Sermon Tone Analysis

Someone said, “It is the law of influence that we become like those whom we habitually admire.

Men are mosaics of other men.”

The earliest Christians strove to live the message of Christ, to love God and to love others in unity (Phil 2:1–2; 3:10; Eph 4:1–16) by practicing self-sacrifice in a spirit of thankfulness to God (Phil 2:17–18; 2 Thess 2:13).

They did this because the resurrection was real to them, as was the tangible presence of God’s kingdom.

It was by the Holy Spirit’s power that they lived this message, utilizing the gifts of the Spirit that acknowledged this power (Acts 1:8;

Good morning!

I would like to start by making a few comments about Last Sunday.

A big thank you to Pam who really has been a partner with me over 23 of the past 25 years.

I am not sure how she managed to organize everything on top of all the other things we had going on last week.

Thank you for all the kind words and affirmation from your cards and notes... Thank you to Gary and Susan for amazing snack time.

It was also a blessing for me to hear from those from friends that have been part and parcel of of our lives over the past 25 years.

was an incredible and such a blessing for me to hear from those from friends that have been part and parcel of the fabric of our lives over the past 25 years.

I am

Thankful for all the influencers in my life… Going back to my grandmother who got me up every Sunday morning for Sunday School, Sundays School teachers, our Youth Pastor David Eden, to Pastors and leaders…There are those past influencers…but there are also what I am going to current influencers… many are right here in this room.

When you reflect on your life you realize that there are many people who are part of the fabric of what becomes your life… You don’t go through life on your own…and you pick up something from others as you go along.

It’s all about the positive influencers in your life..

For me these influencers include my Oma/ grandmother who got me up every Sunday morning for Sunday School, Sundays School teachers, youth pastor and leaders…

Someone put it well when they said, “It is the law of influence that we become like those whom we habitually admire.

I am

Thankful for all the influencers in my life… Going back to my grandmother who got me up every Sunday morning for Sunday School, Sundays School teachers, our Youth Pastor David Eden, to Pastors and leaders…There are those past influencers…but there are also what I am going to current influencers… many are right here in this room.

“Men are mosaics of other men.”

This mornings message is entitled, “How to to Be an Influencer.”

This is an important message… many of us shy a way from leadership… and with think well let someone else worry about that..and I’m hoping that some of that will change as God works through this message.

What is an influencer?

Well firstly Influence is a word that come up leadership studies… The classic definition of leadership is influence…Leaders are always concerned about outcomes… The want to see people, organizations, culture move towards positive changes that will transcend there own lives..

There are many ways to try and get results..

There are those past influencers…but there are also what I am going to current influencers… many are right here in this room.

Let me take a moment to define an Influencer.

Men of God who modeled Christ and leadership…

Leadership Tip:

God has given us the responsibility and privilege of entering into one another’s growth process.

One of the ways we can do that is by “Building people up.”

God has given us the responsibility and privilege of entering into one another’s growth process.

The definition of a leadership is influence…

Building up people is harder than tearing them down.

Encourage patterns of communication in your group that bring personal and spiritual growth.

BIBLE STUDY

Start your meeting with an Ice Breaker:

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten for breakfast that is not a breakfast food?

Background

It is well for us to think that no grace or blessing is truly ours until God has blessed someone else with it through us.—Phillip

Brooks

John Stott tells us that there are three things that people are looking for in our secular world…The first.

Love is, first of all, something we receive from God.

He has shown his love in sending Jesus to die for us.

Jesus has won forgiveness of our sins and restored us to life in the family of God.

If this is how much God loves us, then surely we can love one another.

The love Christians have for each other is a real experience of God’s love.

God is invisible, but through the church we can realize and receive his love for ourselves.

In John’s Gospel, the invisible God is seen in the coming of Jesus ().

In this letter of John, the invisible God is found in Christian fellowship.

Someone said, “It is the law of influence that we become like those whom we habitually admire.

Men are mosaics of other men.”

John Stott tells us that there are three things that people are looking for in our secular world…The first.

—Phillip Brooks

We live in a world with many influencers and influences.

John Stott tells us that there are three things that people are looking for in our secular world…The first.

1.Transcendence… looking for something beyond themselves.

Be apart of Something that is greater than themselves.

2. Looking for significance.

Looking for personal identity… Who am I, where do I come from and where they are going.

3. Quest for Community/ Indentity — We see this kind of thing in Cross fit gyms and social causes.

People are looking for the very thing that Gospel offers… John in the Epistle of 1 John to be come this type of Community… Radical Community that lives out the Gospel..

What does it mean to be an influencer… A number years ago, Time magazine had an article on the 25 most influential people in America.

Inside the article they made a distinction between influential people and powerful people.

It said, “These are not necessarily the most powerful people, but they’re the most influential.”

Time magazine had an article on the 25 most influential people in America.

Inside the article they made a distinction between influential people and powerful people.

It said, “These are not necessarily the most powerful people, but they’re the most influential.”

I think that’s a very helpful distinction.

Let me put it in my own words.

Let me try to paraphrase what that distinction is.

I think that’s a very helpful distinction.

Let me put it in my own words.

Let me try to paraphrase what that distinction is.

Power changes people from the outside in; influence changes people from the inside out.

When you have power, that means you have money or you have government behind you.

In power, you bring coercive force to bear on the outside of the person, on their behavior.

So they change because they have to.

In influence, you target the insides.

You target the heart, the mind.

You change their views.

Therefore, the people change because they want to, not because they have to.

Therefore, we can actually say power changes from the outside in, influence from the inside out, but actually, only changing people from the inside out is really changing people.

In the Epistles of John we are confronted with false teachers and false doctrines that have infiltrated the Church…John calls these Spiritual influences… In John’s mind there were two powers at work in the world… there is light and there is Darkness.

The definition of a leadership is influence…

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Now being a leader is a calling that we should not shy away from, but rather it is something that we ought to embrace… Not being a leader is not really optional as a Christian, because we are face with all kinds of spiritual forces and influences in our world..

And if we don’t become the leaders and influencers in our homes, church and community someone else will willing do that for us…

John taught us how to deal with the wrong kind of influences by --- Begining of this Chapter he tells us to.

“test the spirits to see whether they are from God ” --- The reason being that many false prophets have gone into the world and behind these individuals are spirits… By testing Spirits He means live with wisdom and discernment.

it is always going to point us to the incarnation and Divinity of Jesus..

He came in the Flesh and is the Son of God...

Not every spirit or influence is necessary from God..

In fact many wrong influences exist in the world...

We are to live wisdom and the knowledge of God.

We are to discern what spirit are from God and what are imitations.

The Holy Spirit is always going to point us to the incarnation and Divinity of Jesus..

He came in the Flesh and is the Son of God...

We are to discern what spirit are from God and what are not.

The Holy Spirit is always going to point us to the incarnation and Divinity of Jesus..That is that Jesus came in the Flesh and is the Son of God...