18th January 2026
Who is your Simon?
The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus…
John 1:41–42 (NIVUK)
Andrew’s encounter with Jesus was so life-changing that the first thing he did was not to go back to fishing, not to go home, not to keep his faith private, rather it was to say to someone he loved, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (John1:41) and bring them to see Jesus (v.42). Andrew understood something profound: introducing people to Jesus is an important first response to what Jesus has done for us.
Andrew brought his brother Simon (whose name was changed by Jesus to Peter v.42), to see that what he was saying was true. Evangelism often begins at home, with those closest to us. Andrew didn’t argue about theology; he just shared his personal discovery. His testimony was simple, honest, and faith-filled.
When Simon met Jesus, his life was immediately marked by transformation. Jesus renamed him and spoke into his future. It wasn’t Andrew who changed Peter; Jesus did. Andrew’s role was to bring Simon to Jesus, and then Jesus handled the outcome.
There are some important lessons here for our evangelism today. We don’t need a theology degree to do outreach. All of us can share our testimony of how we came to faith in Jesus with those near to us, and all of us can invite them to come and see and check things out for themselves. We are not responsible for changing people; that is Jesus’s responsibility, and we can leave that to him. Our job is not to convince but to connect.
Andrew rarely stood in the spotlight, yet his quiet faithfulness in bringing his brother to Jesus led to Simon becoming one of the greatest leaders in the early church. As far as we know, Andrew never preached to crowds of people, he didn’t write a book of the New Testament, yet he introduced Simon, who went on to preach to thousands and write words Christians still read today. Because Andrew brought one man to Jesus, history was changed.
Who is your Simon? Is there anyone God has placed in your life that you can gently bring to Jesus? Not to sort them out, or argue, or pressure them, but to share your faith simply and sincerely, like Andrew?
God can use our ordinary acts to produce extraordinary results. You may never know the full impact of bringing one person to Jesus. Your invitation, your conversation, your example could be the doorway to a transformed life that has an impact beyond your lifetime.
Prayer
Loving Father, give us hearts like Andrew that are eager to share Jesus with others, and that trust him with the results. Help us bring others to Jesus through our words, actions, and love. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
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Study by: Barry Robinson About the author: |
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Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA
Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm
Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church