I'm INfluential

 We are in a series called I’m IN and so far we have heard that God INvites all of us to be part of His family.  No matter where we have been, or what we have done, or what we are struggling with today, God invites us to be part of His family.  In fact, Jesus often invited the people that others rejected, which tells us that everyone is welcome into the family of God.  We are invited!  Are we willing to go all in and respond to that invitation?  

We are not only invited to be part of God’s family but we are an important part of God’s work in the world because God sees us as INvaluable.  Each and every one of us is uniquely gifted, and our own personal history, experience, and perspective is needed for the church to be effective.  Together we are the body of Christ and each and every one of us is invaluable and needed for the body to be strong and healthy.  Are we willing to go all in and use our gifts for God’s work and mission in the world?  

I know that for some people, just saying that we are going all in might be a challenge.  Maybe you are still trying to figure out who Jesus is and who you are in relationship to God so the thought of going all in is overwhelming.  I want you to know, that’s OK!  All of us still have a place in God’s family and we are all welcome in God’s church as we work through and grow in our faith.  The goal of this series is to help us see that we really are invited into God’s family and that we are an invaluable part of the body of Christ.  If we can begin to see these things and take them to heart, we will be able to live out our faith with more confidence and courage.  It is knowing and trusting that we are invited and invaluable to God that motivates us to go all in.  

So, are you willing to go all in with what you have today?  Maybe that means going all in and asking God to help you see yourself the way He does.  Maybe it’s taking one more step of faith, or maybe it is surrendering all you have and all you are to God.  Wherever you in faith today, together let’s go all in.  We are…. ALL IN.  

Today the goal is to help us see how INfluential we are to God’s kingdom and glory.  My guess is that most of us don’t see ourselves as a big influencer because we define an influencer as someone who has millions of followers on facebook, youtube, instagram, and tiktok.  If an influencer is only a celebrity with a huge social media platform, then none of us are influencers, but let’s redefine what it means to be an influencer.  Let’s not talk about influence in the context of any kind of social media platform and instead talk about people.

Influence is all about people and we all have people in our lives.  No matter who you are, you are an influencer today because there are people in your life.  You can be influential to God’s kingdom and God’s glory because you touch the hearts and lives of the people around you.  You may not think that you make a difference in someone’s life, but you do.  You are influential.    

The truth is, none of us have any idea how just one conversation, one word of encouragement, or one expression of love can change someone’s life.  But just reflect on your own life for a moment.  Most of you are here today because one person reached out and invited you to Faith Church.  Maybe you saw a post on a friend's facebook page and you checked out our online worship.  You are here today because of the influence of others.  

Many of you are a follower of Jesus today because of the influence of others.  When you were growing up there was someone who took you to church, or there was a Sunday School teacher who told you over and over again how much God loved you.  Maybe there was a youth leader who saw potential in you, or a friend who invited you to  youth group.  In college there may have been someone who invited you to a Bible Study or a spiritual retreat.  When it comes to our faith, we are all here because someone who had experienced the love of Jesus shined that love into our lives. God simply calls us to do the same thing and have the same kind of influence.  

In Matthew 5 Jesus said, you are the salt of the earth.  Now salt can purify things, it can preserve things, and it can add flavor to things.  Salt influences everything it touches and somewhere along the line, someone’s faith, love, and life touched you and influenced your relationship with God.  

Jesus also said, you are the light of the world and again, somewhere along the line someone shined the light of Jesus into your life and showed you who God was, or what God’s love was all about.  All of us are here today because of the influence of at least one person, most likely we are here because of the influence of many people.  

I have been thinking this week about how I ended up here, not as the pastor of Faith Church, but as a follower of Jesus.  There are a whole host of people who have influenced my life and faith.  There were my parents and grandparents who took me to worship when I was young.  There was Mrs. Mack, my youth choir director, who loved us and helped us identify and use our gifts in the life of the church.  There were Sunday School teachers and youth leaders who loved me and were patient with me.  All of them have been influential in my being here today.  

There was also a string of people who helped me dig deeper in my faith during college.  I have shared this before, but during the fall term of my freshman year at MSU I felt pretty lost and alone.  I didn’t know anyone in the state of MI, let alone anyone at MI State, and I was going through a difficult time.  It was in the midst of that struggle that a friend of mine from High School sent me a letter that told me to check out IVCF.  I got that letter immediately after walking by a sign advertising the IV chapter on campus but I thought IV had something to do with sports so I walked right by.  

I went back to the sign and met Gary and Ruth Abbot, who invited me to the large group meeting that just happened to be that night.  I went to the meeting and met many people from my dorm complex who invited me to join a Bible Study. In that Bible study I met a man named David DeGraf who shined the light of Jesus into my life.  Dave showed me that following Jesus could be an adventure and that abundant life was found only in Christ.  

I am here because of the influence of Dave DeGraff, but I wouldn’t have met him if it hadn't been for the influence of Gary and Ruth, and I wouldn’t have met them if it had not been for the influence of my friend Cindy.   But why did Cindy write me that letter?  I hadn’t talked to her or told her how I was struggling.  How did she know?  

Cindy knew because her mother told her, and her mother knew because my mother told her.  But why did my mother tell Cindy’s mother how I was doing?  Because Cindy’s mother asked.  That’s it.  She asked.  One question, one conversation, one word of encouragement changed my life.  It was the influence of Clara Ball, my friend’s mother, who not only cared enough to ask my Mom how I was doing but cared enough to share my situation with her daughter so she could encourage me, that changed my life.  I can guarantee you that Clara had no idea the influence her expression of love had in my life.  She was just living out her life and faith.  She was just being the salt and light Jesus calls us to be.  

We all have this kind of influence because we all have people in our lives and if we are willing, we can use this influence to point people to Jesus and over time, change their lives.  And once again, it doesn’t matter who we are, what we have done, how we have lived, or what we are going through today, God sees the influence we have and He wants us to use it for His glory.  

In the gospel of John we read about a woman who was truly influential in spreading the glory of God and she would have been considered the least likely person God would use for this purpose.  The setting of the story is Samaria, a region that most Jews avoided because Samaritans were looked down on by the Jewish people.  Samaritans were people whose background was half Jewish and half Gentile, and so for many generations the Jewish people simply avoided the Samaritans at all costs, but Jesus chose to travel through this region on His way to Galilee.  

While in Samaria, Jesus got tired so He stopped to rest at a well.  He sent the disciples away to get some food and a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water.  It’s important to know that it was about noon when the woman arrived and she arrived alone.  What this tells us is that the woman was an outcast in her own community.  Women would have travelled to get water in the morning when it was cool, and they would have travelled in pairs or groups, so for this woman to be alone at noon, Jesus knows that she is an outcast and rejected by her own people.  

But we heard a few weeks ago that Jesus invites people that others reject so He reaches out to her by asking her for a drink of water.  This completely shocks the woman.  The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”  Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”  “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?  John 4:9-11 (NLT)

The woman is not only amazed that Jesus is talking to her, but she sees something in Jesus that makes her want to go deeper and find out about this living water.  Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”  “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” 

“Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.   “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.  Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”   John 4:16- 18. (NLT)

Imagine how the woman must feel at this point.  She is amazed that Jesus knows everything about her, so He must be some kind of prophet or holy man, but more importantly, this prophet or holy man is talking with her!  He’s known all along who she was, and how she was living, and who she was living with, but Jesus didn’t cast her aside or judge her.  He has treated her with dignity and honor.  Jesus sees something in her that no one else sees, a child of God who is worthy of God’s living water.  This expression of love changed her life.  

The woman immediately went home and told everyone she knew about Jesus.  She not only told them about a man who knew about her entire life, but how he was willing to talk with her and offer her living water.  Could He be the Messiah?  She simply told the people in her life what she knew and what was touching her heart.  She was simply salt and light and used her influence for God’s glory.  

The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone,  “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?”  So the people came streaming from the village to see him.  John 4:28-30(NLT)

This woman is one of the first Christian influencers.  She has simply told her story to others and used her influence to bring others to Jesus.  Her influence has made a difference and is giving God glory.  Her influence is so powerful that Jesus stayed in Samaria several more days and changed many more lives.    

Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days,  long enough for many more to hear his message and believe.  John 4:39-41 (NLT) 

This woman’s story tells us that everyone is invited into the family of God.  None of us is beyond the reach of God’s love and grace.  This woman’s story also tells us that we are all influential.  We can all be salt and light by just living our lives and sharing what we know about Jesus.  You don’t have to have a platform with millions of followers to be an influencer, you simply need to reach out and love people with the love of God.  Let the light of Jesus shine in your life and then let that light touch the lives of others.  

This woman’s story also tells us that we don’t have to have our life all together to be an influencer.  We don’t have to have a seminary degree.  We don’t need to be able to quote the bible or pray deep theological prayers.  We just need to know the love of God and be willing to shine the light of that love in the lives of others.  You just need to love God and love others.  You just need to share who you are and what you know of God’s love with the person in front of you today.  It does take courage to be influential.  It’s risky to shine the light of Jesus in this dark world, but if we will take the risk it can change everything.  

Take a chance this week and be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Take a chance this week and let the love of God shine through your life in all the little things you do.  Take a chance this week and engage in one conversation, give one word of encouragement, or share one act of love that can change someone’s life.  That might just be the moment that will not only change the path of someone’s life, but just might change the world.  Are you in?  Don’t let the world define what it means to be an influencer, see yourself as an influential force for God’s kingdom and God’s glory.  

 

Next Steps

I’m INfluential

Who are the people who influenced your faith?

Who was influential in getting you to Faith Church?

“You have no idea how one conversation, one word of encouragement, or one expression of love might change someone’s life.”  

● When has one word or one act influenced your life?  

● When have you seen one word or act change a situation for the better?

What did Jesus mean when he said you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world?  What does this mean for you?  

Read John 4:1-42

● Name all the ways that Jesus shows us that this woman was both invited and invaluable?  

● How did she use her influence for God’s glory?

● Why do we struggle to see the influence we might have in the lives of others? 

● What is holding you back from being influential for God’s glory?

How can you shine the light of Jesus this week and influence just one person in your life?  

What one word of encouragement can you give someone this week?

What one expression of love can you show someone this week?  

Ask God to help you see yourself as an influencer and show you where you can make a difference.  

I'm INvited

When I was in elementary school, someone asked me what my favorite class in school was.  My answer was lunch.  I know, lunch is not a class but it was my favorite part of school.  I can tell you what my least favorite class was all through school, gym.  I wasn’t athletic, I didn’t know anything about sports, and I was overweight, so gym class was a nightmare.  The worst part wasn’t when we had to play games or climb the ropes for the physical fitness test, it was when they would choose teams.  It didn’t matter who the captains were, the same kids were always chosen first and I was always one of the kids chosen last.  There is nothing worse than watching the entire class go to one side of the gym or another and you are left standing in the middle.  I can still feel the embarrassment of knowing that I just wasn’t good enough to be chosen first, or second, or even 15th.  

If you have ever felt left out, if you have ever felt ashamed or unworthy because you weren’t good enough to be chosen or invited, then I want you to hear one of the greatest truths of the gospel. Jesus invites the people that others reject.  Jesus welcomes and includes those that others overlooked, and those that society and religion often turned away.  Jesus invites everyone into God’s family.  You are invited into God’s family.  No matter who you are or where you have been or what you are struggling with today, you are invited into the family of God.  Jesus invites you in.

In Luke 7 there is an amazing story about Jesus inviting into God’s family someone that everyone else would have turned away.  It takes place at a dinner that Jesus was invited to at the home of a Pharisee named Simon.  As a Pharisee, Simon would have only invited into his home esteemed religious leaders and teachers of the law who were above reproach, and as part of the meal there would have been deep theological conversations about the topics of the day.  Simon’s neighbors and people from the community would gather around the open doors to listen to what was being said as a form of entertainment or enlightenment.  There was no TV or netflix or sports to watch, so people would gather to hear the leaders debate and discuss important topics.  

Into this gathering of invited guests came someone who was clearly not invited.  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. Luke 7:37

Let’s be clear, the woman who crashed this party and came to Jesus was a prostitute, that’s what Luke means when he says that she led a “sinful life”.  While we don’t know anything more about her, it’s safe to say that she hadn’t chosen this lifestyle.  Maybe she had been rejected by her husband, or family, and been forced to sell her body to survive?  Maybe she was a widow with no one to take her in, or a woman who had always been used by the men around her and rejected by the women.  

We don’t know how she ended up here but we do know that everywhere she went, people looked down on her.  The women would have excluded her from most activities, and the men gathered at the table that night would have walked to the other side of the road to avoid her.  Every day she got the message from those around her that she wasn’t good enough and that she was not invited.  She had not been invited to the dinner but she crashed the party and worshipped Jesus.

That’s what we see taking place in this emotional scene.  The woman takes her most valuable possession, a jar of perfume, and pours it out on Jesus' feet.  Perfume was rare and expensive.  This jar could have been her nest egg for the future, it could have been what she used to wear around town to let men know she was available, and it could have been given to her in payment for her services in the past.  No matter where she got it, it represents her entire life, past - present - future, and she gives it all to Jesus.  In a posture of worship she gives all she has to Jesus, she empties herself at His feet.  

Not only has she given all she has, she also empties herself emotionally.  She is so overcome being in the presence of Jesus that she not only weeps at His feet, using her tears to wash away the dust and dirt, but she then takes down her hair to dry them.  Women would not have been seen in public with their hair down, so for her to untie her hair in front of all these men and use it as a towel shows how swept up she is in her worship of Jesus.  She simply cannot contain her love and devotion for Jesus.  She has come to Him longing for love and peace and a new life.  

It is a stunning scene of worship.  We could ask ourselves what this kind of worship might look like in our lives today and how we could, or maybe should, give all we are and all we have to Jesus, but for Simon and the others at the table - they were asking - what is going on?!  This is not right!  Not only had a woman invaded their space, but a woman the entire town knew was a sinner had just poured herself out at Jesus' feet, and Jesus allowed it to happen.  Simon, the host of the dinner, is deeply offended by all that has taken place and he thinks to himself that if Jesus was a prophet, or even a good religious person, He would have stopped this woman from making a scene.  Luke 7:39

Then the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”  

What Simon and the rest of the Pharisees were thinking is that Jesus should have known she was a sinner and that sinners were to be rejected, shamed, and tossed aside.  They were not welcome in God’s family, they were not welcome at this dinner table or any dinner table.  That’s what they were all thinking and Jesus knows it, and this is how he responds.  Luke 7:44-48

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.  You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.  Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”  Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Her sins were forgiven.  Jesus didn’t judge her, condemn her, or shame her.  He forgave her.  He is the one washing her clean and giving her the chance at a new life.  The one others rejected is the one Jesus invited.  To all who feel unworthy, Jesus says, you are loved and you are invited into the family of God.

One question that I never stopped to ask before was why this woman risked so much to crash the dinner party and come to Jesus?  What caused her to enter into a room filled with people who would have shamed her and mocked her and rejected her?  What caused her to bring with her all she had and pour it out on Jesus?  What caused her to humble herself and repent in such a powerful way?  There really is just one answer, she had either seen or heard about God’s amazing grace and powerful love found only in Jesus.  

Maybe she heard about Jesus from a friend?  Maybe she heard the message of Jesus herself and it found its way from her ears to her heart?  If that’s true, what could that message have been?  While we don’t know, we can look at a parallel story in the gospel of Matthew that might tell us what that message could have been.  

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Maybe it had been earlier in the day when this woman heard Jesus issue the invitation, come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Maybe all day she had been hearing that simple invitation to come to Jesus to find rest and realized that is exactly what she needed and wanted more than anything in this world.  Come to me.  You are invited.  You are forgiven.  

Come to me is still the invitation of Jesus.  

Come to me if you are feeling left out, unwanted, and ashamed.  Come to me if you are tired of trying and failing and being ashamed.  

Come to me if you are wracked with guilt, if you find yourself trapped in a life you didn’t want and didn’t plan for.  

Come to me if you are empty and broken and brokenhearted. 

Come to me when you have nowhere else to turn and no one else to turn to.  

Come to me and find rest.  

You are invited into the family of God where you can find freedom and forgiveness and a love that will change your life.  

Come to me.  You are invited.   

It’s important for us to understand that what changed this woman’s life wasn’t having her sin pointed out to her.  It wasn’t that she was shamed and made to feel guilty.  Judging her didn’t change her.  What changed her was an invitation to come and experience God’s love and grace and peace.  What ultimately changes our lives and helps us experience God’s fullness and best for us is an invitation.  

Today, you are invited.  You are invited to come to Jesus and experience the power of His love and grace.  You are literally invited to be at this dinner table with Jesus where you can see and taste for yourself the grace of God.   

Come to Jesus and be forgiven.  

Come to Jesus and be set free.  

You are invited.  

Next Steps

I’m INvited

When have you felt unworthy?  Unwanted?  

How has being left out or not invited hurt you or someone close to you? 

Read Luke 7:36-38

● What things do we know about this “sinful woman”?

● In what ways does her jar of perfume represent her entire life: past, present and future?

● How is this scene an act of true worship?

● What can we learn about worship from her actions?  

● In what ways could we worship Jesus more personally and powerfully?

● How can we give Jesus our past, present, and future?

Read Luke 7:39-50

● Why does Simon think what he does?

● Why did religious leaders shame and avoid sinners?

● In what ways might we still shame and avoid sinners?  

● What was Jesus’ response to Simon?  

● What was Jesus’ invitation to the sinful woman?

● Who might need this invitation from Jesus today and how can we invite them in?

Read Matthew 11:28-29

(Both this teaching and the story of the sinful woman follow the story of Jesus meeting with followers of John the Baptist, so it MIGHT be this teaching that the woman heard.)

● How might this message have given the woman boldness to crash the dinner party and worship Jesus?

● What might “rest for the weary'' look like for you?

● What burden do you need to lay down to come to Jesus?

● Who needs to hear this invitation today and how can you share it with them?