Influencer

 

My phone rang in the evening last week and a cheerful voice said, “Hi. I hope I’m not disturbing you. This is Jack Winters.”   Jack’s voice trembled with emotion when he said, “I’m so glad your Dad wouldn’t give up on me,” he said.  He was calling on his ‘birthday’ as a Believer, remembering a day more than 4 decades in the past when my Dad knelt with him in the church and together they prayed for new life. 

Jack was born again that day, in his words, “a mess turned into a message.”  His life was in ruins. He was an angry, hard-drinking, broken man whose wife was ready to walk out.  Jesus made him new and it showed.  For more than 40 years, he has lived an active Christian life, a man beloved by his family. He’s not just talked the talk; he has lived the life. 

That is how true Christian discipleship works!  It makes us ‘influencers.’

The Gospel is like a seed planted, then grows, matures, and bears fruit.  It is replanted and the effect ripples outward through the world.  

What effect will ripple through time from your life?
Are you living today in a way that God can use you to touch others with grace?

Lord knows we need grace-filled people in this world, people whose hearts are turned to the Father, who are ‘God’s own.’

Jesus used a homely illustration about the influence we are to have.  He says, "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:13-16, NLT)  Salt! Light!

Salt in the day before refrigeration was more than a flavor. It was a preservative. It kept the provisions from rotting!  When we Christians understand our place, our calling, and we are walking in step with the Holy Spirit, we push back the rot, preserve the world in which we live.  We help the ‘Jack Winters’ of the world, who have been overwhelmed by self, by sin, by the devil to find the freedom that Christ offers and to become whole and holy. And the one we lift up, lifts another, and another … and the ripples of our influence spread. 

Light is a powerful agent too. Plants bend toward the sun. Emotions lift when the days are bright. Life itself requires the energy of the sun’s light.  Yes, Christian, it may sound grand but we are to be life-giving people.  Paul reminds us that the light in us is not our own radiance. We “reflect the Lord’s glory.”  (2 Co 3:18)  Like the moon which has no energy, no glory of its own, we are mirrors of His gracious goodness, letting His light shine from us.

The modern world, like it or not, is a place of social media, with about 4 billion people connected on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms that this old man has not even heard of yet. Part of that media world is the role of influencer. Influencers build a reputation of expertise about some specific niche of life. Their posts are avidly followed by audiences they build over time who pay close attention to their views. For a few, it becomes their primary source of income, supported by the companies who make the products these ‘influencers’ promote. 

I do not want to sound crass or commercial but let ask you –
are you an influencer for Christ Jesus? Are you living with prayer, reflection, meditation, integration of Truth, led by the Spirit so that YOUR LIFE becomes a model for those who live around you?  It’s a high calling that has nothing to do with ego and everything to do with true discipleship!

How we live is creating a culture. Lord give us the vision to make it one of excellence!

Here’s a word from the Word.  "We don’t go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants because of what Jesus has done for us. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. But this precious treasure—this light and power that now shine within us—is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own." (2 Corinthians 4:5-7, NLT)

 

Be salt, light; an influencer for Christ Jesus!

_______________

 

Shine on Us

 

Lord, let Your light

Light of Your face

Shine on us

Lord, let Your light

Light of Your face

Shine on us

That we may be saved

That we may have life

To find our way

In the darkest night

Let your light shine on us

 

Lord, let your grace

Grace from Your hand

Come over us

Lord, let your grace

Grace from Your hand

Come over us

That we may be saved

That we may have life

To find our way

In the darkest night

Let Your grace come over us

 

Lord, let Your love

Love with no end

Come over us

Lord, let Your love

Love with no end

Come over us

That we may be saved

That we may have life

To find our way

In the darkest night

Let Your love come over us

Let Your light shine on us

 

Smith Michael Whitaker / Smith Deborah Davis

Shine On Us lyrics © Deer Valley Music