Influence

The word of the day at church yesterday was Influence. The pastor discussed a very cool verse that I’d never really considered, John 1:40-42: “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.”

Growing up in church, you read and learn about Peter all the time...how he walked on water, how he denied Christ, how his message at Pentecost helped lead 3,000 people to salvation in a day, and how ultimately he was the Rock who helped start the Church. But how much do you ever really hear about Andrew? I venture to say not much, aside from the fact that he was a disciple and was Peter's brother. How amazing is it, though, to think that Andrew was directly responsible for bringing Peter to the Lord? Andrew stepped out in faith and influenced all of history in a big way...he called out to Peter, Peter preached to thousands, and those thousands started the CHURCH.

Pastor Aaron tied the story of Andrew and Peter to a challenge. He asked us to think: What if Andrew had not told his brother about the Messiah? What if he had just kept the Good News to himself and minded his own business in the bubble of his own little world? What if...

Now fast-forward 2,000 years. Here I am in my own little world in New York City...how will I use the opportunities and relationships I've been given to best have an influence for the Lord? Who will I be an Andrew to? So often I am tempted to think that I live in a vacuum...that my actions and decisions have no significant bearing on the world around me or, greater still, eternity. But that is so not the case. Every word I say, every decision I make, every minute that goes by is a chance to have some type of influence on the world around me. It's up to me what that influence will be - will I be an encouragement or a discouragement? Will I show love or indifference? Will I be selfless or selfish? Will I listen or will I ignore? Will I display grace or will I judge? Either way, my actions will make an imprint on those around me. The real issue is, is it an imprint that brings them closer to the Lord or drives them further away?

I know that I am the person I am today because of the people who directly influenced my life...my family, my friends, pastors, mentors, teachers, coworkers, authors, songwriters. The list is a mile long of the Andrews who have influenced me and whose lives have had a direct bearing on the story of my life. So whose story will I be a part of? When it's all said and done, will any lives be different because of me? Will even one person in New York or anywhere else part ways with me knowing Jesus a little more closely? Will I be willing to be used by God have a hand in the story of someone's salvation? That, my friends, is the question of Influence.