The Introducer

August 27, 2017                                      NOTES NOT EDITED
The Introducer

John 1:40-42; 6:8-9; 12:20-22

Sermon-in-a-Sentence:  The simplest way to witness is to invite people to see Jesus at Church.

We need to develop the art of seeing potential converts to Christianity everywhere we go.  I want to examine this by showing three areas in which we encounter potential converts, and then I want to offer three parts to an evangelistic encounter.  Finally, I want to show you how you can explain the gospel with just one verse.

I.  Who Should We Witness To?

A.  Those who are NEAREST (Jn. 1:40-42).  It is important to keep in mind that the Gospel of John is different from the “synoptic” gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  These three are called “synoptic” gospels because synoptic means, “see with one eye.”  They all offer a version of the same chronological approach to the life of Christ.  They were circulated and accepted by the church very early in the development of the church, certainly long before 70 A.D.

John took a different approach to the life and work of Jesus.  It is a “theological perspective,” not a chronological one.  It was written much later than the other three gospels, as much as 40 to 50 years later.  Now, with that in mind read John 1:40 with me:

⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Him.

Notice that Andrew, the key actor in this particular text, is identified by his association with his famous brother, Peter.  By the time John wrote this, Peter had already become a leader among the Apostles, and very well known throughout the Christian community. 

Andrew had no problem being the “lesser known” Apostle.  He was the “ordinary” one.  The Bible is really the story of the “Andrews,” much more than the “Peters.”  This is to take nothing away from Simon Peter.  God used him mightily to catapult the faith of the small Apostolic Team into all the known world in a very short time.

But, we should always be reminded that life is “not about us.”  It is about the Lord Jesus Christ and His offer of salvation through grace to anyone that will accept it. 

Let’ go back and pick up the context for this short introduction to Andrew.  Look at verses 29-37:

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the One I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who has surpassed me, because He existed before me.’ 31 I didn’t know Him, but I came baptizing with water so He might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John testified, “I watched the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He rested on Him.  33 I didn’t know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The One you see the Spirit descending and resting on—He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’  34 I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God!”  35 Again the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus.

John the Baptist had many disciples, including Andrew and the other unnamed disciple with him.  John the Baptist pointed out, “That’s Jesus! It is all about him.”  In a short while, the popularity of Jesus would begin to increase dramatically.  Some of John the Baptist’s disciples would see this as a challenge to their beloved leader.  John the Baptist would have to correct them by saying:

^{John 3:30} He must increase, but I must decrease.”

The most important lesson we must learn in this life—please hear this and take it to heart—life is not about us; it is all about Jesus!  We must never let our ego, pride, or personal desires interfere with our commission to “introduce others to Jesus!” Nothing matters more than that.

And, Andrew shows us where these “introductions” must begin:  with those people NEAREST to us—our family!  Look at vv. 41-42:

⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah!”  (which means “Anointed  One”), ⁴² and he brought Simon to Jesus.

The “first” (and not the last by any means) person Andrew looked for to “introduce” to his new Master was his “one-day-to-be-leader-of-the Apostles brother, Peter.  The name of Billy Graham is known throughout the world.  He has been a great servant of the Lord.  But, does anybody know the name of the person that led Billy Graham to the Lord?

There’s an old adage that says, “Anyone can count the number of apples on a tree, but the real wisdom is to be able to count the number of trees in an apple.” There are many seeds hidden in an apple, just as there are many “unknown” factors in the chain of events that leads to a great evangelist like Billy Graham.  There were parents, relatives, Sunday School teachers, and even an obscure evangelist by the name of Mordecai Ham, that contributed to the life we have come to see lived out in Billy Graham.  We tend to see the “Peters” and forget the “Andrews.”  Read that verse again (41):

He first found his own brother Simon.

The first people we need to share the gospel with are those NEAREST to us—our family and close friends, and then those who we associate with regularly, like the clerk at the grocery store.  Some say these are the hardest people to reach.  I don’t know about that.  I just know we need to start with those NEAREST. When Paul and Silas witnessed to the Philippian Jailer, he was gloriously saved and then we read (Acts 16:31-33),

³¹ So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”  ³² Then they spoke the message of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. ³³ He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized.

First, share witht those NEAREST.  Then reach out to

B.  Those who are NEEDY (Jn. 6:8-9)

⁸ One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ⁹ “There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish—but what are they for so many?”

Notice Andrew is once again identified as, “Simon Peter’s Brother.” It is Andrew that stops “looking at the problem and starts looking for a solution.” That solution lead to another “important introduction.”

An important character in this story is the little boy with his lunch—but, that is not the main point of the story.  It is not known as the story of the “Little Boy’s Lunch,” as important as that little boy was, but it is called the “Feeding of the Five Thousand.”  The focus is upon Jesus meeting the needs of people in the process of spreading the message of God’s love. 

I’ve said over and over, “people do not care what you know until they know that you care.”  One of my early heroes in church work was Robert Schuller—with his “Hour of Power.”  We did not share the exact theology or an identical approach to ministry, but I loved a principle that undergirded everything he did. Someone has said, “A person doesn’t have to be my twin to be my brother.”   I call Schuller’s foundational strategy, the FANAFI principle:  Find a Need And Fill It.  This is a Biblical principle.  James tells us (2:15-16):

¹⁵ If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?  ¹⁷ In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.

There are two great dangers in approaches churches take to “serving the needy.”  The first is to separate the word of the gospel from the work of the ministry.  They become a “salvation army” with more “army” than “salvation.”  We become a social service instead of a “salvation” ministry.  This fills a person’s belly but leaves their souls empty.

Another danger is to turn that around and separate the “work” of the gospel from the “word” of the gospel.  We fall into the trap that James warned us about—we try to speak the gospel when all a person can hear are the growling pangs of hunger.  We need to connect the “salvation” with the “army,” we need to meet the needs of the “whole” person—body, mind and soul.  We need to practice FANAFI.  There are needy people everywhere.  There will always be more needs than we have resources, but as long as we are “introducing” people to Jesus—He can multiply our meager resources to reach massive crowds.  There is a third group we need to “introduce” to Jesus.

C.  Those we will likely NEVER SEE AGAIN (Jn. 12:20-22)

²⁰ Now some Greeks were among those who went up to worship at the festival. ²¹ So they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida  in Galilee,  and requested of him, “Sir,  we want to see Jesus.” 

²² Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

This group was far removed from the basically Jewish team of apostles.  They were far removed culturally, though not geographically. God often brings the world to our doorstep. 

In California, on any given Sunday, Southern Baptists preach the gospel in over 100 different languages.  You do not have to leave your community to speak with people from Timbuktu to Katmandu.

Why did Philip feel so challenged?  These Greeks (perhaps just a general term for “foreigners”) were not like him.  They looked different.  They talked different.  He was out of his comfort zone.

Why did Philip go to Andrew?  For one, Philip and Andrew are the only two disciples with Greek names.  Second, by now Andrew had become the “go to” guy when problems came up—“remember the five thousand hungry people that needed fed?”  Philip saw Andrew tackle that problem with great success.

It was quite likely that the apostles would never see these “foreigners” again.  That did not keep the disciples from “introducing” them to Jesus.  “The more seed you scatter—the more harvest you will reap!”

Not everyone we share the gospel with are going to sit in our church chairs and become a part of our church ministry.  Our job is not to build First Baptist Church, but to build the kingdom of God.  Many people we share with, we will never see again this side of Glory.  We just need to be faithful and introduce them to Jesus.  He will do what is in His good pleasure according to His Providence.
The point is: share with everyone and let God find the elect!  We are called to be “seed sowers” not “fruit inspectors.”  We never know when we may be talking to the next Billy Graham. 

There is another important principle about Christian living, especially living as a “soulwinner.”  Look at Jesus’ response. As so often happens, The Apostle John speaks with a double-meaning. 

²⁴ “I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop.  ^{k 25} The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life  in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. Where I am, there My servant also will be.  If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

Here’s a great irony of the Christian faith:  salvation costs you nothing and at the same time costs you everything.  Let me say it another way, “Jesus PAID it all so we could GIVE it all!

Jesus talks about His pending death by crucifixion, but He also talks to us about getting out of our comfort zone. 

If you are on the easy street of “c”hristianity (small “c”), I want to warn you that it is a DEAD END!  There is not “Easy Street” that leads to heaven.

Andrew is called the “Great Introducer” because he got out of his comfort zone and invited people to join Jesus, from the NEAREST to the NEEDY to the NEVER SEE AGAIN crowds. 

Those are the people that we need to share the gospel with.  We can get started with “soulwinning” by becoming “great introducers” and inviting people to come to our church.  Even if you know nothing about theology, you can point people to “truelife.org” which will answer all the big questions. 

But, you can also learn to take another, bolder step.  You can explain the entire, life-transforming gospel with one verse:  Romans 6:23

²³ For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I will now use my world-renown artistic skills to show you how you can share the gospel with a pen and a napkin, or scrap of paper.

ONE VERSE EVANGELISM: Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

                                          WHERE ARE YOU ON THIS DIAGRAM?