The Decision To Follow Jesus
Andrew was crippled in a hospital, with no one but nurses to take care of him.
These nurses happened to be Franciscan nuns, who were so joyful that it caused Andrews curiosity to wonder. Upon asking them why they were so joyful all of the time, the nuns replied,
Its the love of Christ. Why its right here in the book beside you.
Franciscan Sister
Andrew realized the nun was motioning towards his mothers Bible.
This experience convicted Andrew. It also spurred on questions inside of him that he had not recognized before. Brother Andrew was wondering about the Gospel.
After leaving the army, Andrew felt purposeless. And when the Dutch lost the war, he simply wanted to die. But he remembered those nuns, and he remembered his mothers faith in the Lord.
After being released from the hospital, Andrew started going to church to find the answers he had been searching for. He was hungry for God. The young man would attend church meetings and Bible studies. He started reading Scripture more and more. One night, on his search for God, Andrew radically gave his life to Christ. He prayed,
Lord if You will show me the way, I will follow You. Amen.
Brother Andrew
God Calls Brother Andrew To Missions
Soon after becoming a Christian, Brother Andrew attended a an evangelistic meeting taken by a Dutch evangelist Arne Donker. At this meeting Andrew responded to the call to become a missionary. This call to share the good news of salvation started at home, with Andrew and his friend Kees holding an evangelistic event with Pastor Donker in their home town of Witte.
Before going away on mission, Andrew started work at the Ringers chocolate factory. Working in a female dominated environment which was smitten with filthy jokes, God used Andrew and another Christian, and future wife Corrie, to reach their lost co-workers. Through personal witness and inviting them to evangelistic events, many became Christians, including the ring leader of the women. The atmosphere at work changed dramatically and prayer groups were held.
Andrew excelled in his work despite being lame and Mr Ringers, the owner of the factory applauded his work and evangelistic efforts. Because of his high IQ, Andrew was trained up as a job analyst within the factory. But Andrew knew that God was calling him to mission. The big obstacle however was his lack of education.
Giving up smoking, Andrew was able to start saving to buy books. Andrew bought dictionaries and commentaries and so began studying in his spare time. One day Andrew learnt about the bible college in Glasgow run by the WEC mission. At Glasgow bible college Christians could be trained up for mission in 2 years.
Variations On A Theme
Much of this assembly can be acted out by pupils. THE PROBLEM sketch needs an invisible football and a crash sound effect. The main story offers three sketch possibilities the three border crossings. Chairs and a big grey blanket make a good car .
More details of these incidents are in Brother Andrews books, Gods Smuggler Yugoslavia, chapter 10 Romania, chapter 15 and The Calling laughing, chapter 2.
Open Doors can be reached at PO Box 6, Witney, Oxon. OX8 7BR.
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A Disciple Of John The Baptist
Unlike the synoptic gospels , the Gospel of John gives a different account of how Jesus called Andrew. And its arguably Andrews most important moment in the Bible.
John the Baptist tells everyone that Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world , and that hes Gods Chosen One .
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, Look, the Lamb of God!When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, What do you want?They said, Rabbi , where are you staying?Come, he replied, and you will see.So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.Andrew, Simon Peters 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 . And he brought him to Jesus. John 1:3542
This account tells us that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, that he was the first apostle to call Jesus the Messiah , and that he led Peter to Jesus.
Andrews Role In The Miracle Of Loaves And Fishes
In the well-known story of feeding the five thousand, it is Andrew who calls attention to the boy with the five loaves and two fishes, which Jesus uses to perform the miracle:
When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, Where can we buy enough food for them to eat? He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, Two hundred days wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little . One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish but what good are these for so many?. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
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What Sort Of Person Was He
Why was he among the first to follow Jesus? Because he had an enquiring mind. He was actively looking for the truth. He simply wanted to know.
This is why he took Jesus aside on the Mount of Olives to ask when the destruction of the Temple would occur.
Right from the start, Andrew appears to have been part of an inner circle among the disciples only he and three others were on the Mount of Olives with Jesus when Jesus spoke about the coming cataclysm in Jerusalem: the destruction of the Temple and the apocalypse.
The Disciple Of John The Baptist
Andrew was apparently a disciple of John the Baptist before he was a disciple of Jesus. We read of an encounter between Andrew, John and Jesus in John 1:40-42 Andrew, Simon Peters 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 . And he brought him to Jesus. What I like about Andrews nature was that he was always bringing people to Christ. Perhaps he had been doing the same thing for John the Baptist. It wouldnt be surprising if he did given the fact that he was bringing others to Jesus. Maybe thats because Andrew immediately recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of the long-prophesied Messiah . Andrew and Philipp once even brought some Greeks to meet Jesus so the thing that impresses me most about Andrew is that he forsook everything and everyone to follow Jesus and then was determined to bring others to Christ. How much am I like that or how far do I fall short of that willingness to forsake all and bring others to Christ?
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The Destruction Of The Temple And Signs Of The End Times
In Mark 13, Jesus leaves the temple and tells his disciples that one day it will be destroyedNot one stone here will be left on another every one will be thrown down . Later, on the Mount of Olives, Peter, James, John, and Andrew privately ask Jesus to tell them when this will happen, and he launches into a lengthy teaching about the end times.
This passage is one of the main arguments that Andrew was one of the more prominent apostles, because Peter, James, and John saw more of Jesus ministry than anyone else, and here Andrew is privy to teaching they received in private.All three synoptic gospels record this narrative, but only Mark specifies which disciples were there.
Missions Work Amongst Communist Nations
From his very first trip to Poland, Andrew started passing out Bibles to the Polish people. He visited a church in the area, and he learned how to encourage the local Christians. He spent three weeks with the first Baptist church that he visited. Andrew felt that the Lord confirmed his calling because the church was greatly encouraged. This was his first mission trip over the Iron Curtain border.
He was banished from the country once the communists found out what he had been doing. Brother Andrew was a true rebel for the Kingdom of God.
From Poland, he was called to go from country to country, all under the control of communism. He went to nations lacking Bibles in his Volkswagen Beetle. This Beetle was a vehicle God provided for his mission of transporting Bibles across borders. The single missionary would put his life on the line, to bring the Gospel to those who had no exposure to Jesus. He also brought Scripture to those who already were hungry for Gods word.
During his journies, Brother Andrew would encounter persecution himself. He would smuggle Bibles across the communist borders, relying only on Gods protection from the military. He is famous for the saying,
Lord, in my luggage I have Scripture I want to take to your children. When you were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind. Do not let the guards see those things You do not want them to see.
Brother Andrew
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Notorious Commando Who Needed God
His thirst for adventure led him into the Dutch army at the age of 18 where he became a notorious commando. Andrew and his comrades became famous for wearing yellow straw hats in battle, their motto was: get smart lose your mind.
The atrocities that Andrew committed as a commando haunted him and he became wrapped in a sense of guilt. Nothing he did drinking, fighting, writing or reading letters helped him escape the strangle that guilt had upon him.
Shot in the ankle in combat, at the age of 20, his time in the army came to an abrupt end.
In hospital, bed ridden, the witness of Franciscan sisters who served the sick joyfully and the conviction of his own sin, drove him to read the Bible. Andy studied the bible while asking many questions to a friend , who had written to him throughout his time in the army. Andrew sent questions to Thile who searched for answers from her pastor and the library. His searching within the bible did not however lead him to give his life to God whilst he was still in hospital.
His Work Behind The Iron Curtain
It was 1955 when Andrew was on his way to a communist youth gathering in Warsaw, Poland.
Brother Andrews main goal was to bring Christianity to communism while in Poland. The missionary was attempting to evangelize the communists. What was so bold about Andrew is that he told the government of his Christian faith before he arrived. But what is more shocking is that he was still invited into the country. The Lord was clearly calling him to Poland.
This trip was life-changing for Andrew. He was compelled to act when seeing the devastating impact communism had on the Polish people.
Andrew was not afraid to find the truth, even if it meant breaking the law and putting his own life at risk. After deciding to explore Warsaw by himself, Andrew soon saw the dark lies in communism. The communist party made it seem as though all of the citizens were living very well. But this was not the truth.
What Andrew saw spurred him further into missions. He saw so many people living in the poorest conditions, and even more spiritually poor. They were facing the injustice of being denied the Gospel.
People were crammed into ghettos with very little drinking water and even smaller amounts of food. They were wearing rags in the harsh elements, and many children were without a home. What was worse than this to Andrew, was the oppression against the Gospel and the Bible.
Above all else, what tore Andrews heart the greatest, was the lack of Jesus Christ in the lives of the broken, sick, and lost.
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Who Was The First Disciple To Be Called By Jesus
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea they were fishermen. He said to them, Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men. At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:18-20
On November 30, we observe the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, the first disciple to be called by Jesus. Though we know more about his brother Peter, it was Andrew who first met Jesus. One day, Andrew was with John the Baptist when they encountered Jesus, whom John proclaimed was the Lamb of God. After spending time with Jesus, Andrew went to tell Peter of his discovery.
According to John 1:40-42:
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, We have found the Messiah . Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon the son of John you will be called Cephas .
Andrew Goes To England
Andrew applied for the Bible college in Glasgow and was accepted. Sponsored by no church, no organisation and lacking education, Andrew obeyed God and went despite being told by the love of his life at the time that in going he would lose her.
Andrews place at the bible college was delayed by a year. Despite receiving a telegram from WEC telling him not to come, Andrew believed God was instructing him to go. In faith he obeyed God and left for England in 1952.
Andrew spent the first few months in England painting the WEC headquarters building . While living at Bulstrode, Andrew began spending time with God at the beginning of everyday a Quiet Time. This was something that Andrew found helpful and endeavoured to do every day of his life. Once Andrew had finished painting Bulstrode, he then moved in with Mr and Mrs Hopkins. Living with Mr and Mrs Hopkins, they developed a wonderful relationship. Andy learnt so much from the couple because they were utterly without self-consciousness and opened up their home to drunks and beggars.
In September 1953, Brother Andrew started his studies at the WEC Glasgow bible college. Over the entrance of the wooden archway of the college were the wordshave faith in God. During the following two years whilst studying, Andrew learnt about having faith in God and put his faith into practice in numerous ways.
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The Miracle Of The Loaves And Fishes
Andrew was also practical, and a problem-solver. It was he who brought the boy with the loaves and fishes to Jesus Here is a lad he says with five barley loaves and two fish. .
4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat? 6 This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peters brother, said to him, 9 There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish but what are they among so many? 10 Jesus said, Make the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost. 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!
Other Languages And Cultures
Andre, Deandre Andreas Ander Andrei, Andrey Andreas Andreas Andrei, Andrey Andreu Andria Andrej , Andrija, Andro Andrej, Ondej Anders, Andreas .
It is said that he was martyred by crucifixion on an «X» shaped cross, a shape now known as St. Andrews cross. He was born in Galilee, in a city called Bethsaida
He was a disciple of John the Baptist, who called Jesus the «Lamb of God» when Andrew was present. This led him to become the first follower of Jesus. Accepting Jesus as his savior, the first thing he did was to seek out Simon Peter and bring him to Jesus.
The two brothers seem to have pursued for a time their usual call as fishermen, and they did not become avowed servants of the Lord until after Johns imprisonment . He was one of the confidential disciples , and with Peter, James, and John they asked our Lord privately about His future coming .
He was present at the feeding of the five thousand , and he introduced the Greeks who desired to see Jesus but little is known of his later history. It is noteworthy that Andrew three times brings others to Christ, Peter the boy with the loaves and certain Greeks. These incidents can be considered the key to his character.
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