Jesus taught us to let our light shine in such a way that people may see our good works, which suggests that there are various ways for us to let our light shine. We need to deliberately choose such a way that would glorify God. We need light in every strata of society and every part of the world. And we are to put our light on a lampstand, to be deliberate in shining for God (Mat 5:15).

We should not hide our light under the basket of shyness or the fear of Man (Pro 29:25), nor should we hide it under the baskets of sin, compromise and mistakes. God wants to restore our testimony for him in all areas of our lives, such as our work, family or school life. In fact, such restoration itself glorifies God, because God’s glory is displayed in his goodness to us (Exo 33:19).

God can open the way for us and lead us in ways we cannot miss, so that God can use us to bring people to Christ. We do not need any special qualifications; God looks for those who are available and teachable. Peter was impetuous and impulsive; he made many mistakes and even denied Christ at one point of time. And yet God shaped him and used him to preach the very first evangelistic sermon on the Day of Pentecost.

Even if we are not outgoing, like Peter, we can still work behind the scenes to bring people to Jesus, as Andrew did. Every time Andrew was mentioned in the Bible he was diligently bringing people to Jesus. He was the one who brought Peter, his own brother, to Jesus in the first place.

Andrew was the first disciple chosen by Jesus (John 1:35-39). He followed Jesus because he desired to know Christ and have fellowship with him (John 1:38). That is the cry of every heart, to know God and the plans he has for us (Jer 29:11). People can try to displace that longing with worldly pursuits, but only God can satisfy that longing for fellowship with him. Out of the overflow of that fellowship Andrew brings his brother Peter to Christ (John 1:42). Because Andrew himself only just knew Christ, he shared only what he knew. That was all he needed to lead his brother to Christ.

For the feeding of the five thousand, Andrew brought a small boy to see Jesus (John 6:8-9). We can see from his words that he was unsure if the boy’s offering was any help. Yet he still brought the boy to Jesus, very likely in response to the Spirit’s prompting, and so played a part in this mighty miracle of provision. Like you and I, he was an ordinary believer endeavoring to hear God and to obey Him despite his uncertainties. When some Greeks approached Philip with the request to see Jesus (John 12:20-22) and Philip was unsure about what to do, he approached Andrew. Again we see Andrew bringing people to Jesus.

From the life of Andrew we see that God can use an ordinary believer to bring others to Jesus. Jesus’ twelve disciples spent time with Him, and was empowered to go forth to preach and to bring deliverance to others (Mark 3:14, NKJV). When Peter and John defended themselves boldly before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish leaders observed that they have been empowered by having spent time with Jesus (Acts 4:13). Be with Jesus, and be empowered to bring many others to Him!

Points to Ponder

1. What can we learn from the disciple Andrew about leading others to Christ?
2. Discuss how House Group can be conducted in such a way that not only believers experience warm community there, it is also “seeker-friendly” and effective for bringing others to Christ.