Embracing Influence: Boldly Sharing Christ's Love
Summary
In today's message, we explored the profound concept of influence and how it shapes our lives and spiritual journeys. We are constantly under the influence of various forces, primarily God or Satan, and also the people around us. This influence is not just a passive experience; it is a dynamic interaction that shapes who we are and how we respond to the world. We live in a unique time of prophetic transition, a period that calls for spiritual readiness and awareness as we anticipate the return of Christ. This readiness is akin to training for a marathon; it requires consistent spiritual discipline and development.
In our modern world, we are bombarded by influences from media and technology, often from strangers rather than familiar faces. This shift necessitates a conscious effort to invest in spiritual growth and truth. Our spiritual faculties—our conscience, reasoning, and imagination—are at risk of atrophy if we do not actively engage them. This engagement is crucial to withstand the great deception warned about in scripture.
The message also emphasized the privilege and responsibility of extending divine influence. As followers of Christ, we are called to be co-workers with God, sharing His love and truth with others. This is not just a duty but a profound privilege. We are the light of the world, tasked with bringing clarity and understanding to those around us. This requires us to open our mouths and share the good news of Christ boldly and courageously.
We are equipped with a superpower—the power of the Holy Spirit—to be witnesses for Christ. This power is released when we speak about the goodness and truth of God. It is not enough to live a good life silently; we must actively share our faith. This involves sharing our personal stories of transformation and the gospel message clearly and accurately.
As we approach Easter, we have a unique opportunity to invite others to experience the love and truth of Christ. We are encouraged to seize these opportunities, knowing that even if only one person responds positively, it is worth the effort. Our calling is to be bold and courageous, to extend divine influence, and to cause celebration in heaven by leading others to Christ.
Key Takeaways:
1. Influence and Spiritual Readiness: We are constantly under the influence of God or Satan, and we must be spiritually prepared for the prophetic transition we are living in. This preparation requires consistent spiritual discipline, akin to training for a marathon, to be ready for the complexities of the end times. [01:02:46]
2. The Impact of Media and Technology: In today's world, we are influenced more by media and technology than by personal relationships. This shift necessitates a conscious effort to invest in spiritual growth and truth, as our spiritual faculties are at risk of atrophy without active engagement. [01:15:07]
3. Privilege of Extending Divine Influence: As followers of Christ, we have the privilege and responsibility to extend divine influence by sharing God's love and truth with others. This is not just a duty but a profound privilege, as we are the light of the world, bringing clarity and understanding to those around us. [01:28:51]
4. Releasing the Power of the Holy Spirit: We are equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses for Christ. This power is released when we speak about the goodness and truth of God, and it is not enough to live a good life silently; we must actively share our faith. [01:15:07]
5. Seizing Opportunities to Share the Gospel: We are encouraged to seize opportunities to share the gospel, knowing that even if only one person responds positively, it is worth the effort. Our calling is to be bold and courageous, to extend divine influence, and to cause celebration in heaven by leading others to Christ. [01:28:51]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:02:00] - Introduction to Influence
- [00:05:30] - Prophetic Transition and Spiritual Readiness
- [00:10:00] - Influence of Media and Technology
- [00:15:00] - Spiritual Faculties and Deception
- [00:20:00] - Extending Divine Influence
- [00:25:00] - The Privilege of Sharing God's Love
- [00:30:00] - The Power of the Holy Spirit
- [00:35:00] - Sharing Personal Stories
- [00:40:00] - The Importance of Boldness
- [00:45:00] - Seizing Opportunities for Evangelism
- [00:50:00] - Preparing for Easter Invitations
- [00:55:00] - Encouragement to Be Bold
- [01:00:00] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Matthew 5:14-16 - "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."
2. 1 Peter 2:9 - "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
3. Acts 1:8 - "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
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Observation Questions:
1. According to Matthew 5:14-16, what is the role of a believer in the world, and how should they let their light shine? [01:02:46]
2. In 1 Peter 2:9, what are the characteristics of the people God has chosen, and what is their purpose? [01:28:51]
3. What does Acts 1:8 say about the power believers will receive and their mission as witnesses? [01:15:07]
4. How does the sermon describe the influence of media and technology on our spiritual faculties? [01:15:07]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the metaphor of being the "light of the world" in Matthew 5:14-16 relate to the responsibility of sharing one's faith? [01:02:46]
2. What does it mean to be a "royal priesthood" and "God's special possession" in 1 Peter 2:9, and how does this identity impact a believer's actions? [01:28:51]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest believers can release the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives? [01:15:07]
4. How does the concept of living in a time of prophetic transition influence the urgency of spiritual readiness and sharing the gospel? [01:02:46]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current spiritual readiness. What specific spiritual disciplines can you incorporate into your daily routine to prepare for the prophetic transition mentioned in the sermon? [01:02:46]
2. Identify one area in your life where media and technology might be influencing you more than personal relationships. How can you adjust your habits to invest more in spiritual growth and truth? [01:15:07]
3. Think of a recent opportunity you had to share your faith. How did you respond, and what might you do differently next time to let your light shine more effectively? [01:02:46]
4. Consider the people in your life who have influenced your spiritual journey. How can you intentionally extend divine influence to others in your circle this week? [01:28:51]
5. The sermon encourages believers to share their personal stories of transformation. What is one aspect of your story that you feel comfortable sharing with someone who might be curious about your faith? [01:28:51]
6. As Easter approaches, who is one person you can invite to experience the love and truth of Christ? What steps will you take to extend this invitation? [01:28:51]
7. Reflect on the idea of being a witness for Christ. What fears or hesitations do you have about sharing your faith, and how can you overcome them with the help of the Holy Spirit? [01:15:07]
Devotional
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Quotes
"Well, this is the last message in the series, Under the Influence. And each week, well, almost every week, I've turned you to one particular slide, and I'd like to kind of close the series in that same place. Significant influences. Each and every one of us, as we sit here today, we are under the influence. We're either under the influence primarily of God, and I hate to say it, or of Satan, knowingly or unknowingly. And we're also under the influence of many, many other people. And here's this layer." [00:43:39] (28 seconds)
"God and Satan, two primary influences, both of them always trying to get our attention. And then angels. God's angels influence us for our good. Satan's angels influence us for our deception and destruction. But then what's more at what what is more normal to us is that we have people, parents, family, peers, leaders, teachers that influence us. And they've all contributed to a little bit who we are, why we think the way we do, why we react to things the way we do. So we're under the influence, even though we feel like we're independent, we're just kind of navigating on our own. It's not actually true." [00:44:06] (36 seconds)
"We are living in the end time, the time that precedes Jesus' return. And frankly, my opinion, based on over 40 years of studying Bible prophecy, we're living in the end of the end time, in my opinion. This doesn't mean that Jesus is going to return tomorrow, but it does mean it's wise for us to be watching and aware. And like I've urged through this series, to be in spiritual shape, to be ready to walk, to run a spiritual marathon because things could get complex. What I said before, was this we could all unless we have some kind of a physical problem we could all literally walk a marathon you know 26 .3 miles and we could do it in about six to eight hours is what they they guess however the truth is if you and i if our life depended on walking a marathon right now the majority of us wouldn't make it okay because the contingency is this you can walk that six to eight hours or that marathon in six to eight hours if you've been training for about nine months so what i've been urging in this series because we're living at a time of prophetic transition we know we're in the end of the age we know christ's coming is the signs are pointing to that we of all generations of all people should be in spiritual condition preparing ourselves for whatever the circumstances may come." [00:47:50] (78 seconds)
"All right so with that in mind then i brought this up we are now living in a time where suddenly books radio tv movies and internet and social media we are being for the first time in human history influenced mostly by strangers than we are by people that are familiar to us we also said this the average american spends about seven hours a day on screen time i'm not going to say this is good or bad or anything i'm just saying this we need to be able to be wise and strong enough to take that screen time make sure that we're investing heavily in in truth and scriptural stuff and then i urge take one hour buy one hour back find a way to get an hour back devoted entirely to spiritual development and you'll be at least on the path to being in spiritual condition for whatever life may may turn out." [00:49:57] (48 seconds)
"Now the problem with these in particular tv movies radio internet social media is this and i'm not sure that you guys have tracked with me on this because this is not something we think a lot you and i are made in the image of god and we have a spiritual component we're spirit soul and body we're three parts and our spirit consists of our god enlightened reasoning faculties our imagination and our conscience these things in our society screen time in our society unless it's very selective screen time atrophies our conscience our god enlightened reasoning faculties and um and our imagination they they atrophy they get weaker they they shrivel up they don't function so the spiritual part of us is very weak it shows itself in that we don't have much spiritual appetite we don't have much spiritual interest we don't have much capacity for spiritual things we're used to living distracted we're used to just living in the realm of feelings our society stimulates our feelings our physical feelings it stimulates our emotional feelings it over develops those so that we're usually for the most part feeling let and somewhat out of control we we lack self -control and so we have to be aware we're living at a different time in human history these things never existed before they do now if you and i are not vigilant if we don't make sure that we're developing our god enlightened reasoning faculties our conscience and our imagination these are the spiritual faculties this is how we know the truth about god in life this is how we derive meaningful relevant revelation from god's word if we don't develop those we are going to be in a position where when the great deception comes on humanity and we are warned about a great deception we're not going to be ready to deal with what is coming upon the world." [00:52:00] (107 seconds)
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