Influence is necessary to have an impact. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-19
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
To make disciples of nations we need to be influential. Influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. How do you become influential and even grow in influence? You become really good at solving a particular kind of problem.
I think about Jesus when he quoted Isaiah 61 in Mark 4:18-19,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
This whole passage is about solving problems. To the prisoners came freedom, to the blind came sight, to the oppressed freedom.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
A light in a dark place is a solution to a problem. The whole point of lighting a lamp is to give light to all in the room, which is why it wouldn’t make any sense to hide it under a bowl. Instead, you would lift it up and place it on a stand to light up the whole room.
A city on a hill can not be hidden, in the same way let your light so shine. We are created to be influential. The gifts God gave each of us solve a particular kind of problem. Our gifts, talents, abilities and interests are the vehicles that give us access to certain groups of people. As we engage and participate in the community, we create the opportunity to solve problems.
The kingdom of heaven is all about function. Teaching someone to go from malfunction to function in just one small area of their life demonstrates the kingdom of heaven.
You know what they say about the kingdom of heaven? It’s like a small amount of yeast that a woman worked into a batch of dough. All you need is a little taste of the kingdom and it will work its way through the whole person.