Title: The Gospel According To You
Bible Book: John 1 : 36-42
Author: James O. Coldiron
Subject: Operation Andrew; Evangelism; Soul Winning; Witnessing
Objective:
Introduction
At the beginning of each of the gospels it says, "The Gospel According to Matthew, The Gospel According to Mark, The Gospel According to Luke, and the Gospel According to John." Each account is different. Yet, each account gives the story of the life and ministry of Jesus. Each writer has given his own account, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, of the Gospel.
What is the gospel according to you? Have you every stopped to realize what you believe determines who you are? The gospel according to you makes you who and what you are. The only gospel many people will ever see or read is what they see through you. Therefore, it is important that you so live that the people with whom you come in contact may see a Savior Who is worthy of all acceptation.
You may not be able to preach like Paul; you may not be able to sing like Silas, but you can give a gospel through your life and lips that God can use to save lost people. You can do as much as did Andrew. Let us look at him and what the gospel meant to him.
I. Andrew Had A Great Experience (John 1:40)
After the interview with Jesus, Andrew followed Him. He had the greatest experience anyone can have in life. To find Christ in a genuine saving experience is the greatest discovery anyone can every make.
On this you must be solid. You must make this experience sure. All eternity rests on this experience. If you do not have a saving faith in Christ you will never know you purpose in life, you will not go to heaven with Him. You can know in your heart if you have received Him. If the Spirit is bearing witness with your spirit you are a child of God. If you have the Spirit of Christ, then you belong to Him. Make sure you have made this great discovery and have had this great experience in your life. If you submitted yourself to Christ and let Him save you, He did. If you were really saved, you will have a desire to submit to Him each day. You will love Him and what He loves. This is a great sign that you have repented of your sins and received Him as your Lord and Savior.
II. Andrew Had Great Enthusiasm (John 1:41)
When you have had this great experience you truly have Someone about whom to be enthusiastic.
The word enthusiasm comes from two words: "en" and "Christ." It means “to be in Christ.” The first thing Andrew did was to go and find his brother Peter and bring him to Jesus. Andrew could not contain himself. He wanted his brother to know Jesus. When you have had this great experience you want to share Him with others.
One of the best signs you have had this great experience is you desire to have others see others know Christ like you have come to know Him. To bring someone to Jesus is the highest achievement possible to a human life. Someone asked Lyman Beecher, "You know a great many things. What do you count the greatest thing a human being can be or do?" The response of this great speaker was, "The greatest thing is, not that one shall be a Scientist, important as that is; that one shall be a statesman, vastly important as that is; or one should be a theologian, immeasurably important as that is; but the greatest thing of all is for one human being to bring another to Christ Jesus as Savior."
What if Dr. Jonas Salk had kept his anti-polio vaccine to himself? He would have gone down in history as a wicked man rather than a benefactor of humanity. Too many people are keeping Jesus Christ to themselves. It any of us receive a gift that is outstanding we cannot contain the news. If we win some honor it is hard not to let it be known. Yet, many claim Christ, the greatest gift of all times and are not enthusiastic about telling others about Him.
If you have had this greatest of all experiences you should share Christ enthusiastically with others. This is what Andrew joyously did.
III. Andrew Became A Great Example (John 1:42)
Andrew brought Peter to Jesus. There is not a greater service than this in life. The name Andrew means "manly." It took a real man to share Jesus with Peter. You could never do anything greater for your loved ones than to tell them about Jesus, and lead them to Him. This is the best service you could render to your friends or anyone else. There is no higher service than sharing your Savior with those who do not know Him.
Every time you meet Andrew in the New Testament he is bringing someone to Jesus. In John 6:8, 9 he is bringing a boy to Jesus with his lunch. In John 12:21, 22 he is bringing the Greeks to Jesus.
Some of you say you do not have time to witness for Jesus. Our Lord can use the time we waste. A Communist who had been converted made this statement. "When I was a Communist I gave 50% of my income to Communist work. After I became a Christian it was a long time before anyone suggested I give even 10% and then apologetically, saying that I probably could not, but if I could it was the thing to do. When I was a Communist, I was expected to give all my time after work hours to hand out literature and other work. When I volunteer time for the church, people talk about how earnest and zealous I am." What an indictment this is against people who name the name of Jesus. This person gave himself to the extension of a false religion like Communism, and many do not have this kind of zeal for sharing our great Savior and Lord with people.
Conclusion
we are willing to stay close enough to Christ, we can light the way to Christ for many lost people. Andrew used his opportunities with his brother, the boy and the Greeks. What a way to live!
It has been suggested that when Andrew stands before the Lord He will receive as many jewels in his crown as will Simon Peter, plus one. He brought Peter to Christ and had a part in all that Peter did for Christ. An obscure preacher won the young man, George Truett to Christ, He too will have that crown. A Methodist layman won Charles Haddon Spurgeon to Christ. A Moravian Missionary won John Wesley to Christ. Most of the great men and women of God have been won to Christ by some insignificant person like Andrew. You can do it too if you will let God have the privilege of using you. You tell your story of how you came to know Christ. You tell the Gospel according to you. When you tell about your great experience of receiving Christ as your Savior and do it enthusiastically God will bless you and those to whom you tell it.
