If I was a visiting speaker here today I might start something like this...
It really is a tremendous privilege being with you today. I have been looking forward to this for a long time. It is also very nice being in Gore – or should I say Gorrrre? I’ve never been here before but it really is a very nice town. I think your main street, and the gardens, are very attractive. I should have come long before now.
You know, I think my mother’s cousin used to live in Gore. Her husband was the postmaster. I don’t know if any of you would have known him – Dick Mangnall. I think it was Gore. Mind you that was before most of you were born by the looks of you.
Thank you for having me. It’s a pleasure to be in the home of the Ranfurly Shield. Go Southland.
Why would I start like that?
It’s about establishing rapport. I want there to be a connection between us and so I focus on two things: paying you compliments and mentioning things that we have in common.
I imagined that I hadn’t been in Gore before – which I hadn’t before I came here the first time! Often a speaker will talk about previous visits or family connections – just to say, “We have something in common.” I could have mentioned that my sister married a Southland farmer and immediately there are two connections: Southland and farming.
The thing I did wrong, I think, was mentioning Gorrrre. Every visitor does it and I find it totally tedious and annoying – which illustrates how easy it is to get it wrong. A visitor might think he/she is mentioning something we will appreciate but actually we don’t (I think.)
When I wrote that sentence I changed it from “I might think I am mentioning something you will appreciate but actually you don’t (I think)” to “A visitor might think he/she is mentioning something we appreciate but actually we don’t (I think).” There is a huge difference. In the first instance I was telling you what I think you think. In the second, I talk about “us”. It is all about rapport – feeling that we are connected. I’m a Southlander too. I live in Gore too. I’m one of you.
With someone we don’t know, we are initially suspicious. “Who is this person? Can I trust him? Why should I listen to what he says?” Because the speaker wants us to listen, he/she tries to break down that suspicion by saying “I am one of you. We have things in common.” And by saying, “I like you.” And we respond by thinking, “Hey, this person is alright. I’ll listen.”
The speaker wants to be influential. People are influenced by people they like. We resist people we don’t like. But if we like someone, the walls come down and we are more open to being influenced.
We hear of people going on charm offensives; kissing babies, shaking hands, being seen in the right circles, sending out personalised letters, individually signed. Why? To win people’s hearts. Why win people’s hearts? Because they want to influence them in some way.
Think of Paul Reynolds, the CEO of Telecom, when their network kept going down. He very intentionally fronted up at every media opportunity and was open about how the situation wasn’t good enough and people weren’t getting adequate service and how frustrated he was and how hard they were working to fix it. And we thought, “Hey, I like this guy. He is honest and willing to apologise.”
But maybe, when we hear that he is paid over $5 million per year, we like him less, and we listen less. All of these things influence us.
If you want to be influential:
• Pay people compliments, or complement them on their children. They will love you instantly.
• Remember their names and use them
• Remember the names of their children and what they are up to
• Remember their current issues. When you ask, they will be delighted that you remembered.
Maybe you didn’t remember at all! Maybe, actually, you wrote it down in your wee notebook after the previous meeting and you refreshed your memory just before this meeting.
These are techniques. Are they good techniques? Yes, we should all do what we can to show an interest in people. We should all develop these techniques.
But they are just techniques. They can say, “I am interested in you” but they can be used just as easily because I am interested in me. I might be interested in your wellbeing but I might just as easily be interested in my wellbeing. Maybe I want something from you. We recognise this when someone complements us as we jokingly (or, perhaps not so jokingly) ask, “What do you want?” We know that these techniques can be used to manipulate. It is how con artists work. They win people’s confidence with these sorts of techniques and then they persuade those people to hand over their money, or whatever.
These techniques work. We are influenced by people we like. But the important thing is: What is the motivation behind the technique? Am I interested in you? Am I interested in me?
John’s account of the Last Supper starts with these words:
John 13:1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
The Last Supper was a demonstration of the depth of Jesus’ love. Then Jesus washed the disciples’ feet – the job of a servant and yet He was their Lord and Master. They possibly didn’t quite know how to take it but do you think that amongst their various emotions, they knew that they were loved by this man?
I suspect that every word spoken that night was remembered because it was spoken with love and the disciples knew that. They knew they were loved.
Jesus kept talking about His love for them – maybe not even using the word “love”
• Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust me. I am going to prepare a place for you and I will come back and take you to be with me (Jn 14:1-3)
• I will not leave you alone like orphans. I will come to you. (Jn 14:18)
• Anyone who loves me will be loved by my Father and I too will love them and show myself to them (Jn 14:21)
• As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. (Jn 15:9)
• Etcetera. There were many more expressions of love.
And then Jesus was arrested and tried and crucified. When they eventually understood it, the disciples knew that that was the greatest expression of love the world has ever seen. The immortal Son of God, laid down His own life – willingly died – willingly became a sacrifice taking the sins of the world on Himself.
As Jesus had said, during the Last Supper,
John 15:13 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends
There is no greater love. After Easter, the disciples renewed their commitment to Jesus in part, at least, because they knew that this man loved them. He had sacrificed for them.
Jesus has influenced the whole world. Partly that is because He is the truth. Partly it is because He is the Son of God. But partly it is because people know that He loves them.
Love changes everything. If people know the motivation is love, then your asking after them is not just a technique. It is genuine, heart-felt interest and concern.
Even hard things can received if the recipient knows they are said in genuine love.
Eph 4:15 ...speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ.
The truth, by itself, might not be received well. See how influential love is? Speaking the truth in love will produce Christlike people. Love changes everything.
Jesus wants us to be influential. He wants us to make a difference. He wants people coming to know Him and growing to maturity in Him. He wants to see lives changed. He wants us to be right in the midst of it and being catalysts for change. And He knows that to be influential we need to be liked. But it is more than just techniques. If people know that we love them, then they will be open to our influence.
When Jesus talked about there being no greater love than laying down one’s life for one’s friends, do you know what He was really saying? He was talking about His own death but only really in a secondary way. He was actually saying that we are to do that - in the same way He did. The preceding verse says:
John 15:12 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you... 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.
He laid down His life. We are to love in the same way.
Back in John 13, the same chapter in which Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, Jesus said:
John 13:34-35 34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
See how influential love is. When people see us love each other in the same way that Jesus has loved us, they will know that we are His disciples. Love speaks even when we don’t.
Love changes everything. Love changes techniques into authentic expressions. Love changes how much people will listen. Love changes people.
If you want to introduce people to Jesus, then first love them. If you want to give advice, delay the advice until the other person knows that you love him. If you want to influence someone, first love that person.
How can we love? We cannot love in the same way, and the same extent, that Jesus has loved us without God’s help. That love is supernatural. We can only pray for the love of God to be in us.
During the American Revolution, a Baptist pastor in Pennsylvania, Peter Miller, was a friend of George Washington but he also had an enemy. Michael Wittman was an evil man who went out of his way to oppose and humiliate the pastor.
One day, Wittman was arrested for treason and sentenced to die. Peter Miller walked about 112 km to Philadelphia to plead for the life of the traitor. However, George Washington said, "No, Peter, I cannot grant you the life of your friend."
"My friend!" exclaimed the old preacher. "He's the bitterest enemy I have."
"What?" cried Washington. "You've walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in different light. I'll grant your pardon." And he did.
Peter Miller took Michael Wittman back home – no longer an enemy, but a friend.
That love influenced George Washington but it also changed the life of Michael Wittman.
As well as praying for that sort of love, we can start using the techniques. Pay complements. Remember people’s names and what is happening in their lives, find common ground, give up your time, listen, pray for them.
Just love, and see what power love has.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
23.05.10 - How To Be Influential: You Will Receive Power
READ John 15:26-27, 16:7-15
When you stand before God, do you want to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”? Do you want to know that you did something for God; that you made a difference for the Kingdom of God?
You don’t want to be like the servant who refused to use his talents, who did nothing and was cast outside into darkness. In the Bible we are called God’s co-workers. We work with Him. We are called to bear fruit and we don’t want to be one of those branches that bears no fruit and is therefore cut off and thrown into the fire. We want to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.
Jesus wanted the disciples to be influential. He wanted them to make a difference, even though He wasn’t going to be with them. It was at the Last Supper that He talked about them being fruitful branches in the vine.
If we look at the Last Supper we see that Jesus spent a lot of time talking about the Holy Spirit. Matthew gives less than 1/5 of a chapter to the Last Supper. John gives 6 chapters and half of chapter 14 and half of chapter 16 are about the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ reckoning, a big part of preparing the disciples to be influential was that they should know and experience the Holy Spirit.
If they needed the Holy Spirit to be influential, do we too? If the apostles needed the Holy Spirit, what would make us think we can be influential without Him?
The other day, I read a book by Francis Chan, entitled Forgotten God, subtitle: Reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit. Chan says that we can do church pretty nicely without the Holy Spirit. We can rely on our personality, our charisma, having a good worship team and providing interesting services, and being friendly, and we can attract a crowd. But all of those things can be explained without the Holy Spirit. What is happening that can be explained only by the presence and power of God? What is happening that is inexplicable apart from it being the work of the Holy Spirit?
Equally, what is happening in your life that has only one explanation: God was at work? What is happening in your live that is obviously God because it couldn’t possibly be you?
Chan says that it is a staggering thing to say that God Himself lives in me. The Holy Spirit of God lives within us. That is a staggering statement. God Himself lives in me. If that was true, shouldn’t people be able to see a difference? Shouldn’t we stand out from others?
For the Apostles, the experience of the Holy Spirit was going to be essential. But do we think we can make a difference without that experience of the Holy Spirit?
At the end of Luke’s gospel, Jesus commissioned the disciples with these words:
Luke 24:46-49 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
Jesus gave them the job of preaching to the world... but He told them not to do it (stay in the city) until they had received power from God. Don’t attempt it without the Holy Spirit.
Again, at the beginning of Acts, we read this:
Acts 1:4-5 4 On one occasion...He gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
Jesus did not want them trying to do the work He had given them without first receiving the Holy Spirit. Then He said:
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
You will receive power. That is what we need if we are to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.
I don’t know if you do feel powerful. Let’s not beat ourselves up over that. We might even doubt if God’s promise is true because it might not have been our experience. I’m not going to debate that. I am going to assume that the promise of power is true. There is power available. How can we experience that power?
In the book, Francis Chan says that Joni Eareckson Tada is the most Spirit-filled person he knows. Many of you will know of Joni Eareckson Tada. At the age of 17 she had a diving accident that left her a quadriplegic, paralysed from the neck down. Initially, she wanted to end her life but she instead surrendered to God and the Spirit of God has transformed her into a person of tremendous humility, and a love that enables her to look beyond her own pain and see the hurt others are carrying. She has become a highly sought-after painter and, of course, she can paint only by holding the brush between her teeth. Her autobiography was made into a feature film. She is a recording artists and hosts a daily radio program. She began a Christian ministry to the disabled which impacts thousands of families around the world. By 2008, another of her organisations had distributed 52,342 wheelchairs to 102 different countries. She was appointed to the U.S. State Department’s Disability Advisory Committee. She has worked with Condoleeza Rice and she has written 35 books. Last year Joni was inducted into the Indiana Wesleyan University Society of World Changers. World changers. A quadriplegic empowered by the Holy Spirit.
But Francis Chan writes: Yet it is not because of these accomplishments that I consider her the most Spirit-filled person I know. Actually, it has nothing to do with all that she has accomplished. It has to do with the fact that you can’t spend ten minutes with Joni before she breaks out in song, quotes Scripture, or shares a touching and timely word of encouragement. I have never seen the fruit of the Spirit more obviously displayed in a person’s life as when I am with Joni. I can’t seem to have a conversation with Joni without shedding tears. It’s because Joni is a person whose life, at every level, gives evidence of the Spirit’s work in and through her.
Just for a moment, I want to see what sort of things Jesus said the Holy Spirit would do. Then I want to ask how we can experience Him. During the Last Supper, Jesus made a general statement:
John 14;16-17a I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – 17the Spirit of Truth.
What an amazing provision! “Another advocate”. “Another” means “another one just like Jesus”. God promises to give us someone just like Jesus who will be with us and will help us. Imagine having Jesus with you always and helping you! Well, you have!
If that is true, shouldn’t people be able to see a difference? With God Himself in you and God helping you, shouldn’t that be noticeable?
Indeed, during the Last Supper, Jesus said that the disciples would actually be better off with the Holy Spirit than having Jesus with them.
John 16:7 Very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
More specifically, Jesus said the Holy Spirit would:
• teach them and guide them into all truth (14:26, 16:13)
• remind them of what Jesus had said (14:26)
• testify about Jesus (15:26) (in other words point people to Jesus) and bring Jesus glory (16:14)
• bring the world to conviction and judgement (16:8-11)
As we know, Jesus also said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” That is power to change us so that we become more like Jesus and the power to change other – influence. We can’t do either by ourselves. We can’t change ourselves or others. But the Holy Spirit gives power.
How can this be our experience?
1. Ask
At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “I will ask the Father and He will send you another advocate” (14:16) I am sure that is true. Jesus is still praying for you. I am sure He is praying for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But we also should ask. Do we want to be influential? We should be desperate. Jesus made these promises to the disciples but Acts 1:14 says that “they all joined together constantly in prayer.” How desperately are you praying for more of the Holy Spirit?
Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
2. Do nothing
The disciples were not to rush out and work. They were to do nothing until the Holy Spirit was given.
The Holy Spirit is a gift. It is by God’s grace that He gives us His Spirit. We cannot earn Him. We don’t receive the Holy Spirit as a reward for trying hard. Sometimes, we need to stop trying hard – stop trying to earn Him – and simply receive.
First and foremost we are talking about a relationship, not just about someone to help us minister. Relationships require time together. Often our lives are too busy and too noisy to simply relate. Maybe we need to do nothing except listen to the Spirit and talk to Him.
As we listen to Him we might realise that there are things He wants to do in our lives. That can be scary but the Holy Spirit wants to do only what is good for us. The challenge then is to let Him. At this stage He might not be asking us to serve in any way but just to allow Him to work.
We can experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our own lives, transforming us. But how can we experience the power of the Holy Spirit working through us to make a difference in other people’s lives?
3. Do what God asks
It is people who put themselves into places where they are dependent on God, who experience God. If we can cope by ourselves, then we don’t need God. It is when we step out in faith and obedience that we discover how faithful and how powerful God is.
Jesus promised “another comforter”. If we are already comfortable, why would we need a Comforter?
Jesus said, “Go and make disciples and I will be with you.” It is as we do the work that we have been commissioned to do that we find that Jesus is with us. We need the Holy Spirit’s guidance only if we are going somewhere. We need the Holy Spirit to remind us of Jesus’ words only if we are seeking to live in obedience to those words. When Jesus promised power through the Holy Spirit, He immediately followed that by saying “and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” It is power for mission. It is power for ministry.
Today is Pentecost; that day when the Holy Spirit came in power upon the disciples and they stood up boldly and proclaimed Jesus and saw a revival.
How can you be like them? Do you want to be? Do you want to be part of God’s team, ministering and seeing results? Is the key for you...
1. Some desperate prayer?
2. Being still, accepting God’s grace and relating to the Holy Spirit?
3. Stepping out and being obedient?
When you stand before God, do you want to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”? Do you want to know that you did something for God; that you made a difference for the Kingdom of God?
You don’t want to be like the servant who refused to use his talents, who did nothing and was cast outside into darkness. In the Bible we are called God’s co-workers. We work with Him. We are called to bear fruit and we don’t want to be one of those branches that bears no fruit and is therefore cut off and thrown into the fire. We want to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.
Jesus wanted the disciples to be influential. He wanted them to make a difference, even though He wasn’t going to be with them. It was at the Last Supper that He talked about them being fruitful branches in the vine.
If we look at the Last Supper we see that Jesus spent a lot of time talking about the Holy Spirit. Matthew gives less than 1/5 of a chapter to the Last Supper. John gives 6 chapters and half of chapter 14 and half of chapter 16 are about the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ reckoning, a big part of preparing the disciples to be influential was that they should know and experience the Holy Spirit.
If they needed the Holy Spirit to be influential, do we too? If the apostles needed the Holy Spirit, what would make us think we can be influential without Him?
The other day, I read a book by Francis Chan, entitled Forgotten God, subtitle: Reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit. Chan says that we can do church pretty nicely without the Holy Spirit. We can rely on our personality, our charisma, having a good worship team and providing interesting services, and being friendly, and we can attract a crowd. But all of those things can be explained without the Holy Spirit. What is happening that can be explained only by the presence and power of God? What is happening that is inexplicable apart from it being the work of the Holy Spirit?
Equally, what is happening in your life that has only one explanation: God was at work? What is happening in your live that is obviously God because it couldn’t possibly be you?
Chan says that it is a staggering thing to say that God Himself lives in me. The Holy Spirit of God lives within us. That is a staggering statement. God Himself lives in me. If that was true, shouldn’t people be able to see a difference? Shouldn’t we stand out from others?
For the Apostles, the experience of the Holy Spirit was going to be essential. But do we think we can make a difference without that experience of the Holy Spirit?
At the end of Luke’s gospel, Jesus commissioned the disciples with these words:
Luke 24:46-49 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
Jesus gave them the job of preaching to the world... but He told them not to do it (stay in the city) until they had received power from God. Don’t attempt it without the Holy Spirit.
Again, at the beginning of Acts, we read this:
Acts 1:4-5 4 On one occasion...He gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
Jesus did not want them trying to do the work He had given them without first receiving the Holy Spirit. Then He said:
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
You will receive power. That is what we need if we are to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.
I don’t know if you do feel powerful. Let’s not beat ourselves up over that. We might even doubt if God’s promise is true because it might not have been our experience. I’m not going to debate that. I am going to assume that the promise of power is true. There is power available. How can we experience that power?
In the book, Francis Chan says that Joni Eareckson Tada is the most Spirit-filled person he knows. Many of you will know of Joni Eareckson Tada. At the age of 17 she had a diving accident that left her a quadriplegic, paralysed from the neck down. Initially, she wanted to end her life but she instead surrendered to God and the Spirit of God has transformed her into a person of tremendous humility, and a love that enables her to look beyond her own pain and see the hurt others are carrying. She has become a highly sought-after painter and, of course, she can paint only by holding the brush between her teeth. Her autobiography was made into a feature film. She is a recording artists and hosts a daily radio program. She began a Christian ministry to the disabled which impacts thousands of families around the world. By 2008, another of her organisations had distributed 52,342 wheelchairs to 102 different countries. She was appointed to the U.S. State Department’s Disability Advisory Committee. She has worked with Condoleeza Rice and she has written 35 books. Last year Joni was inducted into the Indiana Wesleyan University Society of World Changers. World changers. A quadriplegic empowered by the Holy Spirit.
But Francis Chan writes: Yet it is not because of these accomplishments that I consider her the most Spirit-filled person I know. Actually, it has nothing to do with all that she has accomplished. It has to do with the fact that you can’t spend ten minutes with Joni before she breaks out in song, quotes Scripture, or shares a touching and timely word of encouragement. I have never seen the fruit of the Spirit more obviously displayed in a person’s life as when I am with Joni. I can’t seem to have a conversation with Joni without shedding tears. It’s because Joni is a person whose life, at every level, gives evidence of the Spirit’s work in and through her.
Just for a moment, I want to see what sort of things Jesus said the Holy Spirit would do. Then I want to ask how we can experience Him. During the Last Supper, Jesus made a general statement:
John 14;16-17a I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – 17the Spirit of Truth.
What an amazing provision! “Another advocate”. “Another” means “another one just like Jesus”. God promises to give us someone just like Jesus who will be with us and will help us. Imagine having Jesus with you always and helping you! Well, you have!
If that is true, shouldn’t people be able to see a difference? With God Himself in you and God helping you, shouldn’t that be noticeable?
Indeed, during the Last Supper, Jesus said that the disciples would actually be better off with the Holy Spirit than having Jesus with them.
John 16:7 Very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
More specifically, Jesus said the Holy Spirit would:
• teach them and guide them into all truth (14:26, 16:13)
• remind them of what Jesus had said (14:26)
• testify about Jesus (15:26) (in other words point people to Jesus) and bring Jesus glory (16:14)
• bring the world to conviction and judgement (16:8-11)
As we know, Jesus also said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” That is power to change us so that we become more like Jesus and the power to change other – influence. We can’t do either by ourselves. We can’t change ourselves or others. But the Holy Spirit gives power.
How can this be our experience?
1. Ask
At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “I will ask the Father and He will send you another advocate” (14:16) I am sure that is true. Jesus is still praying for you. I am sure He is praying for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But we also should ask. Do we want to be influential? We should be desperate. Jesus made these promises to the disciples but Acts 1:14 says that “they all joined together constantly in prayer.” How desperately are you praying for more of the Holy Spirit?
Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
2. Do nothing
The disciples were not to rush out and work. They were to do nothing until the Holy Spirit was given.
The Holy Spirit is a gift. It is by God’s grace that He gives us His Spirit. We cannot earn Him. We don’t receive the Holy Spirit as a reward for trying hard. Sometimes, we need to stop trying hard – stop trying to earn Him – and simply receive.
First and foremost we are talking about a relationship, not just about someone to help us minister. Relationships require time together. Often our lives are too busy and too noisy to simply relate. Maybe we need to do nothing except listen to the Spirit and talk to Him.
As we listen to Him we might realise that there are things He wants to do in our lives. That can be scary but the Holy Spirit wants to do only what is good for us. The challenge then is to let Him. At this stage He might not be asking us to serve in any way but just to allow Him to work.
We can experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our own lives, transforming us. But how can we experience the power of the Holy Spirit working through us to make a difference in other people’s lives?
3. Do what God asks
It is people who put themselves into places where they are dependent on God, who experience God. If we can cope by ourselves, then we don’t need God. It is when we step out in faith and obedience that we discover how faithful and how powerful God is.
Jesus promised “another comforter”. If we are already comfortable, why would we need a Comforter?
Jesus said, “Go and make disciples and I will be with you.” It is as we do the work that we have been commissioned to do that we find that Jesus is with us. We need the Holy Spirit’s guidance only if we are going somewhere. We need the Holy Spirit to remind us of Jesus’ words only if we are seeking to live in obedience to those words. When Jesus promised power through the Holy Spirit, He immediately followed that by saying “and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” It is power for mission. It is power for ministry.
Today is Pentecost; that day when the Holy Spirit came in power upon the disciples and they stood up boldly and proclaimed Jesus and saw a revival.
How can you be like them? Do you want to be? Do you want to be part of God’s team, ministering and seeing results? Is the key for you...
1. Some desperate prayer?
2. Being still, accepting God’s grace and relating to the Holy Spirit?
3. Stepping out and being obedient?
Saturday, May 15, 2010
16.05.10 - How To Be Influential: The #1 Key
In recent weeks, I have been talking about influence. I have been trying to persuade you that we should be influential; God wants us to make a difference. I don’t know if I have influenced you but I want to move on to how we can be influential. Again, I want to use the Last Supper as our base.
Influence is about making a difference. It is about causing changes in other people’s lives. If you help someone make a good decision, that is influence. If you encourage someone who is down in the dumps, that is influence. If you help someone come to know Jesus, that is influence. If you help someone understand the Bible, and especially if you help that person live it out, that is influence. Influence is anything that changes another person’s life. If you help someone make a bad decisions, that is influence. If you discourage someone, that is influence – but let’s talk about how to be a good influence.
The Number One key to being a good influence is having a close relationship with Jesus.
Really? Isn’t that just the glib Christian propaganda? That is what you would expect a Christian to say but surely it isn’t true. Many influential people do not have a relationship with Jesus.
Here’s why I say it: In the Bible, in John 15:5 Jesus says, “Without me you can do nothing.”
Some of you might still be saying “Surely not! I can do lots of things without Jesus.”
In 1978, Michael H. Hart wrote a book entitled: The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History which he revised in 1992. According to him, the ten most influential people in history are:
1. Mohammed
2. Sir Isaac Newton
3. Jesus Christ
4. Buddha
5. Confucius
6. St Paul
7. Cai Lun (regarded as the inventor of paper and papermaking)
8. Johannes Gutenberg (in the inventor of the mechanical printing press)
9. Christopher Columbus
10. Albert Einstein
It is not my job to judge but I guess that at least five of the top ten didn’t have a relationship with Jesus. People have changed the world without Jesus. How can Jesus say that without Him we can do nothing?
We might ask if the influence of all of those people has been positive. Mohammed has undoubtedly been influential. We see stories about Islam on the news every night. Huge influence. But a good influence? No, so much of what we hear about Islam is destructive. No, he has led many people away from Jesus. Buddha and Confucius have likewise established religions that are, in some respects at least, in opposition to Jesus. So, when Jesus said we can do nothing without Him, did he mean nothing good?
But what about scientific advances or the invention of paper or new discoveries? Surely they are good?
How can I say that the Number One Key to influence is a close relationship with Jesus? Well, I say it because Jesus said it. It is not my responsibility! I can just hide behind Jesus but how can Jesus say that we can do nothing without Him?
READ John 15:1-17
Jesus uses the image of the vine with its branches. Jesus is the vine. We are the branches. The purpose of the branches is to produce grapes and Jesus repeatedly talks about bearing fruit. In fact...
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last...
Jesus has chosen us to bear fruit. That is our purpose – bearing fruit. That is the context in which Jesus says we can do nothing without Him. This might trouble you but “nothing” doesn’t mean nothing. Some character invented paper without Jesus. Maybe God still inspired his inventiveness. OK, so could I murder someone without Jesus? Obviously, Jesus wouldn’t be involved in that. If I was going to murder someone, I would have to do that without Jesus. There are some things I can do without Jesus.
But Jesus is talking about bearing fruit. That narrows it down. That helps us know what the “nothing” refers to. We can bear no fruit without Jesus. What is fruit? What fruit is God looking for in our lives? What fruit have we been chosen by Jesus to produce? What fruit brings God glory?
Is it perhaps Kingdom of God stuff? Yes, you can murder someone without Jesus, but you can’t change his heart or give him faith. And yet that is what the gardener is looking for from our lives.
The five purposes of the church provide a framework. God is looking for worship.
John 4:23 A time is coming and has now come, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.
God is looking for true worshippers. That is part of the fruit. He is looking for true worship in our lives. He is looking for us to be totally dedicated to Him; for us to put God first in everything. Are we sold out for God; in love with Him and committed to doing what He asks? But he is also looking for true worship through us. Are we helping other people become true worshippers?
Fellowship. God is looking for the “love one another”. In fact, that is in the John 15 passage.
John 15:12 My command is this; love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Again, I suggest, in us and through us. God wants us to be loving. The fruit of the Spirit is love. But He is also looking for us to influence others to be loving.
Maturity. Jesus talked about branches being pruned so as to be even more fruitful (v.2) That is about growth; about being refined; about becoming more Christ-like – and hence, bearing more fruit.
Jesus also said, “If my words remain in you, ask whatever you will and it will be done for you” (v.7) If my words remain in you... Maturity involves knowing the Bible and the Bible being our guide in everything. In the wider context of the Last Supper, He also talked about the Holy Spirit who teaches and transforms. God looks for maturity - our own maturity and us growing others to maturity.
Serving. At the start of the Last Supper, Jesus washed the disciples feet and then said...
John 13:14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.
On another occasion, He said the greatest in the Kingdom is the one who serves. God is looking for us to serve others and for us to encourage other to also serve. Is He finding that fruit in your life?
Evangelism. It goes without saying, doesn’t it, that the fruit includes new Christians. God has chosen us to bear fruit that will last forever. That includes people saved for eternity. We have been commissioned to go and make disciples of all nations.
“Fruit that will last for ever” gives us a clue as to what God is looking for. It is bigger than discovering America or inventing paper. Jesus is talking about Kingdom things. I hope that you also are focused on Kingdom things. Jesus said, “Seek first His Kingdom.” I hope that the influence you want to have is influence for the Kingdom of God. But we can do nothing for the Kingdom without remaining in Jesus.
Remaining in Jesus means being there and staying there. Do you live your whole life in Jesus? Are you conscious that he is always with you? Is everything you do, done with Jesus in mind? Is it your desire to do what He wants and are you able because He is the source of everything you need?
How can we have that relationship? There’s a lot that could be said but let’s restrict ourselves to two aspects: communicate and cooperate.
Communicate. Remaining in Jesus means talking to him; listening to Him; taking instruction from Him; seeking His help.
There are three main ways in which Jesus speaks to us. One is the Bible. If we want to be influential for the Kingdom of God then we must have a close relationship with Jesus. To have that close relationship, we must read the Bible and meditate on it regularly. The Bible is the word of God to us. This is where He has communicated so much. The Bible is where we get to know God; know His ways; know His mind; understand who He is and what he is like. It is through the Bible that He speaks.
In this passage about bearing fruit, Jesus referred to this. V.7: If my words remain in you... Knowing the word of God; remembering what He says and living by those words, is a key part of fruitfulness.
The second main way that Jesus communicates is by the voice of the Spirit. In fact, reading the Bible will be lifeless unless we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us. But we must be listening to the voice of God at every moment and in every situation. That is part of remaining in Jesus. You remember when we talked about nudges and prompts and so on. Hearing Jesus speak is part of the close relationship. Without it – without hearing His voice – we cannot say that we are in a close relationship. And without the relationship, we won’t bear any fruit. Without Jesus we can do nothing.
The third main means of communication is, of course, prayer. God speaks to us through the Bible and by His Spirit, but prayer is two way. We speak to God and we listening, again, to the voice of the Spirit.
In the context of remaining in Him, Jesus refers to prayer. In v.7 He says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you will and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” The fruitfulness arises out of answered prayer. It is about what God can do. It is not what we do but what God can do through us. When we are constantly guided by the scriptures then we can pray and God will answer.
In v.16 Jesus again says “whatever you ask in my name the father will give you.” If we want to be influential on a miracle level, then it will come out of a life of studying the Bible and prayer.
Communication is essential to the relationship. So is cooperation.
John 15:10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love.
If you keep my commands... Communicating is not enough. We must also do. It is about obedience.
And if we don’t do, then there must be confession. We need to go back to Jesus and sort the relationship out. That is part of the pruning that Jesus mentioned but notice what Jesus said was the purpose of that pruning. God prunes so that we might be even more fruitful.
Jesus said we can do nothing without Him. If we think that nothing means absolutely nothing, then He is wrong. People do things without Jesus all of the time. But the context tells us that it is about the work of the Kingdom. Do you want to be influential for the Kingdom of God? Do you want to see more people become Christians? And see them grow, and see them worship and serve? If we want to be influential for God, then it is true that we can do nothing without Jesus. We must give time to foster that relationship. It all arises out of that relationship.
How is the relationship? If you want to be more effective for God, don’t start with the task. Start with the relationship. Work on that. Don’t concentrate on the end of the branch that should have grapes hanging off it; look to see how well the other end is attached to the vine. Focus on the relationship. Jesus said, “If you remain in me, you will bear much fruit.” If the relationship is right, the fruit will result.
Remaining in Jesus is, of course, addressed to those who are already in Jesus. Jesus was talking to His disciples. He said, “You are already clean.” They were already saved. But maybe you haven’t yet entered that relationship. You won’t achieve anything of eternal significance unless you do. Real, eternal, God-pleasing influence is possible only when we are in relationship with Jesus. But entering that relationship is not difficult. You have only to ask. Jesus said He would never turn away anyone who comes to Him.
The Number One Key to being influential is having a close relationship with Jesus. Our influence flows out of the relationship.
Influence is about making a difference. It is about causing changes in other people’s lives. If you help someone make a good decision, that is influence. If you encourage someone who is down in the dumps, that is influence. If you help someone come to know Jesus, that is influence. If you help someone understand the Bible, and especially if you help that person live it out, that is influence. Influence is anything that changes another person’s life. If you help someone make a bad decisions, that is influence. If you discourage someone, that is influence – but let’s talk about how to be a good influence.
The Number One key to being a good influence is having a close relationship with Jesus.
Really? Isn’t that just the glib Christian propaganda? That is what you would expect a Christian to say but surely it isn’t true. Many influential people do not have a relationship with Jesus.
Here’s why I say it: In the Bible, in John 15:5 Jesus says, “Without me you can do nothing.”
Some of you might still be saying “Surely not! I can do lots of things without Jesus.”
In 1978, Michael H. Hart wrote a book entitled: The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History which he revised in 1992. According to him, the ten most influential people in history are:
1. Mohammed
2. Sir Isaac Newton
3. Jesus Christ
4. Buddha
5. Confucius
6. St Paul
7. Cai Lun (regarded as the inventor of paper and papermaking)
8. Johannes Gutenberg (in the inventor of the mechanical printing press)
9. Christopher Columbus
10. Albert Einstein
It is not my job to judge but I guess that at least five of the top ten didn’t have a relationship with Jesus. People have changed the world without Jesus. How can Jesus say that without Him we can do nothing?
We might ask if the influence of all of those people has been positive. Mohammed has undoubtedly been influential. We see stories about Islam on the news every night. Huge influence. But a good influence? No, so much of what we hear about Islam is destructive. No, he has led many people away from Jesus. Buddha and Confucius have likewise established religions that are, in some respects at least, in opposition to Jesus. So, when Jesus said we can do nothing without Him, did he mean nothing good?
But what about scientific advances or the invention of paper or new discoveries? Surely they are good?
How can I say that the Number One Key to influence is a close relationship with Jesus? Well, I say it because Jesus said it. It is not my responsibility! I can just hide behind Jesus but how can Jesus say that we can do nothing without Him?
READ John 15:1-17
Jesus uses the image of the vine with its branches. Jesus is the vine. We are the branches. The purpose of the branches is to produce grapes and Jesus repeatedly talks about bearing fruit. In fact...
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last...
Jesus has chosen us to bear fruit. That is our purpose – bearing fruit. That is the context in which Jesus says we can do nothing without Him. This might trouble you but “nothing” doesn’t mean nothing. Some character invented paper without Jesus. Maybe God still inspired his inventiveness. OK, so could I murder someone without Jesus? Obviously, Jesus wouldn’t be involved in that. If I was going to murder someone, I would have to do that without Jesus. There are some things I can do without Jesus.
But Jesus is talking about bearing fruit. That narrows it down. That helps us know what the “nothing” refers to. We can bear no fruit without Jesus. What is fruit? What fruit is God looking for in our lives? What fruit have we been chosen by Jesus to produce? What fruit brings God glory?
Is it perhaps Kingdom of God stuff? Yes, you can murder someone without Jesus, but you can’t change his heart or give him faith. And yet that is what the gardener is looking for from our lives.
The five purposes of the church provide a framework. God is looking for worship.
John 4:23 A time is coming and has now come, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.
God is looking for true worshippers. That is part of the fruit. He is looking for true worship in our lives. He is looking for us to be totally dedicated to Him; for us to put God first in everything. Are we sold out for God; in love with Him and committed to doing what He asks? But he is also looking for true worship through us. Are we helping other people become true worshippers?
Fellowship. God is looking for the “love one another”. In fact, that is in the John 15 passage.
John 15:12 My command is this; love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Again, I suggest, in us and through us. God wants us to be loving. The fruit of the Spirit is love. But He is also looking for us to influence others to be loving.
Maturity. Jesus talked about branches being pruned so as to be even more fruitful (v.2) That is about growth; about being refined; about becoming more Christ-like – and hence, bearing more fruit.
Jesus also said, “If my words remain in you, ask whatever you will and it will be done for you” (v.7) If my words remain in you... Maturity involves knowing the Bible and the Bible being our guide in everything. In the wider context of the Last Supper, He also talked about the Holy Spirit who teaches and transforms. God looks for maturity - our own maturity and us growing others to maturity.
Serving. At the start of the Last Supper, Jesus washed the disciples feet and then said...
John 13:14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.
On another occasion, He said the greatest in the Kingdom is the one who serves. God is looking for us to serve others and for us to encourage other to also serve. Is He finding that fruit in your life?
Evangelism. It goes without saying, doesn’t it, that the fruit includes new Christians. God has chosen us to bear fruit that will last forever. That includes people saved for eternity. We have been commissioned to go and make disciples of all nations.
“Fruit that will last for ever” gives us a clue as to what God is looking for. It is bigger than discovering America or inventing paper. Jesus is talking about Kingdom things. I hope that you also are focused on Kingdom things. Jesus said, “Seek first His Kingdom.” I hope that the influence you want to have is influence for the Kingdom of God. But we can do nothing for the Kingdom without remaining in Jesus.
Remaining in Jesus means being there and staying there. Do you live your whole life in Jesus? Are you conscious that he is always with you? Is everything you do, done with Jesus in mind? Is it your desire to do what He wants and are you able because He is the source of everything you need?
How can we have that relationship? There’s a lot that could be said but let’s restrict ourselves to two aspects: communicate and cooperate.
Communicate. Remaining in Jesus means talking to him; listening to Him; taking instruction from Him; seeking His help.
There are three main ways in which Jesus speaks to us. One is the Bible. If we want to be influential for the Kingdom of God then we must have a close relationship with Jesus. To have that close relationship, we must read the Bible and meditate on it regularly. The Bible is the word of God to us. This is where He has communicated so much. The Bible is where we get to know God; know His ways; know His mind; understand who He is and what he is like. It is through the Bible that He speaks.
In this passage about bearing fruit, Jesus referred to this. V.7: If my words remain in you... Knowing the word of God; remembering what He says and living by those words, is a key part of fruitfulness.
The second main way that Jesus communicates is by the voice of the Spirit. In fact, reading the Bible will be lifeless unless we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us. But we must be listening to the voice of God at every moment and in every situation. That is part of remaining in Jesus. You remember when we talked about nudges and prompts and so on. Hearing Jesus speak is part of the close relationship. Without it – without hearing His voice – we cannot say that we are in a close relationship. And without the relationship, we won’t bear any fruit. Without Jesus we can do nothing.
The third main means of communication is, of course, prayer. God speaks to us through the Bible and by His Spirit, but prayer is two way. We speak to God and we listening, again, to the voice of the Spirit.
In the context of remaining in Him, Jesus refers to prayer. In v.7 He says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you will and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” The fruitfulness arises out of answered prayer. It is about what God can do. It is not what we do but what God can do through us. When we are constantly guided by the scriptures then we can pray and God will answer.
In v.16 Jesus again says “whatever you ask in my name the father will give you.” If we want to be influential on a miracle level, then it will come out of a life of studying the Bible and prayer.
Communication is essential to the relationship. So is cooperation.
John 15:10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love.
If you keep my commands... Communicating is not enough. We must also do. It is about obedience.
And if we don’t do, then there must be confession. We need to go back to Jesus and sort the relationship out. That is part of the pruning that Jesus mentioned but notice what Jesus said was the purpose of that pruning. God prunes so that we might be even more fruitful.
Jesus said we can do nothing without Him. If we think that nothing means absolutely nothing, then He is wrong. People do things without Jesus all of the time. But the context tells us that it is about the work of the Kingdom. Do you want to be influential for the Kingdom of God? Do you want to see more people become Christians? And see them grow, and see them worship and serve? If we want to be influential for God, then it is true that we can do nothing without Jesus. We must give time to foster that relationship. It all arises out of that relationship.
How is the relationship? If you want to be more effective for God, don’t start with the task. Start with the relationship. Work on that. Don’t concentrate on the end of the branch that should have grapes hanging off it; look to see how well the other end is attached to the vine. Focus on the relationship. Jesus said, “If you remain in me, you will bear much fruit.” If the relationship is right, the fruit will result.
Remaining in Jesus is, of course, addressed to those who are already in Jesus. Jesus was talking to His disciples. He said, “You are already clean.” They were already saved. But maybe you haven’t yet entered that relationship. You won’t achieve anything of eternal significance unless you do. Real, eternal, God-pleasing influence is possible only when we are in relationship with Jesus. But entering that relationship is not difficult. You have only to ask. Jesus said He would never turn away anyone who comes to Him.
The Number One Key to being influential is having a close relationship with Jesus. Our influence flows out of the relationship.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
06.05.10 - The Heart Of A Disciple-Maker
Preached at the induction of Rev John Coutts to the Wyndham Presbyterian Church.
This is a great privilege. John and I were in the Theological Hall together many years ago and in a small group together, I think. It is great to catch up with John and Maureen again and to be in the same region.
I do have to confess that, as I have prepared for tonight, I have also been thinking of things I might have to do later this year. Consequently, my theme is disciple-making (which might not surprise you.).
In April 1994, Rwanda experienced large scale genocide inflicted by the majority Hutu on the minority Tutsi people. Between half a million and one million people were killed, two million refugees fled the country and one million people were displaced within Rwanda itself. Rwanda was one of the two centres of the 1930’s East African Revival which is apparently still sweeping East Africa. The revival had made Rwanda a predominantly Christianised country, yet Christians were directly implicated in the killings. When the killings started, the people, including the Christians, tended to fall back on their ethnic, not their Christian, culture. One Rwandan bishop remarked, “After a century of evangelisation we have to begin again because the best catechists (lay teachers), those who filled our churches on Sundays, were the first to go out with machetes in their hands.”
I have heard Jim Young recently quoted as saying that Christianity in Malawi is a mile wide and an inch deep. What about New Zealand?
An inch deep is not what Jesus intended. The Great Commission commands us to “Go and make disciples.” Our core business is making disciples. The Great Commission defines that as bringing people to faith in Jesus and then bringing them to maturity in Jesus. Maturity is far deeper than one inch. How are we to do that? I believe we can, and should, learn the principles from Jesus, the model disciple-maker.
More recently, I have been looking at 1 Thessalonians and I am fascinated by it because there we see the heart and the mind of a disciple-maker. Paul had established the church in Thessalonica. There had been fantastic, powerful conversions. Paul had then mentored the new Christians and, in this letter is writing back to them, reflecting on his previous contact with them and giving some more instruction and encouragement. In other words, we have a disciple-maker reflecting on the process. We see the heart of a disciple-maker and we hear something about his methods. How does Paul’s strategy compare with Jesus’?
The first thing I normally say about Jesus’ method was that it was relational, not programmatic. We tend to want to put new Christians through a 6 week course. For Jesus it was about relating. The disciples learnt from being with Him, watching Him, listening to Him, asking questions. It was about His life rubbing off on them. It was a case of iron sharpening iron.
But relationships take time. Relationships aren’t as neat and tidy as programmes. Maybe that is why they are such a good context for learning. We learn how to deal with broken relationship and frustration and we see how someone handles criticism, or heals, or prays.
The second thing that I normally say about Jesus’ method is that He was very intentional. When He called the first disciples, Jesus said, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” “Come follow me.” That is the relationship – a mentoring, rabbi-and-disciple relationship. “And I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus knew right from the beginning what His goal was. “I will make you fishers of men.” He was going to train missionaries. Intentional.
Likewise, in Mark 3:14 it says, “He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” Again, there was the relationship. It was about being with Him. And there was the intentionality: that He might send them out. His intention was to train up missionaries.
One of the puzzles with all of this is that perhaps the two key things for Jesus are largely absent in our churches. We tend to use programmes rather than relationships. And I am not sure that we are very intentional about training missionaries. When people join our churches do we say, “We will make you fishers of men”?
There is much more we could say about Jesus’ method but let’s just focus on that fact that that it was relational and it was intentional. Do we see those things in Paul’s ministry to the Thessalonians?
Paul calls the Thessalonians “brothers” or “brothers and sisters” sixteen times in the letter’s five chapters. There is a huge warmth in Paul’s affirmation of them for the way their faith has grown and their witness is spreading “everywhere”. He says he is constantly giving thanks to God for them.
Listen to the language used in 2:17 – 3:5
“We were orphaned by being separated from you” Paul felt like an orphaned child, alone and lost, when he wasn’t with the Thessalonians. But he had still been thinking about them. He talks about his “intense longing”; about making “every effort” to see them again. “We wanted to come to you, again and again.”
Then see how he talks about them. “What is our hope, our joy or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our hope and glory.”
He talks about being able to stand it no longer. This is very passionate language. Paul says, “I was afraid that you might have fallen away. I just had to know how you were getting on in your faith.”
As it happens, the Thessalonians also have very pleasant memories of him and long to see Paul again.
Did you notice the relational images used in the passage Brian read? Paul hadn’t come as the famous apostle demanding respect and support. He says, “Instead we were like young children amongst you.” He would be their spiritual father but they came like young children.
Then he talks about being a nursing mother, then a father. “Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, we cared for you... We dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children.” They are very tender, relational images.
He said, “We loved you so much we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” Paul didn’t just teach or preach. He shared his life. His life was an open book. He allowed them to observe him. He was transparent. They saw how he lived. They saw how he reacted. They saw how he ministered. Much of disciple-making is modelling. Jesus modelled discipleship. So did Paul.
1 Thess 1:5,6 ...You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord...
A large part of their training came though seeing how Paul lived and therefore being able to imitate it. Paul had no qualms about saying they should imitate Him. That is what mentoring is about. They would learn things from observing that they could never learn in a classroom. Disciple-making is relational.
Seeing him toiling night and day to support himself (2:9) would have had a much greater impact on them than a lesson about giving up your rights so as not to impose on others. Paul did it. They saw it. They learnt from it. They became imitators of him.
1 Thess 2:10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into His Kingdom and glory.
They have seen his holiness, righteousness and blamelessness. He has shared his life with them. But they have also seen the father-like way he dealt with them. Do you think they learnt anything from Paul’s example? Do you think they might have also imitated that tender, caring style when they mentored the next generation of Christians?
Jesus and Paul both modelled a very relational style of disciple-making. Are we caring for younger Christians like nursing mothers or like fathers? Are we sharing our lives with them? Are we transparent; letting people see how we live so that they learn what Christlikeness is like?
I mentioned my interest in disciple-making to Ken Rout, a missionary friend. His immediate, gentle response was, “The problem in New Zealand is that we are too selfish. Too selfish to give the time. Too selfish to invest in young Christians.” Paul said, “We were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” Are we delighted to share both the gospel and our lives?
When Paul said that he had dealt with them like a father deals with his own children, notice what he says that means: encouraging, comforting and urging them to live lives worthy of God. There is huge tenderness there. It is not overbearing or demanding. It is encouraging and comforting. But there is also huge intentionality. He has a clear goal, so Paul encourages, comforts and urges them to live lives worthy of God. He knows what he is after. Paul doesn’t just congratulate them on being Christians and leave them to it. He intentionally builds into their lives that they might live lives worthy of God.
He wants them to be sanctified - to be able to stand before Jesus holy and blameless. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit by which Christians grow towards Christlikeness – towards maturity.
1 Thess 3:13 May [God] strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
1 Thess 4:3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.
1 Thess 5:23-24 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
If you want further evidence of Paul’s focus on bringing people to maturity, look at...
Col 1:28-29 28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Paul also refers back to the instruction he had given them while with them and, therefore, we see something of his curriculum. It appears to have been pretty comprehensive.
1 Thess 3:3-4 You know quite well that we are destined for [trials]. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted.
1 Thess 4:1-2 1Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
They had had instruction on the Second Coming
1 Thess 5:2 ...you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night
When we do courses with new Christians do we cover the certainty of persecution, how to live in order to please God, and the Second Coming? What do you think might have been included in the topic of living to please God? Maybe living by faith, ministering, relationships, giving – a whole list of things. They hadn’t only had the instruction. They had been trained to actually do it. Paul says, “We instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living.” They hadn’t just filled their notebooks. They had changed their lives. The Great Commission says, “teaching them to obey all I have commanded you.”
They might have received comprehensive training but Paul continues to add to that training. There is more teaching in this letter – filling in some gaps, clarifying, reinforcing. Paul is very focused on “supplying what is lacking in their faith” (3:10).
Even though they have grown amazingly and their witness is spreading everywhere, Paul still urges them on to greater heights. This is the disciple-maker at work, constantly wanting greater maturity. They were already living in order to please God but Paul asks and urges them in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more (1 Thess 4:1-2).
Their love was legendary but Paul urges them to do so more and more (4:9-10)
He also urges them to mentor others. These Christians might not have been very old but already they were discipling the next generation of Christians. Just as Paul had been a model to them that they had imitated, they were a model to all of the believers in Macedonian and Achaia (1:7-10). The disciples had become disciple-makers.
1 Thess 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as, in fact, you are doing.
John, I don’t know how this sits with you. Wyndham, I don’t know how it sits with you. Can I simply lay this before you for your consideration? I want to suggest to you that your core business is making disciples. And I want to suggest that God’s way, as modelled by both Jesus and Paul, is first of all relational and secondly intentional. If this means anything to you at all, my encouragement is: be very intentional about making disciples and do that via relationships.
This is a great privilege. John and I were in the Theological Hall together many years ago and in a small group together, I think. It is great to catch up with John and Maureen again and to be in the same region.
I do have to confess that, as I have prepared for tonight, I have also been thinking of things I might have to do later this year. Consequently, my theme is disciple-making (which might not surprise you.).
In April 1994, Rwanda experienced large scale genocide inflicted by the majority Hutu on the minority Tutsi people. Between half a million and one million people were killed, two million refugees fled the country and one million people were displaced within Rwanda itself. Rwanda was one of the two centres of the 1930’s East African Revival which is apparently still sweeping East Africa. The revival had made Rwanda a predominantly Christianised country, yet Christians were directly implicated in the killings. When the killings started, the people, including the Christians, tended to fall back on their ethnic, not their Christian, culture. One Rwandan bishop remarked, “After a century of evangelisation we have to begin again because the best catechists (lay teachers), those who filled our churches on Sundays, were the first to go out with machetes in their hands.”
I have heard Jim Young recently quoted as saying that Christianity in Malawi is a mile wide and an inch deep. What about New Zealand?
An inch deep is not what Jesus intended. The Great Commission commands us to “Go and make disciples.” Our core business is making disciples. The Great Commission defines that as bringing people to faith in Jesus and then bringing them to maturity in Jesus. Maturity is far deeper than one inch. How are we to do that? I believe we can, and should, learn the principles from Jesus, the model disciple-maker.
More recently, I have been looking at 1 Thessalonians and I am fascinated by it because there we see the heart and the mind of a disciple-maker. Paul had established the church in Thessalonica. There had been fantastic, powerful conversions. Paul had then mentored the new Christians and, in this letter is writing back to them, reflecting on his previous contact with them and giving some more instruction and encouragement. In other words, we have a disciple-maker reflecting on the process. We see the heart of a disciple-maker and we hear something about his methods. How does Paul’s strategy compare with Jesus’?
The first thing I normally say about Jesus’ method was that it was relational, not programmatic. We tend to want to put new Christians through a 6 week course. For Jesus it was about relating. The disciples learnt from being with Him, watching Him, listening to Him, asking questions. It was about His life rubbing off on them. It was a case of iron sharpening iron.
But relationships take time. Relationships aren’t as neat and tidy as programmes. Maybe that is why they are such a good context for learning. We learn how to deal with broken relationship and frustration and we see how someone handles criticism, or heals, or prays.
The second thing that I normally say about Jesus’ method is that He was very intentional. When He called the first disciples, Jesus said, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” “Come follow me.” That is the relationship – a mentoring, rabbi-and-disciple relationship. “And I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus knew right from the beginning what His goal was. “I will make you fishers of men.” He was going to train missionaries. Intentional.
Likewise, in Mark 3:14 it says, “He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” Again, there was the relationship. It was about being with Him. And there was the intentionality: that He might send them out. His intention was to train up missionaries.
One of the puzzles with all of this is that perhaps the two key things for Jesus are largely absent in our churches. We tend to use programmes rather than relationships. And I am not sure that we are very intentional about training missionaries. When people join our churches do we say, “We will make you fishers of men”?
There is much more we could say about Jesus’ method but let’s just focus on that fact that that it was relational and it was intentional. Do we see those things in Paul’s ministry to the Thessalonians?
Paul calls the Thessalonians “brothers” or “brothers and sisters” sixteen times in the letter’s five chapters. There is a huge warmth in Paul’s affirmation of them for the way their faith has grown and their witness is spreading “everywhere”. He says he is constantly giving thanks to God for them.
Listen to the language used in 2:17 – 3:5
“We were orphaned by being separated from you” Paul felt like an orphaned child, alone and lost, when he wasn’t with the Thessalonians. But he had still been thinking about them. He talks about his “intense longing”; about making “every effort” to see them again. “We wanted to come to you, again and again.”
Then see how he talks about them. “What is our hope, our joy or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our hope and glory.”
He talks about being able to stand it no longer. This is very passionate language. Paul says, “I was afraid that you might have fallen away. I just had to know how you were getting on in your faith.”
As it happens, the Thessalonians also have very pleasant memories of him and long to see Paul again.
Did you notice the relational images used in the passage Brian read? Paul hadn’t come as the famous apostle demanding respect and support. He says, “Instead we were like young children amongst you.” He would be their spiritual father but they came like young children.
Then he talks about being a nursing mother, then a father. “Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, we cared for you... We dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children.” They are very tender, relational images.
He said, “We loved you so much we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” Paul didn’t just teach or preach. He shared his life. His life was an open book. He allowed them to observe him. He was transparent. They saw how he lived. They saw how he reacted. They saw how he ministered. Much of disciple-making is modelling. Jesus modelled discipleship. So did Paul.
1 Thess 1:5,6 ...You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord...
A large part of their training came though seeing how Paul lived and therefore being able to imitate it. Paul had no qualms about saying they should imitate Him. That is what mentoring is about. They would learn things from observing that they could never learn in a classroom. Disciple-making is relational.
Seeing him toiling night and day to support himself (2:9) would have had a much greater impact on them than a lesson about giving up your rights so as not to impose on others. Paul did it. They saw it. They learnt from it. They became imitators of him.
1 Thess 2:10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into His Kingdom and glory.
They have seen his holiness, righteousness and blamelessness. He has shared his life with them. But they have also seen the father-like way he dealt with them. Do you think they learnt anything from Paul’s example? Do you think they might have also imitated that tender, caring style when they mentored the next generation of Christians?
Jesus and Paul both modelled a very relational style of disciple-making. Are we caring for younger Christians like nursing mothers or like fathers? Are we sharing our lives with them? Are we transparent; letting people see how we live so that they learn what Christlikeness is like?
I mentioned my interest in disciple-making to Ken Rout, a missionary friend. His immediate, gentle response was, “The problem in New Zealand is that we are too selfish. Too selfish to give the time. Too selfish to invest in young Christians.” Paul said, “We were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” Are we delighted to share both the gospel and our lives?
When Paul said that he had dealt with them like a father deals with his own children, notice what he says that means: encouraging, comforting and urging them to live lives worthy of God. There is huge tenderness there. It is not overbearing or demanding. It is encouraging and comforting. But there is also huge intentionality. He has a clear goal, so Paul encourages, comforts and urges them to live lives worthy of God. He knows what he is after. Paul doesn’t just congratulate them on being Christians and leave them to it. He intentionally builds into their lives that they might live lives worthy of God.
He wants them to be sanctified - to be able to stand before Jesus holy and blameless. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit by which Christians grow towards Christlikeness – towards maturity.
1 Thess 3:13 May [God] strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
1 Thess 4:3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.
1 Thess 5:23-24 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
If you want further evidence of Paul’s focus on bringing people to maturity, look at...
Col 1:28-29 28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Paul also refers back to the instruction he had given them while with them and, therefore, we see something of his curriculum. It appears to have been pretty comprehensive.
1 Thess 3:3-4 You know quite well that we are destined for [trials]. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted.
1 Thess 4:1-2 1Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
They had had instruction on the Second Coming
1 Thess 5:2 ...you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night
When we do courses with new Christians do we cover the certainty of persecution, how to live in order to please God, and the Second Coming? What do you think might have been included in the topic of living to please God? Maybe living by faith, ministering, relationships, giving – a whole list of things. They hadn’t only had the instruction. They had been trained to actually do it. Paul says, “We instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living.” They hadn’t just filled their notebooks. They had changed their lives. The Great Commission says, “teaching them to obey all I have commanded you.”
They might have received comprehensive training but Paul continues to add to that training. There is more teaching in this letter – filling in some gaps, clarifying, reinforcing. Paul is very focused on “supplying what is lacking in their faith” (3:10).
Even though they have grown amazingly and their witness is spreading everywhere, Paul still urges them on to greater heights. This is the disciple-maker at work, constantly wanting greater maturity. They were already living in order to please God but Paul asks and urges them in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more (1 Thess 4:1-2).
Their love was legendary but Paul urges them to do so more and more (4:9-10)
He also urges them to mentor others. These Christians might not have been very old but already they were discipling the next generation of Christians. Just as Paul had been a model to them that they had imitated, they were a model to all of the believers in Macedonian and Achaia (1:7-10). The disciples had become disciple-makers.
1 Thess 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as, in fact, you are doing.
John, I don’t know how this sits with you. Wyndham, I don’t know how it sits with you. Can I simply lay this before you for your consideration? I want to suggest to you that your core business is making disciples. And I want to suggest that God’s way, as modelled by both Jesus and Paul, is first of all relational and secondly intentional. If this means anything to you at all, my encouragement is: be very intentional about making disciples and do that via relationships.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
02.05.10 - Our Motivation For Influencing Others
Do you know the word “influence” is used only twice in the Bible – once in the Old Testament and once in the New? And yet, the whole Bible is about influence. All leadership is about influence. The prophets were sent to influence. The gospel writers’ intention was to influence. We are commissioned to influence.
Some influence is good. Some influence is bad.
Imagine you are at a party and someone offers you drugs – for free. Or maybe doesn’t even offer. He just slips those drugs into your drink. He is trying to influence you but what is wrong with his influence?
1. His message is wrong
2. His method is wrong
3. His motive is wrong
His message is wrong. He is trying to persuade you to do something foolish. Wrong choices have consequences. He might promise a great experience; forget all your worries; life will be easier – but the fact is that taking drugs is a choice with bad consequences: damage to the brain and other organs; involvement in crime or prostitution to fund the addiction; incredible damage to other people: desperate parents; the victims of that crime; children born already addicted; victims of drug-induced violence.
A bad influence because of a bad message. But let’s think about the method.
Why free drugs? To get you wanting more and so to start an addiction. It is coercion. There is added pressure. Your freedom to choose is lessened by the offer.
We don’t like hard-sell, pressurised advertising. We don’t like the persistence of some of the telemarketers who ring us. We don’t like being made to feel guilty. We don’t like being backed into a corner. We don’t like feeling forced to do something. Those methods reduce our freedom to choose.
That is wrong. Even God doesn’t to that. If anyone could force, surely it is God but He has given us freedom of choice. He appeals to us. He warns us. He tells of the consequences. He loves us and wants the best for us. But He doesn’t force us.
There is a type of influence that is pressured, controlling or manipulative. We might want someone to make a good choice – such as, becoming a Christian. Good choice. Lots of benefits. But it is their choice. We surely want to influence people to put their faith in Jesus. We know how good that is. We know the many benefits. We can appeal and warn and talk about the benefits, but we should squirm at the use trickery or pressure in evangelism. We must give the person the respect that allows him/her to say no.
Most of us live with a tension. There is something in all of us that wants to be influential. We want to make a difference. We want to obey God. But we don’t like pushy people and we don’t want to be pushy. We don’t like interfering people and we don’t want to be like that. We don’t like people who are proud or superior, and we don’t want to look like that.
Was Jesus influential? Like, change-the-world influential? Aren’t we meant to be like Him? Aren’t we called to change the world? Aren’t we called to go and make disciples? Yes, we are.
2 Cor 5:11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people...
We are in the persuading business. We are in the influencing business. How can we be the influence we want to be without being the negative influence that we don’t like? Test your message. Are you influencing people in the right direction? Test your methods. Do you respect the person’s right to choose?
Let’s also test our motives. Why do we want to influence? Consider the following motives:
1. I want to be remembered. I want to go down in history. I want to make a name for myself
2. I want to get my way. I want to win.
3. I will benefit. I am doing it for what I will get out of it. For example, if you get hooked on drugs, I will make lots of money. If you become a Christian, I will look good.
When I was training for ministry, for a while I went into the Dunedin prison each week to talk to the prisoners until I realised that I wasn’t doing it for their benefit. I was doing it for myself. It was good experience for me and an opportunity to learn but I didn’t have the love for them that I should have. There is something very biblical about visiting prisoners, but my motivation was wrong.
The Pharisees were influential people. They taught the law and ensured that people kept the law. But they were hypocrites. They didn’t keep the law themselves. Jesus said:
Matt 23:4-7 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 "Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honour at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them 'Rabbi.'
Right actions; wrong motivation. It is good to keep God’s law but the Pharisees used it to burden other people. They prayed long prayers in public places and dressed to impress with their spirituality. Praying is great but Jesus said “Everything they do is done for people to see”. Good action; wrong motivation.
On the last evening of His earthly life, Jesus took a lot of time trying to influence the disciples. He was about to die and His whole work could have died with Him unless these men could be persuaded to carry it on. Yet they would be bereft and in no place to carry it on – unless He could persuade them. There is a great deal in this occasion about influence. Let’s see what it says about Jesus’ motivation, from John’s account – John chapters 13 to 17. Why was He anxious to persuade them?
John 13:1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The while evening is introduced with that sentence and there is a telling contrast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to die, but He loved the disciples to the end. When He could have been preoccupied with His own issues, we are told that He continued to love the disciples. This whole evening was about love. It wasn’t about Him. It was about comforting and equipping them.
It wasn’t just about them. It was also about God.
John 15:8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
If they carry on and they bear fruit, God will receive glory. That is part of Jesus’ motivation.
It was also about the rest of the world. If they carry one, people will come to believe.
John 17:21, 23 21...May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 23...Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
But, overwhelmingly, Jesus’ motivation was for the disciples themselves. Why was He influencing them?
John 13:19; 14:29 "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am.
John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 16:1, 4 1 "All this I have told you so that you will not fall away... 4 I have told you this, so that when their hour comes you will remember that I warned you about them.
John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.
John 17:13 ...I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
Jesus repeatedly says, “I am saying these things to you because I want you to believe and to have peace and complete joy. I don’t want you to fall away. That’s my motivation.”
John 17:24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory...
What Jesus wanted was not something for Himself. He wanted the disciples to be with Him and to experience His glory. “I want” expresses the motivation. Two verses later, He said:
John 17:26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
Jesus’ wanted the disciples to know the love of God – the same love that God had for Jesus Himself – and might be Christ-filled. Jesus wanted them to be committed and to follow Him because that is the path to joy and peace and fruitfulness and blessing and hope for eternity. Following Jesus is the way we, and those we love, will find greatest blessing. If we love people we will try to influence them.
There is so much more in this passage that shows Jesus’ motivation.
After washing the disciples’ feet and speaking about servanthood, He said, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (Jn 13:17) He taught them so that they would be blessed. He talks of many blessings in this passage: answered prayer, fruitfulness, being loved by God, having the Holy Spirit, masses of things. Yes, He wanted to influence them. He wanted them to make the right choices. Part of that was being straight-up about the consequences. If they trusted Him and served Him there would be many blessings. If they didn’t they would be like the vine branches that would be cut off and thrown into the fire. He used all sort of means to persuade them, but His motivation was for them to know the blessings God had for them. The choice was still theirs but He would certainly try to persuade.
Some of us are nervous about evangelism; nervous about making disciples; nervous about influencing people. But, if our motivation is right, then we should also try hard to persuade. As followers of Jesus, we are in the persuading business. If we don’t like pushiness, then let’s not be pushy. If we don’t like pride don’t be proud. Let’s serve like Jesus. We must test our message, our methods and our motivation.
But what if our motivation is right? What if we do genuinely love people and we want them to know God’s love and peace and joy and we want them to be fruitful and to be blessed through following Jesus? Then let’s be influential like Jesus.
We need to ask ourselves, “Why do I want to influence this person? What is my motivation?” But equally, if we are reticent, we must ask ourselves, “Why do I not want to influence this person? When there is so much blessing he or she could experience, why do I not want to influence this person? Why do I hesitate?”
Is your message right? Are your methods right? Is your motivation right? Then go for it. If any of those things is wrong, then stop. But if those things are right, nothing should stop us influencing others. If those things are right, what reason is there for not influencing others?
Some influence is good. Some influence is bad.
Imagine you are at a party and someone offers you drugs – for free. Or maybe doesn’t even offer. He just slips those drugs into your drink. He is trying to influence you but what is wrong with his influence?
1. His message is wrong
2. His method is wrong
3. His motive is wrong
His message is wrong. He is trying to persuade you to do something foolish. Wrong choices have consequences. He might promise a great experience; forget all your worries; life will be easier – but the fact is that taking drugs is a choice with bad consequences: damage to the brain and other organs; involvement in crime or prostitution to fund the addiction; incredible damage to other people: desperate parents; the victims of that crime; children born already addicted; victims of drug-induced violence.
A bad influence because of a bad message. But let’s think about the method.
Why free drugs? To get you wanting more and so to start an addiction. It is coercion. There is added pressure. Your freedom to choose is lessened by the offer.
We don’t like hard-sell, pressurised advertising. We don’t like the persistence of some of the telemarketers who ring us. We don’t like being made to feel guilty. We don’t like being backed into a corner. We don’t like feeling forced to do something. Those methods reduce our freedom to choose.
That is wrong. Even God doesn’t to that. If anyone could force, surely it is God but He has given us freedom of choice. He appeals to us. He warns us. He tells of the consequences. He loves us and wants the best for us. But He doesn’t force us.
There is a type of influence that is pressured, controlling or manipulative. We might want someone to make a good choice – such as, becoming a Christian. Good choice. Lots of benefits. But it is their choice. We surely want to influence people to put their faith in Jesus. We know how good that is. We know the many benefits. We can appeal and warn and talk about the benefits, but we should squirm at the use trickery or pressure in evangelism. We must give the person the respect that allows him/her to say no.
Most of us live with a tension. There is something in all of us that wants to be influential. We want to make a difference. We want to obey God. But we don’t like pushy people and we don’t want to be pushy. We don’t like interfering people and we don’t want to be like that. We don’t like people who are proud or superior, and we don’t want to look like that.
Was Jesus influential? Like, change-the-world influential? Aren’t we meant to be like Him? Aren’t we called to change the world? Aren’t we called to go and make disciples? Yes, we are.
2 Cor 5:11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people...
We are in the persuading business. We are in the influencing business. How can we be the influence we want to be without being the negative influence that we don’t like? Test your message. Are you influencing people in the right direction? Test your methods. Do you respect the person’s right to choose?
Let’s also test our motives. Why do we want to influence? Consider the following motives:
1. I want to be remembered. I want to go down in history. I want to make a name for myself
2. I want to get my way. I want to win.
3. I will benefit. I am doing it for what I will get out of it. For example, if you get hooked on drugs, I will make lots of money. If you become a Christian, I will look good.
When I was training for ministry, for a while I went into the Dunedin prison each week to talk to the prisoners until I realised that I wasn’t doing it for their benefit. I was doing it for myself. It was good experience for me and an opportunity to learn but I didn’t have the love for them that I should have. There is something very biblical about visiting prisoners, but my motivation was wrong.
The Pharisees were influential people. They taught the law and ensured that people kept the law. But they were hypocrites. They didn’t keep the law themselves. Jesus said:
Matt 23:4-7 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 "Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honour at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them 'Rabbi.'
Right actions; wrong motivation. It is good to keep God’s law but the Pharisees used it to burden other people. They prayed long prayers in public places and dressed to impress with their spirituality. Praying is great but Jesus said “Everything they do is done for people to see”. Good action; wrong motivation.
On the last evening of His earthly life, Jesus took a lot of time trying to influence the disciples. He was about to die and His whole work could have died with Him unless these men could be persuaded to carry it on. Yet they would be bereft and in no place to carry it on – unless He could persuade them. There is a great deal in this occasion about influence. Let’s see what it says about Jesus’ motivation, from John’s account – John chapters 13 to 17. Why was He anxious to persuade them?
John 13:1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The while evening is introduced with that sentence and there is a telling contrast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to die, but He loved the disciples to the end. When He could have been preoccupied with His own issues, we are told that He continued to love the disciples. This whole evening was about love. It wasn’t about Him. It was about comforting and equipping them.
It wasn’t just about them. It was also about God.
John 15:8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
If they carry on and they bear fruit, God will receive glory. That is part of Jesus’ motivation.
It was also about the rest of the world. If they carry one, people will come to believe.
John 17:21, 23 21...May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 23...Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
But, overwhelmingly, Jesus’ motivation was for the disciples themselves. Why was He influencing them?
John 13:19; 14:29 "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am.
John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 16:1, 4 1 "All this I have told you so that you will not fall away... 4 I have told you this, so that when their hour comes you will remember that I warned you about them.
John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.
John 17:13 ...I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
Jesus repeatedly says, “I am saying these things to you because I want you to believe and to have peace and complete joy. I don’t want you to fall away. That’s my motivation.”
John 17:24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory...
What Jesus wanted was not something for Himself. He wanted the disciples to be with Him and to experience His glory. “I want” expresses the motivation. Two verses later, He said:
John 17:26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
Jesus’ wanted the disciples to know the love of God – the same love that God had for Jesus Himself – and might be Christ-filled. Jesus wanted them to be committed and to follow Him because that is the path to joy and peace and fruitfulness and blessing and hope for eternity. Following Jesus is the way we, and those we love, will find greatest blessing. If we love people we will try to influence them.
There is so much more in this passage that shows Jesus’ motivation.
After washing the disciples’ feet and speaking about servanthood, He said, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (Jn 13:17) He taught them so that they would be blessed. He talks of many blessings in this passage: answered prayer, fruitfulness, being loved by God, having the Holy Spirit, masses of things. Yes, He wanted to influence them. He wanted them to make the right choices. Part of that was being straight-up about the consequences. If they trusted Him and served Him there would be many blessings. If they didn’t they would be like the vine branches that would be cut off and thrown into the fire. He used all sort of means to persuade them, but His motivation was for them to know the blessings God had for them. The choice was still theirs but He would certainly try to persuade.
Some of us are nervous about evangelism; nervous about making disciples; nervous about influencing people. But, if our motivation is right, then we should also try hard to persuade. As followers of Jesus, we are in the persuading business. If we don’t like pushiness, then let’s not be pushy. If we don’t like pride don’t be proud. Let’s serve like Jesus. We must test our message, our methods and our motivation.
But what if our motivation is right? What if we do genuinely love people and we want them to know God’s love and peace and joy and we want them to be fruitful and to be blessed through following Jesus? Then let’s be influential like Jesus.
We need to ask ourselves, “Why do I want to influence this person? What is my motivation?” But equally, if we are reticent, we must ask ourselves, “Why do I not want to influence this person? When there is so much blessing he or she could experience, why do I not want to influence this person? Why do I hesitate?”
Is your message right? Are your methods right? Is your motivation right? Then go for it. If any of those things is wrong, then stop. But if those things are right, nothing should stop us influencing others. If those things are right, what reason is there for not influencing others?
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