John 1:40-41




'Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”).'
There used to be a lot of talk about friendship evangelism. This was seen as a way of bringing people to hear the good news of Jesus through using friendship. I never liked the sound of it. It sounded scheming and awkward to me. I would much rather talk simply about friendship and that’s exactly what we see in this passage. Friendship is the most natural thing in the world. Andrew met Jesus and then he immediately wanted to share this with his family and friends, so he went to find his brother Simon to introduce him.
I was talking to a minister who told me that his church had recently distributed thousands of leaflets to local homes inviting people to their services. It was a huge effort, and no one came. That doesn’t mean that it was a wrong thing to do, but the minister reflected that it would have been so much better if people had simply invited their friends. In our friendships, we naturally talk about the things that matter to us and which we enjoy, so what could be more straightforward than to offer an invitation to a friend to hear about Jesus? These days, there are so many ways in which people can learn what it means to be a Christian. But most people won’t buy a Christian book, look at a Christian website, listen to a Christian radio station, attend an Alpha course or visit a church without a warm introduction from a friend.


We’ve all got a role to play. We don’t need to go on a sophisticated course, or to read loads of books or develop a clever technique. We just need to be friends.




Question: Who could you introduce to Jesus?
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I thank you for the way in which you have brought new life to me. Help me to find more ways of helping others to meet you. Amen

Released on 10 Jul 2022