February 2010 Meditation
INFLUENCE
At some point or another in our lives, we have all stood on the bank of a pond, dropping in pebbles and watching the ripples race across the surface of the pond in ever-increasing circles until they disappear at the far shore of the pond. I’m certain that you are as amazed as I am that a single pebble can have such far-reaching influence and make its impact known across the whole of the pond. The same thing is true in the spirit realm; each Christian’s life exerts a ripple effect -- with even tidal wave potential -- in the world around him.
The first area of influence we have is upon ourselves. In I Samuel chapter thirty we read the story of the devastation which David encountered at Ziklag. With their wives and families taken captive, their city burned, and their possessions stolen, David’s men had turned against him and spoke of stoning him. Standing alone with no one left to support him, David knew only one thing to do -- he encouraged himself in the Lord. (verse 6) He recognized that the first area of influence he had was over himself. Before he could muster his men to pursue the marauders and free their kidnapped families and take back their stolen goods, he knew that he had to bolster his own faith and willpower. His son, the wise King Solomon, would later pen the words, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he,” (Proverbs 23:7) which seems to depict the truth which permeated his father’s spirit that day. Solomon lets us know that it is not what we think about, but the way we think about it that determines our destiny. On that fateful day with his future and the future of his men and the nation as a whole hanging in the balances, David had no choice but to think about his loss and that of his men; he had no choice but to think about those men who had served him loyally through thick and thin but were today threatening mutiny. However, he did have a choice concerning how he was going to think about these things. He made a choice to think about reclaiming the losses inflicted by the invaders rather than to hang his head in defeat; he made a choice to remember the extreme bravery and dedication his men had displayed over their time of service in his ranks rather than to distress himself with their present threats. As the Apostle Paul would note in the New Testament some one thousand years later, he chose to think on things that were of a good report. (Philippians 4:8) He determined to have a positive influence over himself -- the first circle over which he held sway.
Our families are the next area of the pond to be taken in by the ever-expanding wave set in motion by that one pebble. In his first epistle, the Apostle Peter writes of the influence of a wife, saying that she can win her husband to the faith simply through her chaste lifestyle. (verse 3:1) He follows a few verses later with an admonition to Christian husbands to properly respect their wives lest their prayers be hindered. (verse 3:7) In the story of the great patriarch Abraham, we can see the importance of properly fulfilling our responsibilities within this area of influence; the Lord determined to give him revelation of the future and great blessings on the grounds of one criterion -- that he would command his children properly after him. (Genesis 18:17-19) Church leaders, before they are allowed to accept authority in the congregation, were examined to ensure that they were properly exerting influence in their homes. (I Timothy 3:4)
In Psalm 127:3-4, we learn that our children are our heritage and that they are like arrows in our hands, an illustration which suggests a story told in chapter thirteen of II Kings. As the prophet Elisha lay waning on his deathbed, he called King Joash into his chamber. There he instructed him to take his arrows and strike the ground. When the king smote the floor only three times, the prophet angrily reprimanded that he should have thrashed the ground five or six times indicating total destruction of his enemies. Certainly this story from history can become parabolic, teaching us that we must exert the full impact of our wave of authority as it ripples through the lives of our children; it is through them that our full impact against the enemies of our influence will be felt.
The next area of influence which our expanding circle laps into is the church. In I Thessalonians 1:5, Paul makes one simple statement which reveals five ways through which he exerted his influence in the church.
For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
The first avenue he mentioned was the Word -- teaching and preaching solidly based on the Bible. His second avenue was power. All we need is a quick review of the book of Acts to see that his ministry was indeed accompanied with miraculous events. (Acts 13:11, 16:16-18, 19:11, 20:9-10, 28:3-6) However, we may be tempted to relegate such supernatural occurrences to ancient history or to the lives of such men of stature as this apostle of the faith. The truth is that this same supernatural assistance is available for -- and actually expected to be operative in -- the ministry of all believers. (Mark 16:17-18)
Next, Paul mentions the Holy Ghost. In that the operation of the gifts seems to have been his topic in the previous category, we must interpret this reference to suggest a fuller meaning of the operation of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life. Turning to his letter to the Galatians, we see at least two areas where the Holy Spirit’s influence must be evidenced in a believer’s life and ministry. The first is in chapter five verses sixteen and eighteen: walking in and being led by the Spirit. The other Holy Spirit quality which Paul discusses in Galatians chapter five is the fruit of the Spirit listed in verses twenty-two and twenty-three. Just as no one cares for a barren tree which does not produce fruit (Matthew 21:19, Luke 13:6-7), people will not be attracted to our lives unless we manifest the fruit of the Spirit.
Paul follows with the quality of assurance. We can recognize from the natural world that we never want to believe what someone is saying if we don’t feel like he really believes it himself. I know that I’d never buy a car from a salesman if I saw him driving another make. Paul was persuaded of the validity of his message (Romans 8:38, 14:14, II Timothy 1:12) and admonished his disciples to be fully persuaded concerning their faith. (Romans 14:5)
Character is the fifth avenue through which Paul conveyed his gift. In our Thessalonian passage, he called it, “manner of man.” To get a definition of this term, we can turn to his farewell to the Ephesian church where he again uses this same expression and gives a rather lengthy explanation.
And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ… Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God…Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears...I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. (Acts 20:18-34)
The purity of his motives and the unselfishness of his service permeate the speech and testify to the quality of life he lived before the people. Who he was backed up what he said. As the old expression goes, he walked the walk as well as talked the talk. Another couplet reminds us that people don’t care what you know unless they know that you care. Our personal character is likely the most powerful force as the influence of our lives ripples through the churches where we worship and minister.
Our waves of influence will soon splash into the cities where we live. For this to happen, we must possess the same compassion which Jesus demonstrated for Jerusalem when He wept over the city (Luke 19:42) and lamented that they refused Him when He desired to gather the city under His wing of loving protection and salvation. (Matthew 23:37) The late Dr. Lester Sumrall expressed our roles as gatekeepers over our city -- allowing certain influences into the city and forbidding other influences from entering. True compassion -- informed by spiritual insight and wisdom and empowered with spiritual authority -- will allow us to exert a gatekeeper’s influence over the well-being of our cities.
Next, our wave of influence can lap across our nation. In some cases, we will be given platforms from which to speak into the life of our nation as the prophets of old spoke to entire nations. Although most of us will likely never be handed such a microphone, we are all given a mouthpiece which speaks directly into the ear of God. Paul admonishes us to effectively and consistently speak into this receiver with intercessions for our national leaders and authorities. (I Timothy 2:1-3) In this way, we can have as powerful -- if not more powerful -- influence upon our national life as those who have been granted a voice to speak to the national audience.
Just as the ripple from that one pebble continues until it disappears at the distant shoreline, God expects the influence of our lives to continue until it touches our entire world. The world-wide impact of the believers was so prominent upon the heart of our Lord that He continued to reiterate it each time He met with His disciples after His resurrection. (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:46-49, Acts 1:8) For some of us, this Great Commission will be accompanied with an international platform as was given to Jeremiah who was ordained as a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:10) For others it may be again, as we have learned from I Timothy 2:1, that our voices are to be heard only in the heavenlies as we offer prayers and intercession for all men. In the life of Abraham we can see the importance of both taking physical action on behalf of the pagan nations around us (in Genesis 14:14-16, he took action by mounting an armed force to rescue the kidnapped Sodomites and reclaim their goods) and doing spiritual battle through intercession (in Genesis 18:20-33, he prayed for the deliverance of the city). Perhaps we can also learn a further lesson from the story of Abraham’s intercession. The story implies that the patriarch didn’t realize the full scope of his influence in intercession. As he besought the Lord to show mercy on the people of the city, he continued to narrow the parameters of his request from fifty righteous to forty-five, then forty, to thirty, and twenty, and finally to just ten. Had he persisted in narrowing the field to one (II Peter 2:7), it is likely that his supplications could have saved the entire city. When Paul admonishes us to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17), it is likely that he realized that we often stop our intercession too soon and miss the full impact of our wave of authority as it continues to expand into new areas of influence.
One concluding thought we must not overlook when meditating on our ever-increasing circle of influence is that just like the bomb blast is always most intense at ground zero and an earthquake registers its highest Richter scale reading at its epicenter, the splash from the stone is always most powerful at the point of impact. Likewise, we must always ensure that our greatest influence is always the one closest to home. The ripples will always continue to radiate if we always continue to focus on keeping the waters stirred up (John 5:4) at the center. Jesus indicated that we should first go to our local environs and then extend to the uttermost parts of the earth. (Acts 1:8) Paul was committed to reaching his own people first and then enlarging his scope to others (Romans 1:16); he admonished those who desired to be church leaders to take care of their own homes first (I Timothy 3:5); and he brought the whole matter back to the home base when he said that he was constantly taking care of himself lest he influence others and fail personally (I Corinthians 9:27). In one verse which we omitted as we surveyed Paul’s farewell speech to the Ephesian church, he left a powerful injunction to all of us who would desire to have a circle of influence in any area, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers.” (Acts 20:28)
This month's meditation is an except from Delron's new book, Tread Marks--Where-the-Rubber-Meets-the-Road Essays on Successful Living. Copies of the full book are available for a donation in any amount to support our mission work. To obtain your copy, visit our online donation box on the home page.