We are going to talk about how we can be an influencer in the world or how we can influence the world. You think about this world and all the things that are out there on television. Of course, I can't remember the last time I turned on my television to actually watch TV. I use it as a streaming device. I think most of us probably do.
But, with the internet, you see all of these things on social media, these individuals that are so-called influencers and they have a lot of following, maybe hundreds of thousands of people, maybe millions of followers. And they get paid to endorse a product or something, and suddenly the popularity of that product goes way up. Or, if they have a negative review about something, the popularity of that thing goes down. And so there is a lot of influence in that way. And generally speaking, in our world, this influence is a very bad influence. It's a negative influence.
There are so many negative influences in this world that seek to turn the child to God away from God and to keep the lost ones from turning to God. There is all that influence, and the influence ultimately comes from the Devil, who works through people, through individuals.
But, Christians need to be an influence in the world much more than ever before. Maybe we need to be an influencer in the world. There are a lot of folks that will not listen to a sermon. They won't open the Bible. They won't listen to anything in a religious context, but they will observe the way people live their lives. And, they may cause them to question some things. It may cause them to question themselves, and may make them wonder what you have that they don't.
There is a lot of good that can still be done in this world. This world seems to be caught in the throes of Satan's den of iniquity. You know, influence, even of a single individual can have an impact on something as simple as persuading someone to obey the gospel to something as dramatic and heinous as encouraging people to fly planes into buildings full of people. And in either case, either for good or evil, the influence is that power that each of us has to affect others, to affect their movement or change their action or inaction.
And so, influence is important.
Facts about influence
We need to understand the type of influence that we can have and why we should make it a positive influence. We need to understand several facts about influence.
- Everyone has influence - Romans 14:7
- Two kinds of influence - Matthew 5:13-16
- Proverbs 12:25
- 2 Samuel 12:14
- 1 Corinthians 15:33
- The minority can affect the majority - Numbers 13:26-14:5
- 1 Corinthians 5:6
- Joshua 24:31
- Revelation 14:13
- Influence is lasting - Revelation 14:13
- Hebrews 13:1
- Matthew 26:13
- Exodus 20:5
- We must influence others to serve God. - Matthew 5:16
- Philippians 2:15
- 1 Peter 2:11-12
So we can have an impact just by living our life, even those who are our enemies. You think about how the enemies of Daniel tried to use his own righteousness against him to have him thrown into that den of lions. Others, though, no doubt, saw his faith. We think about King Darius saw his faith and how he went through that and it brought great glory to God.
How to be an Influencer for Good
So how can we be an influencer for good? How can we so conduct ourselves in this world so that we can lead others to Christ? And that's really what we're all about.
- Influence in Deed - 1 John 3:13-18
- Romans 12:20-21
- Influence in Dress - 1 Timothy 2:9
- Proverbs 7:10
- Luke 17:1-2
- Influence in Disposition - Proverbs 15:1
- 1 Peter 3:2-4
- Influence in Devotion - Daniel 3:28; 6:5
- Influence in Dialogue - Proverbs 15:4
- Colossians 4:6
- Influence in Deportment - Galatians 5:19-21
- Influence in Diligence - Hebrews 12:1-2
We must always remember. That others may be attempting to influence us for evil through peer pressure. You know, it can be hard to handle it, and I don't think we ever outgrow it. We all have peer pressure. We usually think about it as with young people, and teenagers, but adults feel it too. Yet, if we remember the following, we can overcome all of the evil influences in our lives.
Always remember,
- Satan is constantly working. He never takes a day off. He never rests. - 1 Peter 5:8
- God is always watching too. - Proverbs 15:3, Ephesians 5:1-2
We must be walking for God. We must be walking in the light as He is in the light, [1 John 1:7]. Now, Jesus gave Himself for us, and we must give ourselves to Him in obedience, humble obedience, to Him and His will. You know, we become obedient to Christ when we put on Christ in baptism. When we believe and repent of our sins and confess our belief, then when we are baptized, we put on Christ.
Christ gave himself for us so that we can put Him on in baptism so that we can go and spend eternity with Him in Heaven. If you have not obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ, we urge you today to do so.
If you're someone who is a Christian but have been overcome by those evil influences in this world, we urge you to return to Christ.
If we can help you to study His Word, and come to know the love of God, to obey His commands we ask that you contact us.
