Introducers extraordinaire!

By Helen Jesze, 29^th August 2019

“One of the two … was Andrew… He first found his own brother, Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messias… and he brought him to Jesus,”

John 1, from verses 40 – 42.

In the 1980’s, my husband, George, was preaching for some weeks in USA. When he was there, he saw on television an interview with Harold Hill, an inventor, engineer and ex-NASA scientist. He was telling about his first book “How to live like a King’s Kid”. Living it up with the jet-set, travelling the world with the rich and famous, he nevertheless found his life empty and unfulfilling. His suicide attempts were unsuccessful and being an alcoholic since a teenager, Harold decided to drink himself to death. Through a Christian organisation he found to faith in Jesus Christ and was set free from alcohol. The revelation that this was not just a head-knowledge but that he truly had become a child of God – a King’s Kid – changed him for ever.

George was excited when he heard Harold speak and said, “O Lord, we need this man in Germany and Europe! Thousands of born-again Christians have still not received this revelation, and although they’re saved, they still live in shame for their past life, and especially for what their country did to the Jews during World War II!” Having no computer at the time, George had no address for Harold, and he came back to Germany, praying that God would open the door. Soon afterwards, at a meeting, a lady called Brigitte, came up to him and said, “Brother George, the Lord uses me to introduce and connect people. I feel I should give you this address.” It was the private address of Harold Hill!

Immediately George wrote to Harold, who had been praying for a confirmation that he should go to Germany, for some of his books were being published there and the publisher wanted to arrange meetings for him to speak. Then George’s invitation arrived as a confirmation, and three years running Harold did come to Europe. He spoke for his publisher and also travelled to our contacts. George drove him and interpreted; God used this to the huge blessing of thousands of people.

When Brigitte gave Harold’s address, she had no idea how God would use that. She was willing and humble enough to be just “an introducer”, somebody who deals with the loose ends, ‘joining up the dots’, making contacts. When John the Baptist’s disciple, Andrew, heard him tell about the Messiah, this fisherman immediately went and followed Jesus. The next thing he did was to bring his brother Simon also – he introduced him to Jesus and he became his disciple.

At that time, Andrew did not know how God would use his brother, changing him from Simon – “a reed” to Peter – “a rock” or “the stone from the great rock”. Peter was given the revelation that Jesus was the Christ, he became one of the three closest to Jesus, and became a mighty apostle. That one act of introducing, brought this all about. Andrew also took some Greeks who were looking for Jesus to his Master, and he was the one who brought the small boy with the loaves and fishes to Jesus, resulting in the feeding of the 5000, apart from women and children. Two more introductions!

Tradition states that Andrew preached in different regions and started a church in Constantinople. It is said that he refused to make sacrifices to heathen gods and was beaten and crucified at Achaia, in Greece. Like Peter, he asked to have a cross different from the cross of Jesus. So they nailed him to an X-shaped cross, on 30 November 60 AD. He hung there for approximately two days and during this time he praised and glorified God. This courageous “introducer” became the Patron Saint of several countries, one of which was Scotland. Their flag shows Andrew’s X-shaped cross.

Perhaps you feel you cannot do much for the Lord, that you are not an accomplished speaker and do not seem to have any great gifts or talents. But everyone can be an “introducer”, led by the Holy spirit as Brigitte was. You may have just the knowledge, just the experience or opportunity which is needed at that moment. Your unusual background God could use as the spring-board to catapult his purposes into being, to provide the next step in someone’s life, with enormously blessed consequences!

Prayer: Holy Spirit, call forth in us the desire to be like Andrew, to introduce people to our Saviour and Master. Help us to pick up your faintest whisper in our spirits, what to do, what should be the next step, knowing whose heart has been made ready for this divine introduction! Make me a ‘link’ in the Father’s chain and plan today I pray, In the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen!

The flag of Scotland

(Helen’s note: I could not find our photos of Harold and on the internet are only pictures of his books!)