11 Where Are You Going?

In the Great Commission Jesus said, go into all the world, make disciples. That is a role of primarily every believer. Not that discipleship is the responsibility of every believer equally, in a sense. That the greatest influence on people should be the elders, apostles, five fold giftings, whilst, if you've been saved for a day you are capable of leading somebody else.

You probably shouldn't be the loudest voice in their ear. But the truth is that all of us influence other people to some degree. Whether we are in the church, in the workplace, in a home. Our behavior influences the behavior of those around us.

Let's have an example in church life. If we're having a time of worship, if you worship passionately, it makes it easier for the people around you to also worship passionately. If you stand with your hands in your pockets looking bored, you make it easier for other people not to engage.

And that's because, essentially God designed us that way. He designed us for relationship. He designed us for connection. I used to say, many years ago, when I was a youth leader, that the two most powerful forces in the world were peer pressure and the Holy Spirit.

Peer Pressure and the Influence of Bad Company

The Holy Spirit is just about strong enough to counter peer pressure if we let Him. But the more that I've kind of experienced life and studied Scripture, and developed my thinking, I've realized that's probably wrong. I think in some circumstances, and please hear what I'm saying and what I'm not saying.

Peer pressure is a force that sometimes cannot be overcome, even by the Holy Spirit. How do we know that? Well, Scripture is quite clear that bad company, for example, corrupts good character. We become like the people we spend time with. The Bible doesn't say, don't worry about spending time with bad people, because the Spirit of God in you is stronger.

You will be okay. No, that's not what it says. It instructs us to be with people who will do us good. Some people, of course argue, what about Jesus? Jesus spent time with prostitutes and tax collectors and so on. I think even that's not quite true.

I don't think He spent time with them. I think they spent time with Him. And there's a subtle but important difference there. They were being influenced by Him. He wasn't being influenced by them. When Adam was created and before sin came into the world.

Created for Community and Connection

When everything was perfect. God had created everything and He said, it is good. It is good. It is very good. He then noticed that something wasn't good. And He said, it is not good for man to be alone. And so He created Eve.

And we often use that Scripture in context of marriage, but I think it's something way deeper than marriage. We were not designed to live alone. We were designed to live in community. Even culturally. Western cultures are very individualistic. Many African cultures still are very communal.

And even the concept of Ubuntu, literally means, I am because you are. It says, I can't even truly exist outside of the community. And that's almost a more biblical perspective. I am dependent on the community for my life, for my existence, for my health.

And it's interesting that in the Old Testament, the worst form of punishment was to be put out of the camp. Was to be separated from the people of Israel, separated from the community of faith. And in the New Testament the harshest form of church discipline is to be put out from the church.

Is to be separated from from the people of faith. Why? Because we need community. We were designed in such a way that when we come together, we're empowered and we're equipped and we're encouraged and something, even a spiritual dynamic that happens that doesn't happen when we're alone.

Which Direction Are You Influencing People?

So the question is, when you're with other people, how are you influencing them? The question isn't if you're influencing, the question is how. Not, am I taking people where I'm going? The question is, which direction are you going? We can either influence people into more of the Lord, or less of the Lord.

We can lead people into more worship or less worship. Most of us have seen that. For example, on a Sunday with JoshGen. The worship starts, everybody runs to the front and people have got their hands up and they're jumping up and down and they're being passionate.

Then you take that same group of people and put them at a wedding, where they are the minority. Generally what happens is they're a little less passionate. A little less enthusiastic. A little less expressive in their worship. Because they're being influenced by people within the group.

One person can change a meeting. One person can change a group. One person can change the direction of everything. Whether it be, a group of friends around a dinner table, or a team playing sport. Whether it's a community group or a Sunday meeting, whatever it is, one person can make the difference.

Deacons Lead by Lifestyle, Not Just Words

As a deacon or a potential deacon, the question you need to ask yourself is, am I that one person who's willing to make a difference? And in what direction am I going to make that difference? A question I often ask is this: What would the church look like if everybody imitated me?

We love to quote Paul when He says, imitate me as I imitate Christ. So a good question is, could I say that? What would the church look like if I said that and people actually did it? What would worship in the church look like if everybody worshipped like me?

What would loving in the church look like if everybody loved like me? What would giving look like if everybody gave like me? This isn't to condemn, it's to encourage. As a deacon, one of your responsibilities, along with the elders, is not just to lead people with words, but lead people with lifestyle.

2 Timothy 2:2, "that that I've entrusted to you, find reliable men who will themselves be equipped to teach others." And teaching in the Hebrew thought is not just words, but words and actions. Likewise, Paul saying, I send my son Timothy, who will remind you of everything I teach and my way of life.

Are we reminding people in the way we live and in our speech, what it means to be completely devoted to Jesus? Are we leading people into more devotion or less devotion? Are we leading people to the cross or are we leading people into comfort and convenience?

Are we leading people with conviction or with preference? So, I want to ask each of us who have a leadership responsibility, knowing that you do carry influence, knowing that the way that we are designed as human beings is to be influenced by each other: Are you willing to be the one that makes a difference? And if you are, can you ask yourself, how can I lead people in the right direction? Into the more? Into the deeper relationship? So that we can all become more like Christ.