Andrew

There was only one word that came from meditation in the Spirit this morning, a name, Andrew. So I referred to biblical commentaries regarding the disciple Andrew. I offer you the following:

Manliness, a Greek name; one of the apostles of our Lord. He was of Bethsaida in Galilee (John 1:44), and was the brother of Simon Peter (Matthew 4:18; 10:2). On one occasion John the Baptist, whose disciple he then was, pointing to Jesus, said, "Behold the Lamb of God" (John 1:40); and Andrew, hearing him, immediately became a follower of Jesus, the first of his disciples. After he had been led to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, his first care was to bring also his brother Simon to Jesus. The two brothers seem to have after this pursued for a while their usual calling as fishermen, and did not become the stated attendants of the Lord till after John's imprisonment (Matthew 4:18, 19; Mark 1:16, 17). Very little is related of Andrew. He was one of the confidential disciples (John 6:8; 12:22), and with Peter, James, and John inquired of our Lord privately regarding his future coming (Mark 13:3). He was present at the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:9), and he introduced the Greeks who desired to see Jesus (John 12:22); but of his subsequent history little is known. It is noteworthy that Andrew thrice brings others to Christ, (1) Peter; (2) the lad with the loaves; and (3) certain Greeks. These incidents may be regarded as a key to his character.

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The Father sets before the Son those who he deems worthy. We can then see that the Father did indeed do this to Andrew.

But then there is this beautiful characteristic, that perhaps we can consider a spiritual gift of faith. Andrew is shown to bring others that he deems worthy in front of the Son. And the three instances are specific: he brought Simon Peter out of love as an older brother would, he brought the boy who had the loaves out of obedience in service to the Lord, and he brought greeks to witness the Lord's ministry as an olive branch of hope for all mankind. Andrew was just a man who put God first, and looked for ways to put that love into action honorably.

Now, we can also look at Andrew from another perception, a worldly perspective. He was a man of action, not necessarily a man of discernment.

He was a follower of John the Baptist. When John pointed out 'the Lamb of God', Andrew left John to follow Jesus. This is a mark of a man who does not consider outcomes, but instead seeks continuity. This is further seen as we know that Simon Peter and Andrew, after becoming aware of Jesus, returned to fishing. Andrew, saw ministry as an addition to his worldly life, a fisherman first, a righteous man second. Again this shows continuity, a common trait in the old mediation. Andrew found a boy who had but a few small loaves, and brought him before the Lord. An odd move for most, as there was over 5000 mouths to feed. But here is Andrew, a man who is driven by continuity, believed this small offering would at least bring them closer to a resolution. Driven by continuity.

An interesting addition to this would be thr greeks who sought out Jesus. Realize that the disciples were all chosen to bring the tribes of the children of Abraham into this new mediation, we can assume that the issue of compatibility of this new mediation with the greeks was a topic the disciples must have spoken of at length. So here was the Father, setting before Andrew a group of greeks, who had their hearts and minds opened enough to seek out 'this Jesus'. So again, Andrew, driven by a natural desire for continuity, brought these greeks before Jesus.

Andrew was a man not unlike those alive today. Some of us have that drive, driven to forge forward. In the world this is labelled as ambition. In service of the Lord, as a trait reforged by faith, we can see this 'ambition' as eagerness to promote continuity and development.

The dangers of this trait are blind ambition serving the will of the believer. I am sure that most of us have seen this trait in believers who evangelize or organize without seeking to serve through faith and holy guidance in the Spirit. Much of the dark history surrounding Christiandom can be attributed to this kind of error. When ambition overcomes faith for the sake of continuity and/or development.

Faith is the root of the ministry of our Lord. Confidence is the unseen qualities of God, which are contained as the Kingdom. When any of our attributes are given over to service of faith, perfection is the result. Whatever traits you have as a human that stand out as strengths, will be transformed into something beautiful is God is first in you. Allow faith to draw out perfection from your natural state of being, afterall, you are now a child of God.

Blessings