The Joy of Bringing Others to Jesus

Introduction

There is no greater joy than being the vessel that God chooses to use to bring someone to Jesus Christ. I still remember the night in August of 2001 at Cortland Bible Club Camp. It was the final week of camp for the summer and this had been my first summer as a camp counselor. That night we were having a campfire on the hill as we told the Gospel message again. One young man came to me with tears in his eyes and turned his life over to Jesus Christ. There is no greater joy and privilege as a believer in Jesus Christ than to be used by God to help someone go from the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light. That joy is something that we get a taste of in John 1 with the first disciples to follow Jesus Christ.

Background

John 1:19-28

After John does his introduction on how Jesus is the WORD made flesh, we are introduced to John the Baptist, who is calling for people to repent! Delegations from the religious authorities send people to question him. Are you the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet? He tells them, No! He is the voice of one crying in the wilderness making straight the paths of the LORD! He is the forerunner for the Messiah/the Christ.

John 1:29–34 NKJV

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

In these next verses Jesus comes to the Jordan River to be baptized. The other Gospels go into more detail on this. Yet, we have John giving the proclamation “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Or LOOK! There He is! Jesus is baptized and the Holy Spirit descends on Him like a dove! John baptized with water, but Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit!

John the Baptist points others to Jesus (Andrew, John, Simon Peter)

John 1:35–42 NKJV

Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 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).

So Jesus is baptized and the following day in John’s Gospel we see this beautiful event take place. The Forerunner, John the Baptist, proclaims once again that Jesus is the Lamb of God! Now John the Baptist had disciples that followed his teaching. To repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, because the Lamb of God was coming. Now that he had proclaimed that Jesus was the Lamb of God, two of his disciples follow Jesus. John had been point to Jesus and now his pointing lead two to the Messiah.

Here we have two disciples (Andrew is one), while the other is not mentioned by name many believe it is John (the author of this Gospel). They had been with John the Baptist and when he proclaimed who this was their direction changed.

The ESV say, “The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.” They HEARD, they FOLLOWED.

“So then faith comes by hearing…” (Romans 10:17)

They heard the message and they responded to it!

James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only...”

When you came to Jesus were you eager to follow Him? Or have you met someone who was eager to follow Him?

They went and followed Him. They ask Him where he is staying as it is about the 10th hour (around 4 PM). Israel for the most part has around 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night throughout the year. The sun would rise around 6 AM and set around 6 PM. So the disciples wondered where Jesus was staying since it was getting close to evening.

They stayed the rest of the day/evening talking with Jesus.

Have you ever spent time just talking with Jesus. Where you lose track of time. I wonder what they talked about that day? We know the results though. The first thing Andrew wants to do is tell his brother, Simon! “We have found the Messiah!”

He had good news to tell and so he told his brother first! Then he brought him to Jesus.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus.

FIRST FOUND…then HE BROUGHT HIM TO JESUS!

There was a name change…Simon (flat-nosed) to Cephas (Aramaic) or Peter (Petros) —Stone

John 1:43–51 NKJV

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

New Living Translation Chapter 1

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown.

45 Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

46 “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

“Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.

47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.”

48 “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.”

49 Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!”

50 Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” 51 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.”

We see this wonderful multiplication that takes place with Philip following Jesus who was from the same hometown of Peter and Andrew.

Philip does an Andrew and finds Nathanael (Philip WENT to look for Nathanael). He actively sought him out. Nathanael is believed to be the given name of Bartholomew (Son of Tolmai).

The Good News was spread one person to one person. They TOLD and then they TOOK them to Jesus.

The Impact and Joy of One

Andrew does not play a real “flashy” role in the Gospels or in the book of Acts. His brother Peter stands out more, but don’t think his role is less. He is important as any. He brought his brother to Jesus.

You might not think you have a big role. You might think that another has more gifts, talents, etc. That person can share the Gospel, because they are better at it. Get that mindset out of your mind. You have gifts and talents too. You might not be Peter. You might not be Paul. You might be an Andrew or a Philip. They are not the people many people speak about in the New Testament, but they had a role in bringing people to Jesus, and so do you.

While I have mentioned this person before I believe it is very relevant. I am always amazed when I think of Ed Kimball. Ed Kimball was the simple Sunday School teacher who had a young man in his class in 1858 who stopped coming to the church in Boston. Ed went to the place where this young man worked. He hesitated to go in, but eventually went in. That day that young man accepted Jesus Christ as his LORD and Savior. That man was DL Moody. DL Moody would preach the Gospel and lead hundreds and thousands to the LORD. Through his work the Chicago Bible Institute would be founded, now the Moody Bible Institute. Men and women would be trained for the Gospel work including the man who would start Practical Bible Training School (Davis College). Yet, what else do we know of Ed Kimball? What do we know of the person who lead him to the LORD? We don’t know. We have a gift to share with the world and we we can have the joy of impacting even one with the Gospel.

Conclusion

This week I am challenging you and myself to tell one person the good news of Jesus Christ. Call them, write them, FaceTime them, tell them in person. Tell them what Jesus has done for you. Tell them the good news of Jesus Christ. Let us show the joy of Jesus Christ to this world that needs Him! Be an Andrew. Be a Philip! Tell the good news of knowing Jesus and lead them to Him. Maybe you will have an Ed Kimball moment of leading someone to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ this week.