INFLUENCE

One of the great blessings of our generation is that technology enables us to reach people we may never meet face-to-face. A single post, video, or message can cross borders in seconds. It’s not a bad thing to have a big platform. In fact, it can be a great gift from God and a powerful means for spreading the gospel. If God gives you influence over many people, be a faithful steward of it.

​But we should not confuse a large audience with eternal significance. Apart from Christ, all earthly accomplishments, including a huge platform, are vanity. Ecclesiastes 1:2 reminds us, "' Vanity of vanities,' says the Preacher... All is vanity. Numbers pass, trends change, public attention waxes and wanes, but the life hidden in Christ has eternal value.

Numbers pass, trends change, public attention waxes and wanes, but the life hidden in Christ has eternal value.

​The most influential people in Scripture were known by heaven before the world knew them. God met Moses in the desert. Once David worshiped in lonely fields before he ruled a kingdom. Even Jesus often pulled away from the crowds to spend time with His Father. Public ministry was just the overflow of private fellowship.

God has never measured faithfulness in followers or views. He gauges the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” People can be impressed with a platform, but God is not necessarily impressed. He is delighted with a son or daughter who walks humbly with Him, whether his or her audience is ten or ten million.

​This truth frees us. If God decides to expand our reach, we receive it and steward it well. If He tells us to serve in obscurity where few will ever hear, we do it joyfully. Our value was never in the sizes of our platform, but in the one who called us His own.

​In the end, nothing we do for God has lasting value if we are not walking in love.

Godly love, perhaps the greatest influence a believer can have, expects nothing in return. It gives, it forgives, it serves without any credit. Jesus is our great example. He didn’t die for popularity; he died because his very nature is love. But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8).

​We are not effective because of how talented we are, but because of how deeply the love of Christ has shaped us. Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Observe: He didn’t say people would recognize His disciples by the size of their ministries or the quality of their content. Its characteristic sign is love.

​And the apostle Paul makes this beautifully clear in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. We can talk with great eloquence, pray fervently, have amazing spiritual gifts, understand deep mysteries, and even make great sacrifices, but without love, it amounts to nothing.

​Maybe the best kind of influence is not going viral, but being a daily reflection of Christ. And this is not a screen-limited influence. Our mission field is wherever God has placed us. It can be our workplace, classroom, home, church, neighborhood, or the people we meet every day. How we treat a fellow worker, how we bolster a friend, how we serve our family, how we respond to difficulty can lead people to Christ. You may not have thousands of followers, but you can have lasting influence.

​This is where the fruit of the Spirit really shines through. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." In a world which often rewards outrage, self-promotion, and performance, just being a Spirit-filled, decent human being is surprisingly counter-cultural.

​All you need to have a positive impact is to radiate the fruit of the Spirit. It may sound surprisingly simple, and that is because the Christian life is more about letting Christ be formed in us than trying to make ourselves look influential. As we abide in Him, His character begins to show itself in our lives.

​The fruit of the Spirit is not something we bring forth by our own effort. It is produced by the Holy Spirit as we abide in Christ. John 15:5: Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches… apart from me you can do nothing.” The power lies in rest, not in striving.

That’s the beauty of grace. We don’t need to do anything to earn God’s approval before we can represent Him. We don’t need a perfect picture or a polished personality. We keep following Jesus, and as we get His love, we naturally give it to others.