I had a conversation with a pastor from another church. She said, “God has given you influence. What are you going to say?” It’s a great question, because like it or not, each of us has influence. What are you going to say when you have people in your life that are listening to you? How are you going to leverage your leadership to glorify Christ and not build your own kingdom?
I remember trying to come up with a message for homiletics class in Bible College. It was rough. Looking back now, I found it difficult because my understanding of God and my understanding of life were very limited. It was difficult because my level of experience with pain and with grace was nothing to where it is today. I was learning that’s what was expected of me (I thought I knew more than I did—I couldn’t have been more mistaken).
When God gives you favor and influence, he does so at the right time for His own glory. For the purpose of focus and clarity, especially the older you get, I think it’s important that you decide what you want to spend your life doing. As a leader of your family, church, and beyond, you need to clarify your message. What you say will define you and hopefully glorify Christ.
Here are the things I want people to take from me:
1. Families matter
When all is said and done, our churches are only as strong as the families that comprise them. Our ministry to the world starts within the four walls of our homes. I want everyone to know that I believe family ministry is where all ministry starts in the church and where all ministry returns.
2. The Local church
I never want my blog, my ministry, or anything else to be about me. I love my local church. I love the greater church. I believe the church is the hope of the world. I want people to see, in what I say and do, my value for team ministry, for working out ministry ideas in the context of a local church. I love speaking at conferences to build the broader church, but I love learning at conferences to bring home ideas that influence my local church and help it grow.
3. The Gospel
I came to faith at a young age, but it wasn’t until I was in my early 30′s that I really came to understand the Gospel in a way that it was alive to me. I grew up being able to talk about it, but never in a way that it gripped me. I want my kids to grow up understanding what faith means, what grace is, and what treasuring Christ looks like. The gospel is not the gospel as long as we are defining it. The gospel becomes the gospel when it begins to define us.
How are you going to use the influence God has given you to tell others?
