THERE IS MORE INFLUENCE
Pastor John Morgan: There Is More Influence
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. There are bigger things and greater opportunities for us if we tap into what God has for us.
The reality is that all through life, we leave stuff behind. There’s evidence of our presence being left behind in some way. We leave experiences, influence, memories, moments behind as we go through life.
There is more influence when we embrace a kingdom focus. Influence can be positive or negative. As Christians, we should have influence by design.
Salt purifies and salt accentuates. It also has preservation properties. The right amount of salt helps bring out the flavors in food. Too much salt will overpower and ruin a meal.
I believe that’s our role: to bring out the best in people, to make the world a better place. Your workplace, family, friends should be better because of your influence. God’s got you on mission.
Light brings out detail, color and beauty. It brings out the significance of things around us. Too much light is blinding and obscures our vision. You need to right amount of light to be able to see clearly.
Being salt and light means being intentional to have a positive influence on the world around us. There is more influence when you focus on other people.
Jesus gives us three illustrations of influence killers.
Salt that loses its flavor: Salt that loses its flavor is weird. We lose our influence when we enter into things that are foolish or unnecessary weirdness.
A city on a hill can’t be hidden: We are not called to seclusion. God has called us to be involved in our communities. We are to be in the world but not of the world.
A lamp under a basket: Just as a lamp is placed on a stand, God places us on a platform. Your school, job, or family is your platform for influence. Don’t cover up the great things that God has done in your life.
There is more influence when you make glorifying God the focus. God puts us on platforms that are bigger than us. Through our platforms we can intentionally influence the world around us in getting to know God.
Questions for Discussion/Reflection:
What platforms of influence do you have?
Do you struggle with any of the influence killers Pastor John Morgan mentions (lost flavor, seclusion, or hiding)?
How do you feel that God is calling you to grow your influence?