Category Archives: Influence

Bible, Influence, Scripture, Testimony, Witness, Witnessing

UNEXPECTED INFLUENCE

PHILIPPIANS 4:22

“All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.”

I have had the occasion to meet some pretty interesting people in my life. None of them were particularly famous or anything, but they were interesting. What has been the most gratifying thing about that is to hear back from them later. Some of them even said how much I had influenced them. What?! Me? It just goes to show that you never know who will be influenced by you.

Paul was under house arrest in Rome as he wrote this letter to the Philippians but look who he says sends their greetings. The saints who were in Caesar’s household! I know Paul had appealed to Caesar and all, but I bet Paul never dreamed he would have influence over Caesar’s household. Now, we don’t know who those people were, but they must have been important people.

APPLICATION

Many scholars suppose that these people Paul was referring to were the household servants in Caesar’s home. Others think that may have also included some of Caesar’s own family. Paul didn’t care about rank or societal position. He only cared that they were lovers of Christ. Shouldn’t we have the same position? We should love all the brethren.

Take a minute, though, to think about these people Paul is referencing. They were of “Caesar’s household.” Who was Caesar at the time? Nero. He wasn’t exactly keen on Christians. He blamed the Christians for the famous fire of Rome. He persecuted them by burning them alive and crucifying others. He executed Peter and later beheaded Paul. Yet these early Christians risked it all for Christ.

I want you to look around today and how your Christian influence is affecting people around you. Are others drawn closer to Christ because of you? Are people getting saved through your influence in their lives? In short, how are you allowing Christ to use you in this world right now. Be an influencer (not on Tik-Tok)! Change someone’s life today.

Father, give me the boldness to be a Christian influencer and draw many to You.

You can make an investment in our ministry at www.twr.org/carl-willis

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Bible, Faith, Influence, Prison, Scripture, Witnessing

UNEXPECTED INFLUENCE

PHILIPPIANS 1:13

“so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the praetorian guard and to everyone else,” 

Has anyone ever come up to you and said, “You probably don’t remember me, but you made such an impact on my life when…”? That’s happened to me a couple of times. I am always humbled and usually surprised. My favorite story is of a teen I had in a church in South Georgia while I was home from college one summer. He rarely came and often sat in the back of the group. To my surprise, God called that young man to the ministry. I had an unexpected influence in that man’s life that summer.

So, here is Paul in prison in Rome surrounded by Roman soldiers. But God gives him influence in their lives through the knowledge of why he was imprisoned and his attitude while he was there. We know from history that there were many Christian Roman soldiers. Perhaps Paul was the initial influencer of that while he was in prison. It’s just a reminder that God can use you no matter where you are – in prison or not.

APPLICATION

The Greek word used by Paul here for “well known” is phaneros, which comes from phaino (to shine). This reminds me of Matthew 5:16 where we see Christ saying, “‘Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.’” Paul was letting his light shine there in that Roman prison as he testified to why he was there and what Christ had done.

Now, don’t think this Roman praetorian guard was easy pickings. They were a tough bunch. These men were often used as the personal bodyguards of the emperor. They had more privileges than the normal Romans soldier, served fewer years and received a higher pay. These were an elite fighting force and the only ones allowed to carry a sword in the presence of the emperor. So, don’t think God will only give you easy audiences with whom to share your faith.

Paul was willing to be imprisoned for his faith and then looked for ways to continue sharing it, even if it meant sharing it with those who imprisoned him. Do you remember when the Philippian church was established? Paul was in a Philippian jail and led the jailer and his family to Christ. I bet the church got a real kick out of reading how God was using Paul now in a Roman prison. You just never know who God will allow you to influence.

Father, place unexpected people in my path so that You can influence them through me.

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Attention, Attitude, Bible, Boasting, Decisions, Humility, Influence, Pride, Scripture

SHOW OFF

GALATIANS 6:12

“All who want to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.”

Some people are all show. They want everyone to see them and what they have accomplished. I love the verse that our ministry has adopted, Isaiah 26:12. “Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.” The last phrase is what we claim. It’s all Him, not us. We have nothing to brag or boast about.

Paul pointed out in this verse today that those who were trying to compel the Galatians to get circumcised only cared about themselves. They were trying to appease the Jewish leaders with their Mosaic Law following. It wasn’t about Jesus. It was about what they could do, even to their flesh, to appear more spiritual or to be a more sincere follower.

APPLICATION

What kind of “showing” are you making? Is it all about you or is it about Jesus? We should echo the words of John the Baptist. “‘He must become greater; I must become less.’” John knew he was just the forerunner of Christ. He was there to proclaim the message God had given him. He wasn’t “The Man.” Too many people today think they are.

Remember this story from Acts 8? “9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, ‘This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.’” We know what happened to him, don’t we? Are you sure? He got saved through the preaching of Philip, but he still struggled with this desire to be “The Man.”

Later in the chapter, he is confronted by Peter because Simon offered to buy the power to lay hands on people which he had seen done by the apostles. He still hungered for the attention he had earlier. Thankfully, after Peter rebuked him, he repented. As far as we know, we will get to meet Simon in heaven and ask him more about his life. What will your story be? Will it be about yourself or about Jesus? I can’t wait to see.

Hide me behind the cross daily, Lord. Let others see Jesus and not me. 

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Attitude, Bible, Blessing, Boasting, Comparison, Examine, Holiness, Influence, Modeling, Scripture, Testing

EXAMINE YOURSELF

 

GALATIANS 6:4

 

“But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting, but to himself alone, and not to another.”

 

Do you remember those days in school when your teacher would announce a pop test? I hated that. I was a pretty good student, but I didn’t like those surprise tests. But then she would say when everyone was finished, “Okay, I want each of you to grade your own paper as I call out the answers.” Now you would see how you did on that unexpected test. Only you and the teacher would know the result, unless you shared it with someone else.

 

Paul tells the Galatians to take out that clean sheet of paper and prepare to examine themselves. It did not matter what others thought about them. It only mattered what God thought. They were to measure themselves not against someone else but only Jesus and His expectations of them. Then and only then would they have reason for rejoicing, and even then, only in Him.

 

APPLICATION

 

Proverbs 14:14 says, “A good man shall be satisfied from himself.” A good man (or woman) shall examine himself according to God’s law. When he finds himself in agreement with God, he can rejoice. Albert Barnes says this in regard to this verse. “Here is the true secret of happiness. It consists: (1) In not forming an improper estimate of ourselves; in knowing just what we are, (2) in leading such a life that it may be examined to the core, and (3) in not being dependent on the fickle applause of the world for our comfort.”

 

What is your measure of yourself? How do you measure yourself? Each week in a weekly meeting I am in, we have to measure ourselves in about seven or eight areas. One of those is our walk with God. Another is our family life. These categories give us a snapshot of that particular week. My score changes weekly. I am never the same. Things change every week and how I respond to those things change as well.

 

But there is one area in which I shall never change, in which I can measure myself well. That area is in my personal relationship with Christ. I know it is secure. I know I am sealed for all eternity under the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Nothing will ever change that. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

 

Father, examine me and show me my faults so that I can better represent You to others.

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Bible, Imitation, Influence, Relationships, Scripture, Witnessing

JUST LIKE ME

GALATIANS 4:12

“I beg of you, brothers and sisters, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong;” 

When I travel internationally, I intentionally try to embrace the foods and customs of where I am traveling. They eat differently than I do back home. They may take morning and afternoon tea breaks. They certainly dress different, and in some countries, they drive on the opposite side of the road. I have to become as they are. If they came to the U.S., they would have to adjust their way of living temporarily.

Similarly, Paul is explaining to the Gentile believers there in Galatia how he had become like them, giving up the keeping of the Mosaic law. He had become like them. So, he implores them to become like him. “Imitate me,” he says. Paul tells them to do as he is doing, not like those who are trying to put them back under the Law. They are free in Jesus now. There is no need to follow the Mosaic law anymore.

APPLICATION

In I Corinthians 9:19-22, Paul explains this idea more fully. “19 For though I am free from all people, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may gain more. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the Law, I became as one under the Law, though not being under the Law myself, so that I might gain those who are under the Law; 21 to those who are without the Law, I became as one without the Law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might gain those who are without the Law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak; I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some.”

Now, that was a long passage, but I wanted to share it to show you how Paul did it. We can do the same. Paul became like others, without embracing any sinful lifestyle, to reach them for Christ. Who can you reach that way? Is there a certain group of people you can “become like” to reach? Jesus never expects us to lower His bar of holiness, but He does expect us to lower ourselves in humility. There’s a difference.

This week look around you and ask the Lord who you could “be like” in order to win them to Christ. I am sure there is someone in your sphere of influence whom you could come alongside to lead them toward a saving knowledge of Christ. And be like Paul – don’t be offended by them. Love them like Jesus does.

Some people are hard to love, Lord. Love them through me.

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Accountability, Advice, Apologies, Bible, Choices, Confrontation, Encouragement, Gospel, Influence, Mentoring, Scripture

BAD INFLUENCE

GALATIANS 2:13

“The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.”

It is not a good thing to be a bad influence. God does not look approvingly on that. I have to admit that before I came to Christ, I was not the best influence. I had some bad habits that I shared. I repented of that and have apologized to those I may have harmed back then. Even as a believer we can do that also. Let’s look at what happened in Antioch.

Paul begins to get in more detail why he had to oppose Peter to his face (as he said back in verse11). Because Peter stopped eating with the Gentiles, the rest of the converted Jews and even Barnabas, were influenced by him. The word Paul uses for “carried away” is only used three times in the New Testament. Once it is positive (Romans 12:16) and twice negatively (here and in 2 Peter 3:17). These Jews and Barnabas were led away by Peter’s negative behavior towards the Gentiles.

APPLICATION

Why did Paul jump in and confront Peter? Well, we will see more of the story in the rest of chapter 2. But to make a concise point – Paul had to stop the corruption of the Gospel. Peter and the rest of the men who pulled away were essentially adding to the Gospel. They were implying that you had to eat kosher to be right with the Lord. Thank the Lord that didn’t hold up. I love bacon, lol.

Another story of bad influence was told in the book of Acts when Ananias made the plan with his wife Sapphira to lie to Peter about their land sale. Read Acts 5:1-11 for the full story. This decision to follow her husband in this lie cost Sapphira her life. When we influence people in a negative manner, it may not cost them their physical life, but it could spiritually. If unbelievers don’t see a difference in us because of Jesus, they may be influenced to not listen to the drawing of the Holy Spirit in their own lives, thus costing them eternity with Christ.

Who will you influence today? You have the opportunity to be Jesus to someone. You may influence a neighbor by the way you speak to them on the street. You may influence a fellow believer by sharing a prayer request with them or praying with them. We have a high calling. Be an influencer – only in a positive way.

Lord, give me the opportunity today to influence someone to follow Jesus – not me.

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