BEING A "GOD" INFLUENCE - 1

The Outward Focused Church understands that it is called influence its world. We tend to think of influence as a political act. Influence that is a result of living with Jesus' DNA is an act of love for our neighbor and faithfulness to God. The description of Christian influence is found in Jesus' declaration in Matthew 5:18ff. "You are the salt of the earth ... you are the light of the world."

Intentional ministry is intended to be an influential ministry. A missional church in focusing on living according to its mission asks the question, "How will our actions lift up Christ before this community?" Such churches know that to misrepresent Christ is an act of disobedience to God with perhaps tragic consequences because it might influence people to embrace a false understanding of Jesus. Or if the non-Christian has a sense of what Jesus truly is like, our behavior in Jesus' name may influence them to reject Christ, or at the very least cause them to want to have no part with His Bride, the Church.

An inward-focused church often has little influence because its has little contact with or relevance for the community that surrounds it. That is more a tragedy than anything. And if the people surrounding that church see that the church is basically occupying space in the neighborhood and little else, they can easily (and perhaps appropriately) say that the church does not care. And that influences them to seek love from some other source than Christ.

Influence, therefore,requires involvement--on a daily and basic level. The church, to truly be influential intentionally builds (what Bill Hybels calls) redemptive relationships--relationships intended to assist God in His work of salvation and life transformation.

Influence is not throwing your weight around in the public square, it representing the name and the aim of Jesus to a world that has grown skeptical and suspicious about the value of God in their community.

(c) 2010 by Stephen L Dunn