You Are a Modern Day Andrew
By Steve Backlund
“And he (Andrew) brought him (Peter) to Jesus” (John 1:42).
Simon Peter’s brother, Andrew, was one of Jesus’ disciples, but he did not become as famous as his brother. Even so, Andrew was the reason Peter and Jesus made a connection. Andrew had a gift to connect people with who and what they needed, and I believe you do as well.
There are numerous biblical examples of this “Andrew anointing”:
Barnabas Connects Paul to the Other Apostles - “And when Saul (who would become the Apostle Paul) had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus (Acts 9:26-27).
Young Girl Connects Naaman to Elisha - “Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy’” (2 Kings 5:2-3). Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army, and this young girl's suggestion to his wife caused him to be healed.
A Servant Connects Saul with Samuel - Saul is looking for his family's donkeys when his servant makes a powerful suggestion that leads to Saul becoming the first king of Israel. “But the servant replied, ‘Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take’” (1 Samuel 9:6).
These are powerful biblical testimonies of how seemingly unknown people were used greatly in God’s plans. As we remember that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10), we can hear these prophetic words to us through these stories:
My influence in the lives of leaders is increasing.
I have an unusual ability to know what connections and resources people need.
God is sending the right people into my life to establish what and who I need to be connected to.
My favor with leaders is increasing.
I have incredible ideas that launch people into their destinies.
Like the young girl, even when I am trapped in places I would rather not be in, I thrive there and bring breakthroughs to others.
Like Barnabas, I see the hearts of people and help leaders trust them.
Like Andrew, my evangelistic anointing is increasing, and I regularly bring people to Jesus.
These stories speak to us about having favor with leaders. I write much about this in my book, The Culture of Empowerment. Leaders do not trust the suggestions of everyone. We can increase the likelihood they will listen to us if:
It is clear we are not using the leader for our own agenda.
We are thankful for our leaders and tell them specifically what we appreciate about them.
We pursue feedback from our leaders for how we can improve and then follow through on what they say.
We are not just “yes people”, but share in honoring ways our concerns and disagreements
When we give suggestions for connections with people or resources, we do it in a way that the leader feels free to follow our advice or not.
When living out these core values, it gets exciting to share our ideas and impressions with leaders. We will become their “Andrew” and bring them to Jesus’ plan and purpose for them in a greater way. You truly are a modern day Andrew.