You Have More Influence Than You Think

God Expects You to Manage What He Gives You

Everything is a gift from God - health, life, salvation, freedom, friends, family, opportunities, gifts, abilities.

God expects you to make the most of the things he gives you.

He expects us to manage them well and to be generous with them.

In a couple of months time, we as a corps will be renewing our Generous Discipleship.

We will be reminded of the importance of generous and sacrificial living, so that we become more Christ-like and enable our mission from this building and on our frontlines to flourish.

Will help us understand what God is asking of each of us as we manage well what God gives us and generously give of our time, skills, abilities and money to support mission.

New Series - Entrusted: Using What God Has Given

As an introduction to our Generous Discipleship weekend.

Will help us see that we are not owners of what God gives us, but stewards – using what God has given to change lives.

Today, the gift we are focusing on is the stewardship of your influence.

Do You Recognise These People?

Slide.

Cristiano Ronaldo.

Selena Gomez.

MrBeast.

Known as “influencers” - prominent figures who dominate the online world and social apps we use daily to become household names.

They reach audiences of millions through YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and X/Twitter.

Cristiano Ronaldo - footballer, 836,000,000.

Selena Gomez - singer, 581,000,000.

MrBeast - content creator, 563,000,000.

They have significant power to shape consumer behaviour, cultural norms, and public opinion.

They leverage the trust and personal connections their followers have with them to promote products, certain lifestyles, and ideas.

But potentially, they can also spread misinformation or foster unrealistic expectations, impacting everything from shopping habits to self-esteem.

You Probably Don’t Think You’re an Influencer, but you are!

My paltry numbers of around 1,000 followers on each platform certainly pale into insignificance!

It’s not about being famous.

It’s not about having wealth.

Cambridge Dictionary: “the power to have an effect on people or things”.

We all have the power to have an effect on people or things, and God wants us to use that influence for good.

Matthew 5:13-16

Matthew 5:13–16 NLT

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

MESSAGE NOTES

Jesus Says You’re An Influencer

Jesus says you are the salt of the earth.

You are the light of the world.

It’s emphatic - you are, not you can be, or you can choose to be.

This is a statement, not a promise.

It’s a responsibility you have as a steward of what God has given you.

So Jesus says, don’t waste your influence.

I’ve given you the gift of influence, so let your light shine out for all to see.

Use your influence to make the world a better place.

He wants you to use your influence for good.

There’s more than enough bad influence in the world, including some of those that are named as influencers.

What the world needs is more positive, good, important influence.

So, how can you become more influential?

Recognise Your Influence

That’s the first step.

Everyone has influence.

You may be sitting there thinking you don’t influence anyone.

But you do - everyone you come into contact with.

You influence your family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, your Growth Group, the people you serve with in ministry, the people you socialise with.

You influence those you come into contact with on a daily basis. You have the power - the influence - to make the checkout operator / postman / hairdresser / sales person’s day.

Every time you send an email, a text, write a note, make a phone call, even gossip - you are influencing someone.

The question you should be asking yourself is not am I an influence or not?

It’s about what kind of influence you are.

Am I an influence for good/bad, right/wrong, for God, or against God?

Galatians 6:4 NLT

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.

Think about your influence.

How could you be more intentional about who you influence and the way you influence them?

Where could you be more of an influence for good?

Think about your relationships.

Who do you have a close relationship with that you could influence in the right ways?

What about your job/career?

What do you do at work and how could you use that for influence?

What about your interests?

Sport, music, baking, lego, knitting - how could you use that for influence?

The example of Moses

Moses had been saved from slavery.

But as an adult, he’d murdered an Egyptian and he was on the run.

Running from God and from Egypt.

God got his attention through a burning bush, and began speaking to him.

And he asked him one of the most important questions in life:

Exodus 4:2–3 NLT

Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.

Why did he ask him that?

After all, God already knew the answer!

It was because of what the staff represented.

Moses was a shepherd.

That’s why he had a shepherd’s staff.

A stick.

But the stick represented who Moses was - a shepherd - it represented his money - he made a living by raising sheep - and it represented his influence - he used it to guide, actually, probably prod! the sheep where he wanted them to go.

God says to Moses, if you will give me what’s in your hand - your identity, your income, and your influence - I will empower it. I’ll make it come alive, and I’ll use it for my purposes.

All Moses had to do was be willing to recognise what the staff represented, and be willing to lay it down before God.

He had to be willing to say, God, I am giving you my identity, my income, and my influence.

Because he did that, that staff became the thing that parted the Red Sea, it turned the River Nile from water into blood, and to strike a rock so that water flowed from it.

History was changed because Moses surrendered his identity, income, and influence to God.

God is asking you the same question this morning: What’s in your hand?

What talents do you have?

What relationships do you have?

What contacts and networks and influences do you have?

God says to you and to me this morning: give me your life, give me your work, give me your family, give me whatever’s in your hand - and I will do wonderful things through you.

Give me your talent, your relationships, your intellect, your freedom, your health, and your influence - and you and I will influence history for good.

God says, I will use whatever you’ve got if you give it to me.

Once you recognise the influence you have, and you give it to God, then the next step is to exercise it

When it comes to influence, the main point Jesus seems to be making is visibility.

Christians are to be a visible influence for good on the world.

We are not to hide ourselves from the world.

We are to permeate and penetrate the darkness of the world.

We are to be in the world, but not of it.

We are to be in the world, for the world.

Our influence must be as visible as a lamp in table in a dark house, or as visible as one of the many high rise buildings in Maidenhead in an otherwise blacked-out urban sky!

There is no excuse for secret discipleship.

And there is no excuse for refusing or failing to exercise our influence.

So, how can we be intentional about our influence?

We can start small

We can think about the way we treat the shop assistant across the counter.

We can seek to be a good influence in the way we order a meal in a restaurant.

We can be visible in the way in which we follow God’s purposes in how we treat our employees or how we serve our employer.

We can be an influence in the way we play a game - even Monopoly! - or how we drive our car, how we park, in the daily language we use, and what we read every day.

We can smile at people - even when they’re preaching!

What happens when you smile at someone?

Most times, they smile back.

And that means you just influenced them!

Sometimes, a smile, or a kind word, can be enough to turn someone’s day around.

As Christians, we should be just as Christian in the classroom, the shop, the kitchen, the surgery, on the golf course, and on the football pitch, as we seek to be when we are here.

We can sympathise with people

We can show emotional support, encouragement, care for people in our lives.

2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT

He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

There is no one better to sympathise with and care for a grieving widow than someone who has been through the same grief.

If you’ve ever been made redundant, then your experience can really help you sympathise with someone who is going through the same process.

If you’ve ever suffered a setback, there is no one better to encourage someone facing the same difficulty.

When we show sympathy, when we really care about what someone is going through, it influences them for good.

The fact we care encourages them to listen to us.

It opens the door to our influence on them.

So, show people you care.

Don’t just think caring thoughts.

Write the note.

Send the text.

Make the phone call.

Go and visit them.

Have the conversation.

That’s such a powerful way to influence people in your life.

We can serve people

Matthew 5:16 NLT

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Jesus says we can influence people by our “good deeds”.

What are “good deeds”?

They are actions God commands us to do in the Bible that are fruit and evidence of a genuine and lively faith.

One of the things the Bible commands us to do: serve people.

Matthew 20:26 CEV

But don’t act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others.

We can influence people by drawing alongside them and serving them.

We can serve by solving problems.

By keeping equipment working.

By doing our job with skill and commitment.

By volunteering - serving the homeless with hot meals.

By providing pastoral care.

By keeping people safe.

By doing those “behind the scenes” jobs.

By keeping an office running smoothly.

So many different ways to serve.

When you choose to serve God and serve others, you become an influence for good.

We can speak up

We can influence others by speaking up for God and for good.

If you claim to be a Christian, don’t hide it!

Don’t go along with the crowd.

Don’t deny the truth.

Don’t let sin dim your witness for Christ.

Don’t ignore the needs of others.

And don’t stay quiet when you should speak up.

Maybe you have a friend who’s heading in the wrong direction.

Say something to them.

Perhaps you know something is going wrong at work.

Speak up - get involved.

You will know any number of people who don’t yet know Christ - tell them about him!

Be a beacon of truth.

Jesus says, don’t shut your light off from the rest of the world.

We can sacrifice

Finally, we can influence people by making a sacrifice.

Philippians 2:17 NLT

But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.

Like Paul, if you’re going to have a great influence, you can’t live the comfortable life.

If you are going to be an influence, then sacrifice is going to be a part of your everyday life.

It’s the small sacrifices of being unselfish every day that have the most impact.

It might be making an apology.

It might be asking for forgiveness.

It might be choosing peace rather than picking a fight.

So many sacrifices we can make for God and for others.

What will you do with the influence God has placed in your hand?

Everything you have is a gift from God.

Your life.

Your salvation.

Your time.

Your money.

Your skills.

And yes, your influence.

So the question isn’t, “Am I an influencer?”

Jesus has already answered that: “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13–16)

The question is, what will I do with the influence God has placed in my hand?

God asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2).

And today he asks you the same. What’s in your hand right now?

A family that needs a steady, gentle faith.

A workplace where someone is tired and worn down.

A friend group where the tone can change because of you.

A neighbour who needs kindness, not judgement.

A corps family and a community that need hope in action.

So don’t hide your light.

Don’t waste your salt.

Don’t give your influence away to fear, comfort, or the crowd.

Start small, and start today.

Smile. Choose kindness. Be the calm person in the room.

Sympathise. Send the text. Make the call. Sit with someone.

Serve. Do the good deed no one sees. Meet a real need.

Speak up. Name Jesus with humility. Tell the truth with love.

Sacrifice. Choose the hard right over the easy wrong.

And as we move towards our Generous Discipleship renewal, let’s hear this clearly: generosity is not only about what’s in your purse or wallet.

It’s about what’s in your life.

It’s about what’s in your hand.

God is shaping us into people who manage his gifts well, and give them freely, so that our mission can flourish - here in this building, and out on our frontlines.

So here’s the invitation: lay it down before God.

Say, “Lord, my influence is yours. Use me.”

And then get up and live like it - at home, at school or college, at work, with friends, in the neighbourhood, and in the corps.

Matthew 5:16 NLT

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Prayer

Let’s pray.

Father, thank you for what you’ve placed in our hands. Forgive us where we’ve wasted it, hidden it, or used it for ourselves. Fill us with your Spirit. Make us salt and light. Show us one person to encourage, one need to meet, and one step to take this week. And as we renew our generous discipleship, shape us into joyful stewards who help others see Jesus. In his name, Amen.