disciple of John the Baptist. One day, when John the Baptist saw Jesus walking, he introduced him to Jesus, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, and made him pay attention to him (John 1:29). Later, when Jesus called several disciples to follow him, Andrew became the first to follow Jesus (37). After that, Andrew went to his brother Simon and said, 'We have found the Messiah.' By leading Peter to Jesus, he became a pioneer in evangelism, and some Greeks who came to Jesus later also guided him to Jesus (John 12:21-22). Also, in John 6:8,9, he is a person with a realistic disposition who caused the miracle of five bottles and two fish when Jesus fed 5,000 men. Andrew went to Greece to preach, but in the city of Achaia, he was hanged on a cross and put to death. The cross on which he was hung is said to be an X-shaped cross. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, but when he met Jesus, an amazing thing happened to him.
1. When you meet Jesus, you bring about a sudden change.
John the Baptist, his disciples, and Peter had the greatest experience of their lives when they met Jesus. How did John the Baptist feel when he met Jesus? He was already carrying out the mission of a forerunner to prepare the way for the Messiah according to God's revelation, and for that mission he renounced all privileges and worldly glory. While meeting the long-awaited Messiah in person, John shouts at the crowd. 'Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!' (1:29) I am not worthy to untie his sandals' (Luke 3:16). How true is this confession of faith? The moment Andrew met Jesus, he immediately gave up everything and followed Jesus. In this way, meeting with Jesus is the best meeting that can completely change a person's life.
German writer Hans Garrocha said, 'Life is an encounter', but everyone has three important encounters. The first is meeting with parents. Meeting with parents is not something we decide for ourselves. It is an encounter that God occupies. The second is meeting with your spouse. You really need to get along well with your spouse. But the most important encounter in our lives is the encounter with Jesus.
The moment we meet our eternal Messiah, the Savior Jesus, is truly the greatest joy in human life. By nature, the descendants of Adam, who are children of wrath and children of disobedience, can become children of God and carry out God's work only after undergoing a radical change through such an epochal meeting. We can see these encounters and processes of change vividly through the life of several Old Testament characters, especially Jacob (Genesis 32:22-32). For Jacob, meeting with God was a precious experience in which human blood and ambition were broken and he learned God's will and methods. When an unknown woman at a well in Suga meets the Messiah, she brings a wonderful change, leaves her water jar behind, and runs into the town to testify of Christ.
2. The evangelist must go further into deeper fellowship with the Lord.
As the number of times we meet each other increases, love, trust, and trust naturally grow.
In the same way, when we have a deeper fellowship with Jesus, greater grace and abundant blessings will abound. And our sinful life will be transformed into a holy and righteous life of discipleship of Jesus.
3. You will live the life of witnessing the Messiah.
Saints!
Do you keep the greatest joy in your life from meeting Christ in your life? Do you have the unwavering faith that you will not give up even if you give everything in this world? Also, do you strive every day to have a deeper fellowship with Jesus? As people's knowledge develops, their sins become more and more common. Saints! Through the best encounters of our lives, let's move forward into this world that is decaying and decaying with our hearts burning like an active volcano. And let's testify of Jesus, the Savior of the world. Also, I hope that all the saints who spread the bright light and love of Christ to those who live in dark and gloomy places will become pioneers of the gospel.