Our Influence
The importance of our influence to a lost and dying world, we are called to be salt
and light to a dying world, urging us to use salt (Colossians 4:5-6), which says “walk
in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be
always with grace seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer
every man”.
Jesus tells us to be salt and light in Matthew 5:13-16 “you are the salt of the earth,
but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is therefore good
for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. You are the
light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a
candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to all that
are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”. Salt is a preservative, and light
is an illumination, the opposite of darkness.
The Bible tells us in II Corinthians 4:3-4,6 “but if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them
that are lost. In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which
believe not, less the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine to them. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ”.
The devil is the god of this world and he is trying to keep mankind in darkness,
therefore it is important to influence as many as we can. We as sons of God in a
crooked and perverse nation, are to shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15).
Paul tells us how, he tells us to be wise and reprove others, in Ephesians 5:11-17
the Bible says “and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are
done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the
light; for whatsoever does make manifest is light. Wherefore He says, awake you
that sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light. See then that
you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the
days are evil”. Proverbs 11:30 tells us that he that wins souls is wise.
Jesus came to seek and to save them that were lost, we as followers of Jesus must
do the same thing. Remember that God does not want any to perish (II Peter 3:9).
The early church took the great commission very seriously, they went out preaching
the gospel every where and it was said that “they turned the world upside down”.
As they went out the church was multiplied daily. The disciples taught also in the
market places.
While Jesus walked the earth, He would seek and same the lost, we being His body,
His hands and His feet has that responsibility now. We are the body of Christ; and
have been given the ministry of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:17-20), which says
“therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who has
reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of
reconciliation. To say that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not
imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of
reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did
beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be you reconciled to God”.
Remember we are workers together with God, and because God doesn’t want any
to perish, we shouldn’t want any to perish either. Let us use our influence to touch
the life of someone today.
As we are led by the Spirit of God, we are sometimes led to speak to someone
about the gospel, the good news that Jesus Christ has already paid the price in full
for the sins of the whole world. We should obey and follow through.
Remember that Ezekiel was told “son of man, I have made you a watchman to the
house of Israel, therefore hear the word of My mouth, and give them warning from
Me. When I say to the wicked, you shall surely die, and you give him no warning,
nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, the same wicked
man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand. Yet if you warn
the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall
die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul. Again, when a righteous man
does turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block
before him, he shall die; because you have not given him warning, he shall die in
his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered, but his
blood will I require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man, that
the righteous sin not, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he is
warned; and you have delivered your soul” (Ezekiel 317-21).
Many will say that, that is Old Testament and it is, but lets look in the New
Testament at Galatians 6:1-2 says “brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you
which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering
yourself, less you also be tempted. Bear you one another’s burdens, and so fulfill
the law of Christ”. The Bible tells us many times that God is the same, yesterday,
today and forever.
Paul also reveals to us the importance of our influence upon the Jewish people; he
says that we are supposed to provoke them to jealousy; remember that any one
that does not receive Jesus is lost (Romans 11:11-17), which says “I say then, have
they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid; but rather through their fall
salvation is come to the Gentiles, for to prove them to jealousy. Now if the fall of
them be the riches of the world, and the loss of them the riches of the Gentiles, how
much more their fullness? For I speak to you Gentles, inasmuch as I am the
apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office. If by any means I may provoke to
jealously them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting
away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be,
but life from the dead? For if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy; and if the
root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and
you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them partakers of
the root and fatness of the olive tree”.
He goes on in verses 25-29 saying “for I would not, brethren, that you should be
ignorant of this mystery, less you should be wise in your own conceits; that
blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles become in.
And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written; there shall come out of Zion the
Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is My covenant to
them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are
enemies for your sakes, but as touching the election, they are beloved for the
Father’s sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance”.
We can therefore agree that it is established that we are supposed to witness to the
lost in the world, both to the Jews and to the Gentiles. Let us also take the great
commission very serious, and ask the Holy Spirit to give us the boldness we need to
win souls.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: April 5 2009
The importance of our influence to a lost and dying world, we are called to be salt
and light to a dying world, urging us to use salt (Colossians 4:5-6), which says “walk
in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be
always with grace seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer
every man”.
Jesus tells us to be salt and light in Matthew 5:13-16 “you are the salt of the earth,
but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is therefore good
for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. You are the
light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a
candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to all that
are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”. Salt is a preservative, and light
is an illumination, the opposite of darkness.
The Bible tells us in II Corinthians 4:3-4,6 “but if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them
that are lost. In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which
believe not, less the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine to them. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ”.
The devil is the god of this world and he is trying to keep mankind in darkness,
therefore it is important to influence as many as we can. We as sons of God in a
crooked and perverse nation, are to shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15).
Paul tells us how, he tells us to be wise and reprove others, in Ephesians 5:11-17
the Bible says “and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are
done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the
light; for whatsoever does make manifest is light. Wherefore He says, awake you
that sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light. See then that
you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the
days are evil”. Proverbs 11:30 tells us that he that wins souls is wise.
Jesus came to seek and to save them that were lost, we as followers of Jesus must
do the same thing. Remember that God does not want any to perish (II Peter 3:9).
The early church took the great commission very seriously, they went out preaching
the gospel every where and it was said that “they turned the world upside down”.
As they went out the church was multiplied daily. The disciples taught also in the
market places.
While Jesus walked the earth, He would seek and same the lost, we being His body,
His hands and His feet has that responsibility now. We are the body of Christ; and
have been given the ministry of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:17-20), which says
“therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who has
reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of
reconciliation. To say that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not
imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of
reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did
beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be you reconciled to God”.
Remember we are workers together with God, and because God doesn’t want any
to perish, we shouldn’t want any to perish either. Let us use our influence to touch
the life of someone today.
As we are led by the Spirit of God, we are sometimes led to speak to someone
about the gospel, the good news that Jesus Christ has already paid the price in full
for the sins of the whole world. We should obey and follow through.
Remember that Ezekiel was told “son of man, I have made you a watchman to the
house of Israel, therefore hear the word of My mouth, and give them warning from
Me. When I say to the wicked, you shall surely die, and you give him no warning,
nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, the same wicked
man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand. Yet if you warn
the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall
die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul. Again, when a righteous man
does turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block
before him, he shall die; because you have not given him warning, he shall die in
his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered, but his
blood will I require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man, that
the righteous sin not, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he is
warned; and you have delivered your soul” (Ezekiel 317-21).
Many will say that, that is Old Testament and it is, but lets look in the New
Testament at Galatians 6:1-2 says “brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you
which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering
yourself, less you also be tempted. Bear you one another’s burdens, and so fulfill
the law of Christ”. The Bible tells us many times that God is the same, yesterday,
today and forever.
Paul also reveals to us the importance of our influence upon the Jewish people; he
says that we are supposed to provoke them to jealousy; remember that any one
that does not receive Jesus is lost (Romans 11:11-17), which says “I say then, have
they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid; but rather through their fall
salvation is come to the Gentiles, for to prove them to jealousy. Now if the fall of
them be the riches of the world, and the loss of them the riches of the Gentiles, how
much more their fullness? For I speak to you Gentles, inasmuch as I am the
apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office. If by any means I may provoke to
jealously them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting
away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be,
but life from the dead? For if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy; and if the
root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and
you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them partakers of
the root and fatness of the olive tree”.
He goes on in verses 25-29 saying “for I would not, brethren, that you should be
ignorant of this mystery, less you should be wise in your own conceits; that
blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles become in.
And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written; there shall come out of Zion the
Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is My covenant to
them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are
enemies for your sakes, but as touching the election, they are beloved for the
Father’s sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance”.
We can therefore agree that it is established that we are supposed to witness to the
lost in the world, both to the Jews and to the Gentiles. Let us also take the great
commission very serious, and ask the Holy Spirit to give us the boldness we need to
win souls.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: April 5 2009
