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[Announcer] (0:00 - 0:38) Think about the Bible like you never have before. You're listening to Christian Questions. Experience more episodes, videos, and Bible study resources at Christianquestions.com. Our topic is: "How Can We Become Influencers?" (Part II) In our last episode, we talked about big influencers with millions of followers and their impact.

We also talked about big spiritual influencers from the Bible. What about me? Can I ever be in a position to be an influencer without social media fame and followers?

Wait, I can? How? Here's Rick and Julie.

[Rick] (0:40 - 0:47) Welcome everyone, I'm Rick. I'm joined by Julie, a long time contributor. Julie, what is our theme scripture for this episode?

[Julie] (0:48 - 0:57) Hebrews 12:3: "For consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

[Rick] (0:57 - 2:01) In Part I of our two-part conversation about influence, we began to uncover just how broadly and how deeply the power of influence runs. In our world today, influence has taken on a new and in some ways even more significant meaning than ever before. Now because we have social media, we have created a space for influencers to arise within our midst. Sometimes these individuals appear on the scene from very unlikely backgrounds. The vast majority of the most popular of these influencers have been given our attention because they're famous. Curiously, much of their influence is not based on the expertise that was required to master the craft, because influence happens all of the time at all different levels.

Our big question now is how can we become more effective influencers in our everyday lives? Julie, we need to recap a little bit about what happened last week to set the groundwork for what we're going to look at now.

[Julie] (2:01 - 2:17) The dictionary definition of "influence" includes "the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways to sway." Our working definition is "the ability to affect, alter, or change the heart, thinking, or action of others."

[Rick] (2:18 - 2:41) Influence: to make, to do something, to be something, to example something that executes change in some way; to have influence to provide some kind of direction, be it good or bad. Now look, the idea of influencers is certainly not new. The Apostle Paul was very outspoken about influence. Julie, 1 Corinthians 1:11:

[Julie] (2:41 - 2:43) "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." That Greek word for "followers" means "an imitator."

[Rick] (2:44 - 2:56) Be imitators. Let me influence you, follow what I do. Last week we talked about what the world looks for, what the world seeks in its influencers.

There's several things. Let's run through them.

[Julie] (2:56 - 3:04) The world seeks those who appear successful because they want the life of success, however that's defined, and want to see others living the life that they want.

[Rick] (3:04 - 3:14) They also look for those who are popular and have the appearance of knowledge. You like to follow people that are popular because you want to be part of that group and those who sound like they know what they're talking about.

[Julie] (3:15 - 3:22) Sure, and those who are self-serving. This is one of the ways to achieve success: serve self, and you can get ahead.

[Rick] (3:22 - 3:31) Yeah, we've got a lot of questions about that, don't we? Those who are agenda-driven; there's all kinds of agendas, and people look for agendas that fit what they're comfortable with.

[Julie] (3:31 - 3:38) Those with a self-appointed opportunity; everyone's an expert in this day and age. Just turn on the camera and start talking.

[Rick] (3:39 - 3:52) Yeah, you're right. Those who are obsessed; if you have an obsession, people are drawn to that and are influenced by it. Let's take a look at some influencer observations from Part I. Let's just run through a few of them. Go ahead.

[Julie] (3:53 - 4:02) Those with influence truly do have the power and this power can and will ultimately be implemented in accordance with the influencer's most important objectives.

[Rick] (4:03 - 4:18) That's a big point. Though Jesus was and is the greatest influencer the world will ever see, Satan's influence cannot be overlooked. Interestingly, all of what the world looks for in an influencer, Satan has already done.

[Julie] (4:18 - 4:35) Yeah, one of the biggest revelations we had last week was in noticing just how many of the present-day influencers follow Satan's pattern of ego-driven influence. On the contrary, the pattern of influence Jesus set has higher and nobler results, but is much harder to follow.

[Rick] (4:35 - 5:03) That was a really important comparison that we talked about in Part I. We also looked at the Apostle Paul. Before becoming the Apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus had powerful influence because of his evil agenda.

He was out to destroy Christianity. Immediately after Jesus calls him to follow, he then does a "180." He becomes an influence for all that is good and all that is godly.

[Julie] (5:03 - 5:18) As Saul, he was an influence for darkness with very little integrity. He bent and stretched the law, tried to manipulate people to blaspheme. Great influencers for good have powerful integrity as a basis for their influence.

[Rick] (5:18 - 5:42) Stress on "powerful integrity." We also looked at an example from the Apostle Peter. He's a good example of learning how to be a powerful influencer.

Some of his experiences before being given God's spirit at Pentecost revealed a good heart with good intentions, inadvertently leading others down the wrong paths. We looked at the example of trying to establish a twelfth Apostle when it really wasn't his time or place to do that.

[Julie] (5:42 - 5:54) Yeah, sometimes we can influence others incorrectly, even though we are well-meaning. We must realize that great influencers are driven by godly truth, godly principles, and godly influence.

[Rick] (5:54 - 6:38) That's a look at what we laid as groundwork. Let's move forward now. Thus far, our influence lessons have opened up the depth of the power that influence can have, be it for good or for ill.

Next, we want to focus on ourselves as average people. Let's face it, the vast majority of us will never be in a position of major public influence on any level. However, we can all be influencers for good at other levels.

We're going to take a look at several examples and see how this can be. The first general example we want to look at is the influence of a word, just a word, just a sentence from a very unlikely source.

[Julie] (6:39 - 7:56) Let's look at the wonderful example of Naaman. He wasn't an Israelite, he was a pagan army captain, and there's two instances of great influence by people in his life who held lowly positions of servitude. Here's the first influence from an unlikely source.

We're going to start in 2 Kings 5:1-5: "Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram..." (that's the Hebrew word for Syria.) Remember, the Syrians were idolaters, they're enemies of Israel.

"...was a great man with his master, and highly respected, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper." I just want to stop here for a moment. This phrase "valiant warrior," sometimes translated "mighty man of valor," doesn't get thrown around too often. It was used to describe men like Gideon and David. Naaman's the only Gentile to get this description.

God favored him, but leprosy was one of the most feared diseases with no cure at this time and a great deal of suffering before death. Continuing: "Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria (part of Israel)! Then he would cure him of his leprosy."

[Rick] (7:56 - 8:26) You have this mighty valiant warrior whose wife has a little girl as her servant. She's observing Naaman and his difficulty. This little girl, I don't know how old, maybe nine or ten, we don't know, says to Naaman's wife, I wish that he was with the prophet in Israel because he could be all better. Look at this little sentence from this little person. Julie, let's expand that a bit.

[Julie] (8:26 - 9:02) Well, the word "little" in the Hebrew lexicon means "young, small, insignificant, unimportant." She's nobody. We don't even know her name. This is revealing because not only did she want to help and could freely and boldly speak to Mrs. Naaman as a servant, so that tells you something about this household, but maybe she's nine, ten years old. How did she know of a prophet of the Lord who she is certain had the power to cure? Who were the influencers behind this tiny influencer?

Most likely her parents or whoever raised her to have faith in the God of Israel. Children repeat what they hear.

[Rick] (9:02 - 9:15) Not only did she have faith in the God of Israel, she had a boldness in that faith to say something. You're a kid, and yet she speaks up. Let's continue with verses four and five:

[Julie] (9:15 - 9:36) "Naaman went in and told his master, saying, Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel. Then the king of Aram said, Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. He departed and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothes." This shows how valuable and important Naaman was to the king.

[Rick] (9:36 - 10:37) This was a well-financed trip. Let's just say you've got a lot going here because, and think about this, think about the belief that's behind what this little girl said. Belief enough for ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, ten changes of clothes as potential payment for this healing. I mean, this is a big, big deal. There's an interesting lesson here; all good influence does not come from those with the broadest platform. Sometimes it comes from the least of us, those who are not known. This little girl was such a person, not known. She speaks up once, and she creates this opportunity for all of this activity, which we will get into and unfold as we go. Look, we can all be such an influence like that unlikely little girl. We can be that kind of voice. How?

By simply having our minds in the right place. 2 Timothy 4:1-2:

[Julie] (10:37 - 11:25) "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction." Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers on this phrase "in season, out of season" says, "In other words, for your work, set apart no definite and fixed hours, no appointed times. Your work must be done at all hours, at all times, not only when you're in church, not merely in times of security and peace, but it must be carried on even in the midst of danger, even if you're a prisoner." I know Rick, sometimes things aren't always convenient for you, and yet you seem to be available for those who need you twenty four hours. How do you do that?

[Rick] (11:25 - 12:55) You do that simply by following what the Apostle Paul said, just "be ready in season and out of season." Julie, look, one of the great blessings God has given me is the blessing of availability. That's one of the reasons I never ever turn off my cell phone. It's happened where it rings at the most inconvenient times, but somehow or other, the Lord always opens the door to deal with or manage or approach that which needs to be done. It may not be convenient, but it is always appropriate. That's what we look for "in season and out of season," to just be able to be a positive influence, a spiritual and godly influence. We've got this example of this little girl speaking these words, she's a servant, and yet she starts this process of Naaman marching to Israel to be healed. Let's go through the illuminating, the power of influence here so far. Those in positions of power, greatness and influence are not generally tuned into listening to those who are perceived as less knowledgeable.

You got to have a lot of power, you're not tuned into the little people, so to speak. What made Naaman listen? Why did he listen?

Desperation. His leprosy was ruining his life, and that desperation opened his ears and his heart to what his wife told him a young servant girl had said. He was willing to listen because it gave him a ray of hope where there was none.

[Julie] (12:55 - 13:04) Let's look in the mirror and turn this inward. How willing am I to speak up with hope even when I have no expectation of anyone truly listening?

[Rick] (13:05 - 13:31) Am I willing to speak up even if people are going to just pass off the comment? Because we don't know. The little girl didn't say, I think I'll say this and watch what happens. She just exclaimed what she knew to be true. What a great lesson for us. Words of godly hope are never wasted.

At the very least, they confirm our hope, and who knows? Maybe they can change someone's life.

[Julie] (13:32 - 13:39) This young servant girl began a process that could change Naaman's life. Who were his next unnamed influencers?

[Rick] (13:39 - 14:23) There's more. Naaman's path to his eventual healing was not a glorious account of excitement and celebration. On the contrary, it was a difficult road.

Why? Well, sometimes when we have a sense of the path that we are to take, we build expectations as to what it will look like. As we shall see, Naaman's greatness provoked a set of expectations that would not be met, and it is here that the power of influence saved him.

We're going to expand on that in a moment, but Julie, first, let's go to a modern-day example of an influencer.

[Julie] (14:24 - 15:11) Well, having a voice on a platform is a lot of responsibility. It can absolutely be a good thing. In Part I, we talked a lot about the why, the reason behind why influencers do what they do, and often it's self-serving. But social media can be used to promote great causes and charity. Christina Mittermeier, known as "Middy," is a wildlife photographer, conservationist, marine biologist and author. She has 1.6 million Instagram followers. She promotes ending animal cruelty and encourages women to participate in ocean conservation efforts. Celebrities, well-known celebrities, are also very charitable. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio uses his fame and nearly 60 billion followers to promote conservation awareness and clean water initiatives.

So the "why" can be wonderful.

[Rick] (15:12 - 15:35) It can. When you have good, good, good things that you want to spread, you can draw people to follow and you can make a difference, and that's a wonderful, wonderful thing. Now let's get back to Naaman. We looked at the power of a word, okay? Now let's look in terms of influence to the influence of a different perspective that may come from those who are, let's just say those who are "less esteemed."

[Julie] (15:36 - 15:46) We left off with the king of Aram preparing a letter for delivery to the king of Israel along with gifts of gold, silver, and clothing. Naaman leaves with these gifts.

[Rick] (15:46 - 16:04) He leaves with these gifts. What we have then are mighty preparations for the benefit of a mighty man. This is going to be an historic event between, actually between enemies, because he's got this letter, and he's got these gifts, and he is marching to Israel.

[Julie] (16:04 - 16:44) We'll continue with 2 Kings 5:6-8: "He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy. When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me." The king is thinking this is some sort of trick. He's being offered these gifts for something he clearly can't do.

He's sure that he's going to be invaded again. The king tears his own clothes in grief from suspicion and fear.

[Rick] (16:44 - 16:59) The suspicion of Israel's king shows us the power of influence between those in authority. They are at odds and he is absolutely saying there's something more to this. It can't be this simple.

I can't even do what he's asking me. Let's continue then with verse 8:

[Julie] (16:59 - 17:32) "It happened when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he had sent word to the king, saying, Why have you torn your clothes? Now let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." Today, someone in the palace might post the torn clothes on Facebook to get word out that there's an emergency at the palace.

But here's someone amongst the servants recognizing that this was a big deal. Hurry, go get Elisha so God through him can help the king and all of us!

[Rick] (17:32 - 18:13) Elisha's influence obviously came from above. He is driven by godly power. He knew that God would grant him healing power and he would use this influence as a testimony to the greatness of God.

He knew it was an opportunity to have influence to show there is one God, and He is above all, and He is the God. Elisha is saying, yes, let him come to me. You see this being set up like, whoa, this is going to be really awesome, really, really awesome, really, really fabulous in terms of the staging, if you will, with the great man coming with all of these things. Let's see how it actually unfolds. 2 Kings 5, let's go to verses 9-14.

[Julie] (18:13 - 18:21) Well, here's the staging: "So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and he stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha."

[Rick] (18:21 - 18:42) The impressiveness of Naaman's presentation could not be overlooked. This is a social media moment, if ever there was one, okay? He had arrived with glory and honor to meet this prophet who would attend to this great man's great need.

It was that Kodak moment that everybody's looking for to say, let's watch and see what happens. Verse 10:

[Julie] (18:42 - 19:45) "Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean." What?? Notice what just happened! Elisha doesn't even go out to personally meet him. He sends a messenger with simple instructions. Naaman would get exactly what he came for.

Verse 11: "But Naaman was furious and he went away and said, Behold, I thought he will surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned away and went away in a rage." This is ridiculous, doesn't he know who I am? I'm a mighty warrior! Remember, I'm a mighty warrior! The Jordan river, it's small and dirty. This is beneath me! Forget it! He's going to walk away because this wasn't what he expected. His heart is full of pride, and he wants this fanfare.

[Rick] (19:45 - 20:17) He had his preconceived expectations of his greatness being met with greatness and with great service and with the pomp and circumstance that goes with it. Preconceived expectations can turn powerful influence for good into a cause for rage and rejection. It can take that which is offered freely and stomp all over it and say, forget it, I don't want it because we expected something different.

Well, story thankfully is not over. Let's go to verse 13:

[Julie] (20:17 - 20:31) "Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, My father (that's a term of respect), had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, Wash and be clean?"

[Rick] (20:32 - 21:17) Notice how his servants were able to understand what Naaman in his glory was blinded to. They saw the opportunity for healing where Naaman saw insult. I mean, they're saying to their master, look, if he asked you to go stand on top of the mountain and raise your hands up in the sunlight and yell out, "God, heal me," you'd have done that because it would have been out in front. It would have been glorious just like you're used to. If you were asked to do something like that, surely you would have done it. They're telling him, why not do what's been told? He gave you the solution! Their courage to speak and the influence of their words actually sent Naaman on the right path. They showed him simple common sense.

[Julie] (21:18 - 21:44) Again, we're given a lesson from seemingly insignificant, unnamed people in the Bible who weren't blinded by ego. We want to watch for opportunities when we can be like Naaman's servants to steer people towards the godly answer. Continuing with verse 14: "So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean."

[Rick] (21:44 - 23:01) Think of it--it doesn't just say he was healed. I love and appreciate the way it writes this. "His flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child." It was literally brand new.

It was not just that the leprosy was gone, it was that it was replaced with brand new, washing in the dirty river Jordan. Now think about that. It was because his servants showed him to listen to that which made sense.

They were nobodies. Folks, think about the opportunity that shows us for ourselves in being able to speak up when we see things put into an appropriate perspective. We should not underestimate the power of influence from those who see things differently, no matter what their station in life is.

If they care, and especially if they're disciples of Christ, we should embrace their efforts. Naaman embraced the efforts of those he knew cared for and respected him, and that helped him to get what he was essentially looking for. It's a beautiful, beautiful lesson. There's a great scripture that helps us to put this in further perspective: 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. This is now about us, about us as Christians, and our ability to be influencers:

[Julie] (23:02 - 23:30) "For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God."

[Rick] (23:30 - 24:48) The message here is profound. Folks, take a moment and let's just focus here. Let's focus here.

It's saying "God has chosen the weak things" and not the noble things and all of these things. Why? First of all, "so that no man may boast before God." But secondly, so that God's power can be made evident in what happens. It's not because of your natural talent and ability, it is because of God's presence in your life. Look, I know that many of our listeners have battles and bouts with anxiety and depression and things of that nature.

Sometimes those things just don't go away. You say, how could I possibly be faithful when I have to battle with this the whole time? Consider this--consider that God called you because of your potential within the context of your natural wiring toward those things. Why? So that there's no boasting in humanity, but there is the glory of the power of God helping you cope one day at a time. We can be influencers when we come across someone who's got such things and encourage to say, it's God's power, not ours.

We don't have to have any big title to be able to say that, to encourage others. What we do is we reach out and say, you can be lifted up because God knew it before you did. It's a beautiful, beautiful lesson.

[Julie] (24:48 - 25:27) Let's move on a little bit. The early Christian church had massive issues to deal with regarding their own structure, as they came from opposing backgrounds. Some were from a Jewish background with a strong grounding in the following of the Law. Others were Gentiles who had been worshiping pagan gods. We're going to go to Acts 15. This takes us to the Jerusalem Conference, also known as the "Jerusalem Council." This was a meeting that was going to determine if these new Gentile Christians had to be Jews first, and if they had to observe the Mosaic Law. A delegation led by Paul and his companion Barnabas was appointed to confer with the elders of the church in Jerusalem. It was led by Peter and James, the brother of Jesus.

[Rick] (25:27 - 25:57) Managing the influence of those who are perceived to be at lower levels of status is not easy. Just like you said, just ask the Pharisees who converted to Christianity in the early church. They came into this meeting with a preconceived notion of their superiority. That's really what was happening because God had worked with them all these generations and generations and generations, so of course they should be the ones listened to! That's not what actually happened.

That wasn't the conclusion of this meeting. We're going to drop into the middle, Acts 15:5-11:

[Julie] (25:58 - 26:11) "But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses. The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. After there had been much debate..."

[Rick] (26:12 - 26:25) After they had been exposed firsthand to the various influences from their fellow followers of Jesus, after they had been able to speak and were able to listen, what happens next?

[Julie] (26:26 - 26:59) When Peter stood up, he explained to both sides that it was an undeniable fact that the Gentiles were to be included in this new Christian movement. We'll paraphrase; he said, God knows the heart. He gave the Gentiles His power and influence, the holy spirit, just like He did to the Jews at Pentecost. God would make no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Well, it's all based on heart condition now. Don't force the Gentiles to live under the restrictions of the Law that couldn't bring mankind to salvation. Salvation is through Jesus, not the Law.

[Rick] (26:59 - 28:10) Peter sums those things up. James wraps up the conference and they come to an agreement. Where did the influence come from?

It came to those who were working with the Gentiles, those who had less notoriety amongst the early Christian church. The message was, they are just like us. Let's face that fact.

Let's understand that there is an equality here that needs to be adhered to by all of us because that's the way God has designed it. Those with less notoriety had powerful influence to change minds in this conference. It's powerful what we can do as average individuals with godly principles driving us.

Illuminating the power of influence so far, here's where we are: Influence can be hard to apply when we have a predetermined focus on what should happen and when the source of the influence is not one that we would naturally look up to. For a Christian, we need to weigh such influence not by its source, but by its content.

By, is it scripturally based? Is it higher principles? Is it looking at a God-honoring approach?

Weigh it by its content.

[Julie] (28:10 - 28:30) We'll ask ourselves, if I am that source of influence that's considered lowly, am I willing to speak up with godly and righteous direction? That takes courage. If I'm on the receiving end of such influence, am I open to truly listening and considering? That takes courage. Both sides take courage.

[Rick] (28:30 - 28:55) It does. To speak up takes courage and to listen takes courage. We could debate as which takes more.

I'm going to say they both take a lot, and we need to be willing to play both sides of that because that's how we can learn from the power of godly influence. Godly influence can come in all shapes and sizes. At the end of the day, the question is, am I willing to give it as well as to receive it?

[Julie] (28:57 - 29:04) It's inspiring to see how God can use the lowly to be so encouraging to others. How else can God use those who aren't as well-recognized?

[Rick] (29:05 - 29:39) Our next exploration into the power of influence is to consider one who had little confidence and yet would be called upon to do very great things. The account of Moses being called to lead Israel out of slavery is a profound example of what can happen when we let God guide us as He sees fit. We're going to take a look at Moses, but first, Julie, let's go to another example of a current-day influencer.

[Julie] (29:40 - 30:24) Okay, I think you're going to like this one. Influencers can be categorized by the content they produce. There's bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, and those who only create posts on social media. Interestingly, Christian Questions is an influencer in all four of these areas.

We've got a blog for every episode on our website, we post videos on YouTube, we podcast, and we have an engaged social media following. None of these even existed when you and Jonathan started as a weekly local radio program twenty six years ago. What do you think about this immense responsibility of being a Christian influencer?

I'll add, knowing how much time and effort this takes, would you still have done it knowing what you know now?

[Rick] (30:24 - 32:41) Alright, there's two questions. What do I think about the immense responsibility? Literally, every day I struggle with that responsibility because it's huge, it is true. I'm not saying that to say, "Oh, poor Rick, he struggles." No, it's Rick has the opportunity and the blessing to struggle with something that's bigger than he is, way bigger than he is. I look at that each day, and I thank God, and I always ask the question, I don't know why or how, but I'm just going to do the next thing. I've just got to do the next thing. The responsibility is immense, it truly is immense, but it is appreciated because it's God's grace and goodness that makes it go. Would I, if I knew then what I know now, have done it?

I would have run away scared to death, honestly and truly. I would have run away because if I knew at the beginning the amount of work and the amount of time and the continuous, unrelenting dedication, I would've said, I can't see how it would fit into my life. But see, here's what God did for us.

For me, and I will speak for myself, my heart was ready to serve, my mind had no idea how to do it. What God did through his overruling, His providence and His grace and His patience is, He stretched my ability to work little by little by little, year by year by year, and that's how it happens. It's all God's grace, that's all it is.

It's that simple. No, it's not simple, it's that profound! It's God's grace, so it is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful opportunity. Let's look at Moses, and this is the influence of one who has little or no confidence. I had my Moses moment there. My Moses moment was I was afraid, and we're going to see how Moses really, really shows us this. Moses was called upon to set the Hebrews free, and he needed assurance of how this would happen.

As we shall see, this assurance was not easily received, for in Moses' eyes, the task was far beyond what he believed he could handle. I want to stress, far beyond what he believed he could handle. We're going to begin with Moses' journey to influence when he's standing before God and the burning bush.

[Julie] (32:41 - 32:50) Moses was directed to the burning bush when he saw an angel of the Lord within it, and it was then that God spoke to Moses in Exodus 3:10-12.

[Rick] (32:51 - 33:00) These are the words of God: "Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.

[Julie] (33:01 - 33:13) But Moses said to God, Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" In other words, wait, what? How is this going to happen? There's over two million people over here!

[Rick] (33:14 - 34:04) God continues: "Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you; when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain." God gives him this proclamation and says, this is what I am telling you to do. Moses is afraid. Look, let's be honest. Yes, yes, let's be honest. You want to talk about a fearsome task! He's never led anybody in any kind of circumstance like this and you're looking to free slaves. I mean, it's unbelievable the size of this task. He's afraid and he asks for assurance, so God gives it to him. God then tells him His name, I AM THAT I AM. He tells him the details of what's going to happen and how He, God, will guide all of Moses' responses. What happens? Moses remains unsure.

[Julie] (34:05 - 34:34) It's really good to go back and read all of Chapter 3. God tells Moses about the Promised Land, currently inhabited with all their enemies, and how Pharaoh isn't going to just let them go, but eventually he will after all kinds of miracles that we now know were the Plagues. God tells him that the Egyptians will be so glad to see the Israelites leave, that they're even going to give them clothing and treasures as they go. So much detail, but it sounds so overwhelming that still Moses has no confidence.

[Rick] (34:34 - 35:04) Right, and that's the Influence Lesson here. The Influence Lesson is, God's missions for those whom He chooses as influencers can be overwhelming. Let me add, and likely WILL be overwhelming. That doesn't mean they can't be done. It means we need to learn to grow into them. That's really what the lesson of Moses is. Let's go continue with Moses' experience, learning to step up to becoming an influencer for God Almighty. Exodus 4:1-5:

[Julie] (35:04 - 35:12) "Then Moses said, What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, The LORD has not appeared to you."

[Rick] (35:12 - 35:16) Then the words of the Lord: "What is that in your hand?"

[Julie] (35:17 - 35:18) "A staff."

[Rick] (35:18 - 35:19) "Throw it on the ground."

[Julie] (35:20 - 35:24) "So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it."

[Rick] (35:25 - 35:28) "Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail."

[Julie] (35:28 - 35:34) "So he stretched out his hand and he caught it, and it became a staff in his hand."

[Rick] (35:34 - 35:47) Then God concludes this by saying: "...that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." What?

[Julie] (35:47 - 36:19) What a dramatic way for Moses to learn that what we already have can be used in the Lord's service! This shepherd's staff was probably a six foot wooden rod with a curved hook on the top used to guide sheep. Moses would be more than a shepherd of a flock of sheep.

He would shepherd millions out of slavery and needed to see that with God, he was more than capable. Now Rick, this passage is special to me because in 2009, I came to you and I asked if I could volunteer with Christian Questions. What was your reply?

[Rick] (36:20 - 36:24) My reply to you, Julie, was, "Julie, what is that in your hand?"

[Julie] (36:24 - 37:06) I looked down and I thought, "Well, he can see what I'm holding. I've got a Bible, a cup of coffee, a pen." You were like, "No, no, no! Like Moses with his staff, what's in your hand?" I said, "I can type fast. I mean, maybe I can be on the team that types up the notes each week for the listeners." You said, "Well, we don't have a team that types up anything for the listeners." So I thought maybe I could create it. The CQ Rewind show notes were born that we provide for every episode that, by the way, I'll put a plug in. They're free at ChristianQuestions.com and at the Christian Questions app. But sometimes God can use our ordinary things for extraordinary purposes, and that's how we can become influencers.

[Rick] (37:06 - 37:56) Part of this lesson is, what is that in your hand? That's a very, very, very significant circumstance. Moses's staff would be the symbol of God working through Moses to accomplish His will. Let's look at the Influence Lesson here. To follow God's will is to be given the assurance that we will be well-equipped by God--not by ourselves--by God, with the necessary tools that we will need to complete what He is sending us out to accomplish. I might add that sometimes He sends us out to accomplish them and only equips us with what we need for right now. He's not going to equip you with everything down the road. Trust me, I learned this over twenty six years. He builds the equipment based on our using what He's given us. Use what He gives you, then watch how He gives you whatever else you might need!

[Julie] (37:57 - 38:18) Well, in spite of the assurance and the example of this power, Moses was still unsure. We read in Exodus 4:10-13: "Then Moses said to the LORD, Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."

[Rick] (38:19 - 38:26) And then the words of the Lord: "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say."

[Julie] (38:26 - 39:03) "Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will." In other words, he's saying, please, anybody but me, I can't do this because it's beyond his capacity to see. But Moses was the man for the job. God walked Moses through his insecurity and later to his great ability. Just carry the staff. Take the next right step and trust God will do the rest. He did. He gave him Aaron to be his mouthpiece.

[Rick] (39:04 - 39:29) Yes, and we're going to get to that in a moment. But here, God has just said, I will be your words. I will put words into your mouth.

Moses is saying, please, anybody but me, because it's so overwhelming. What's the Influence Lesson? When directed to being an influencer, doubts can overwhelm us.

Even when we're given assurance on top of other assurances, even when it looks like you've got everything in order, we can still doubt because it's so big.

[Julie] (39:30 - 39:36) Did Moses' objections mean that he didn't have faith? Because I think we all have these doubts and objections.

[Rick] (39:36 - 41:03) I think it wasn't a lack of faith at all. I think what it was an overload of responsibility. Think about this.

He hadn't talked to God before this, right? God kind of like introduces, Hi, I'm God. Here's what you're going to do.

It's the largest task you've ever seen. I think Moses needed to be able to work towards and grow into it. It wasn't a lack of faith.

It was overload. Here's what happens. God was not pleased because God had told him, I've got this covered for you.

You just need to rely on Me. God's not pleased, but He still finds a way to put the appropriate influence in place to accomplish His will through Moses. Let's look at Exodus 4:14-17: "Then the anger of the LORD burned against Moses, and He said, Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently.

And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him. You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs."

[Julie] (41:04 - 41:08) Wow! You read,

'You will be as God to him." What does that mean?

[Rick] (41:09 - 41:50) I think what it means is that you will direct him in all ways. The word for "God" here is "Elohim" That's a word that's a plural word. You say, well, why would God say "You will be as God?" Because you will direct his thinking, his words, his actions, his direction. You will be over him because I am over you.

That's what I think it means, that "you will be as God to him." God wanted Moses as the influencer. He got Moses as the influencer.

He gave Moses what he needed so he could be that influencer and be able to do things that nobody else could have done. Let's take a look, Julie, at the Influence Lesson here.

[Julie] (41:51 - 41:57) God will provide a way for His influence to be delivered in spite of our weakness.

[Rick] (41:57 - 42:25) If He wants it done, He gets it done. He will provide whatever things we need outside of ourselves. That's why our faith is so important, to be able to say, Lord, just show me the next step. We don't need to know the whole road. We just need to know the next step. A good example of this is the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul teaches us where our reliance should be when we're called upon to influence. There's specific reliance that we need to have. That's in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5:

[Julie] (42:25 - 42:55) "And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God."

[Rick] (42:55 - 43:57) The Apostle Paul didn't come to the Corinthians and turn on the charm. He came to the Corinthians and released the power of God that was in him. He said, I did it this way so you would see it is from God Almighty, not from me. When we're called upon to be influencers amongst others, whatever level we may be at, let us do it through the power of God's spirit working in us because that's what's supposed to do the influencing. Nothing more, nothing less, just that. Get out of the way.

I have to tell myself that all the time. Rick, get out of the way. Let God's word speak for itself.

You just move it along. You encourage it. Let's look at the Illuminating Power of Influence at this point. God never calls anyone to do His work based upon their confidence or even their track record. He calls individuals to be influencers for Him based upon their hearts and their potential, knowing that He can and will supply everything they will need.

[Julie] (43:58 - 44:10) If we believe that, we can do amazing things. We want to listen and ask, "Am I open to answering that call, be it a large or small opportunity to be an influencer for godliness?"

[Rick] (44:10 - 44:36) Am I open to answering it, even if it's a little opportunity? You know, you don't wait for the big things. You work on the next thing.

When the Lord opens up that door, we need to be able to walk through it. Moses is such a dramatic example of what God can do with our insecurities, if we would only submit to His will and His direction.

[Julie] (44:37 - 44:45) Moses became a great influencer in spite of his lack of confidence. Do we have an influencer example of one who was the opposite?

[Rick] (44:45 - 45:21) We certainly do. His name is Nehemiah. Nehemiah was the cup bearer for King Artaxerxes.

Yet when the opportunity presented itself, he became an influencer and a great leader. He in many ways is a template for influence as he had a heart for God and for God's city, Jerusalem. This heart led him to prayerfully prepare the details for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, even when no opportunity even existed.

[Julie] (45:22 - 45:40) For the full details, we recommend two wonderful episodes on Nehemiah. It was Episodes #997 and #998 called: "How Do You Change Your World?" One of the biggest lessons was we learned there how to be "a Nehemiah," and if you can't be "a Nehemiah," find one and work with that "Nehemiah."

[Rick] (45:40 - 46:13) There you go. We're going to look at influence this way, the influence of a belief that has a passionate and God-honoring basis. That sums up where Nehemiah was coming from. Here's the thing; when preparation meets opportunity, influence can be born. Once born, what do we do with it? It's great to have influence, but what do we do with it? Well, let's look at Nehemiah's beginning as an influencer.

His heart and his mind were driven by God's law. Julie, let's go to Nehemiah 1:1-4:

[Julie] (46:14 - 46:58) "The words of Nehemiah ... Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year...that...some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem." I'm going to stop here because this month of Chislev is important. It equates to sometime in our November to December.

Hanukkah is in this month. They tell him that the Jews there were being looked down upon by those around them and the city was destroyed. This devastated Nehemiah because Jerusalem was God's city. Here's how Nehemiah responds to this news in verse 4: "When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven."

[Rick] (46:58 - 47:53) He hears the news and it breaks his heart and he fasts and he prays. He is completely consumed by the brokenness of Jerusalem and he's laying it before God Almighty. There's a tremendous influence lesson here. Remember, Nehemiah is a terrific template for us to learn about appropriate influence. The first Influence Lesson with Nehemiah is, the things of God that we are deeply passionate about should rightly be put before God in prayer. That's where they belong; before Him in prayer. We should not just make arbitrary decisions. We put it before God in prayer. Let's drop in on Nehemiah's prayer. Nehemiah's humility was a sound foundation on which to build a powerful request. Let's look at Nehemiah chapter 1:5-6 and 11.

[Julie] (47:54 - 48:31) Notice how he starts with sincere praise, and then he honestly acknowledges that they're not worthy of God's honor or blessing: "I said, I beseech you, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father's house have sinned."

[Rick] (48:31 - 48:57) Through the next several verses, Nehemiah keeps going over the fact that they have sinned and he knows it. He's not saying, hey, those guys did it; he's saying, I did it. We did it. We have let You down. He is putting things before Lord God almighty in this very honest, humble way, seeking God's favor once again. Now we go to verse 11 as he's beginning to wrap this prayer up:

[Julie] (48:57 - 49:31) "Oh Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man. Now I was the cup bearer to the king." Here we've got Nehemiah asking for God to be with him and bless him in his desire for God's people, God's land and God's purposes. Nehemiah wanted to do more and he asked for the opportunity in this humble, humble prayer to help and show his faithfulness.

[Rick] (49:31 - 50:32) The way he puts it is, "make Your servant successful today, grant him compassion before this man," before the king. He's calling him "this man," Lord, you are the king. Grant me success "before this man" because I want to represent Your city, Your will before him. There's a tremendous influence lesson here. Nehemiah's passion provoked him to pray to become an influencer. He prayed, Lord, give me the opportunity; let me go before the king because Your will is more important than anything and everything else. We've got his beginning, his heart and mind were driven by God. He had that deep passion and he prayed about it and he put that prayer out and now he's saying, help me to be an influencer for Your will. Then comes opportunity. Nehemiah's opportunity comes next. God's answer came and the opportunity to be a God-honoring influencer was actually born. We go to Nehemiah 2:1-3.

[Julie] (50:32 - 51:23) We're going to learn something really interesting here. Remember, this month of Chislev is the ninth month in the winter. There's a religious calendar, there's a secular calendar for the Jews.

In the religious reckoning, the month of Nisan is the first month. Remember, Chislev is the ninth month. Here's what it says: "And it came about in the month Nisan (again, this is the spring), in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and I gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. So the king said to me, 'Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart. Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?"

[Rick] (51:24 - 52:13) He's sad because he's bearing the weight of this trial of the city of Jerusalem for four months. Four months he's bearing this weight and the opportunity comes, and he recognizes it immediately. He says, "Let the king live forever" and then he just goes for it. He just puts it out there.

Why shouldn't my face be sad when Jerusalem is in such a desolated situation? Why shouldn't I be sad? He just lays it out. He's prayed four months. This Influence Lesson from Nehemiah here is four months after hearing the issue, Nehemiah was given opportunity. It finally came.

He is a mere servant of the king and yet he takes the first outward steps to becoming a great influencer for God Almighty, The Almighty King.

[Julie] (52:13 - 52:43) There's so many wonderful details we're skipping over because of time. During these long, sad four months, Nehemiah was preparing and calculating what would be needed so that if the king would allow him to leave, he'd be ready to go. The king ended up, after that beautiful prayer, giving him everything he needed to move forward with the project and that included time off from his duties, construction materials, and even approval letters signed by the king to allow him safe passage back.

[Rick] (52:43 - 53:03) Nehemiah's character was one that let the king have complete confidence. When he showed the king ... I picture that he had these notes that are like sixty pages long and the king says, why are you sad? Well, the walls of the city of Jerusalem are in shambles.

Take a look at this. He pulls it out of his robe and he puts it on the table. This didn't really happen.

[Julie] (53:03 - 53:07) Sixty scrolls, maybe, he dumps the scrolls on the table.

[Rick] (53:07 - 53:58) Bring the scrolls in, let them out. He shows the king, this is the problem, and here's the solution. I figured out how much we need to do and when we need to do it. The king trusts him, so what happens is Nehemiah, he organized, led, and inspired this rebuilding effort against great odds. He guided the people to work together on a seemingly impossible task and he never relented. This is influence.

This was noticed by the enemies of Israel. That brings us to the next point of Nehemiah being this template for an influencer because opposition and mockery developed. We look at Nehemiah's response to those things and we find that it is standing fast without wavering, not for a moment. We're going to look at Nehemiah 6:2-9. I'm going to take 2-4 to begin with.

[Julie] (53:59 - 54:27) Here's our first hint of the danger and difficulty he's going to encounter with this work: "Then Sanballat and Geshem (these are men) sent a message to me, saying, Come, let us meet together...in the plain of Ono. But they were planning to harm me. So I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you? And they sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way."

[Rick] (54:27 - 54:29) Let's think about this. Julie, where are they meeting?

[Julie] (54:30 - 54:31) In the plain of Ono?

[Rick] (54:32 - 55:02) In the plain of Ono. Nehemiah's response literally is, Oh no, oh no, oh no, no, no! I am not going there because I am about something bigger. I am doing God's work. I'm doing this "great work." I don't have time for you. I have got a mission and the mission has been opened up. I need to accomplish it. Next, those who stood against Israel would resort to the threat of fake news. That's right, fake news.

[Julie] (55:02 - 55:03) Even then.

[Rick] (55:03 - 55:09) It existed way back then. Listen to this. This is Nehemiah 6:5-7:

[Julie] (55:09 - 55:51) "Then Samballat sent his servant to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand. In it was written, It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel; therefore you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports. You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, A king is in Judah! And now it will be reported to the real king according to these reports... So come now, let us take counsel together." In other words, if you don't stop the work and talk to us, this is what we're going to tell everybody. Oh, come on.

[Rick] (55:51 - 56:19) Well, they are desperate because they see this individual with these people that are completely sold out to this project and they are threatened by it. They make up stories to bribe him down from his work, so that they can take him away and not allow him to finish it. Here's the thing, not even fake news could slow down the work because the fake news could not slow down Nehemiah.

Again, Nehemiah 6:8-9:

[Julie] (56:19 - 57:15) "Then I sent a message to him saying, Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind. For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done. But now, O God, strengthen my hands." He was even more determined. Another trap was set by Nehemiah's enemies in 6:10-14, but through all the adversity Nehemiah wouldn't let fear of any kind stop the work. He was uncompromising.

He kept praying, leading and working, praying, leading and working. The wall was completed in only fifty two days. Nehemiah 6:16 says: "When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God."

[Rick] (57:15 - 57:42) With the help of God through the influence of Nehemiah. That's the Influence Lesson here. The focus of the influencer drives the focus of those who follow. When you have an influencer that is so godly and so driven, you can have nothing but wonderful results. That's what brings us to the next piece of Nehemiah's influence. That is the victory. Godly influence blesses those who are influenced.

[Julie] (57:42 - 58:23) The work was done and everyone gathered together in the town square. Ezra, the priest and scribe brought out the book of the Law and read from it in Nehemiah 8:9-10: "Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep. For the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law." The people wept out loud because when they heard the Law, they realized how far off they had been. Ezra explained to them that this was a day of praise, not of weeping. Continuing with verse 10: "Then he said to them, Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

[Rick] (58:23 - 59:50) Nehemiah and Ezra, the prophet, are working together to bring Jerusalem back to a habitable state. They do that and the people are following because their influence is so dramatic and so powerful and so godly and so unrelenting. There is no compromise.

Anywhere you look, there's no compromise here. Our final Influence Lesson here in relation to Nehemiah is: Great influencers have the ability to give others a life-changing direction. Now look, we all, like you said earlier, can't be "a Nehemiah," but we can apply the lessons of Nehemiah. The thoughtfulness, the prayerfulness, the waiting for the opportunity, the seizing of the opportunity, the working through the adversity so that you get to what the Lord would have you to do. Whatever level of life we're at, that's where we can be. Finally, the Illuminating Power of Influence, one last time here: While most of us may never have Nehemiah's kind of opportunities, we still need to follow the path that he took. Our influence may not be seen in the world today, but it will be seen by our Heavenly Father and by our Lord Jesus, and that's the important thing. We're not doing this to impress anybody. We're doing this to fulfill God's will in our lives.

[Julie] (59:50 - 1:00:07) Let's ask our last influence question. Are we studied, prepared, prayerful, and ready to live godly influence in our daily experiences? It doesn't matter who notices, or how big or how small the work is.

It's what we do with what we are given.

[Rick] (1:00:07 - 1:01:02) That's the point of influence, folks. We all have the power of influence at our fingertips. What is that in your hand?

It may be something small and seemingly insignificant, but it may be a life-changing event. It may be something that can lift somebody else up. It may be something that can change things.

We don't know. What we do know is by God's grace and God's spirit, God's will, and God's providence, if we follow, we can influence for His glory. That's the only thing worth influencing for. Think about it. Folks, we love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions.

On this episode and other episodes at ChristianQuestions.com. Coming up in our next Episode: "Do the Covenants of God All Last Forever?" Talk to you about that next week.

Final Notes: copyright @2024 Christian Questions. In addition to this transcript, we provide comprehensive CQ Rewind Show Notes for every episode. They include every scripture quoted during the podcast, as well as graphics, illustrations and bonus material. Click the "CQ Rewind Show Notes" button near the audio player or sign up to receive these weekly at ChristianQuestions.com. This transcript was created using artificial intelligence. While we believe it to be accurate, we apologize for any errors that may exist.