
influence
in·flu·ence | \ ˈin-ˌflü-ən(t)s , especially Southern in-ˈflü- \plural influencesEssential Meaning of influence
1: the power to change or affect someone or something : the power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happenRecent years have seen a decline in the company’s influence within the industry.Her ideas have gradually gained influence in the company.2: a person or thing that affects someone or something in an important wayMy parents have been major influences in my life.Emily Dickinson has been a major influence on his poetry.
Influence can be a powerful force for both good and evil.
Each one of us is the product of the influences in our lives, it starts with our Mothers, Fathers, brothers and sisters, teachers, our schooling, our colleges and friends and neighbours, what we read, what we study what we listen to, who we listen to, all the information that comes to us creates a place where we either accept the influence with the teaching or reject it.
The problem today is that the influences are so great that is it getting harder and harder to determine who or what we should believe or accept as truth.
This week alone I had three people call me with issues arising from false doctrine from an online source that affected them to the place they doubted the Word of God, their own experiences and the love of God.
Satan was using his influence to create doubt, fear and torment.
So what does the word say about those we allow to speak into our lives.
Who were some negative influencers and how did it affect the lives of those who heard them.
We see Satan as the first one trying to influence Eve in the Garden, he did to the place that led her and Adam to sin and be tossed out of the garden of Eden, Satan’s influence on Eve was horrific. Satan’s influence caused the fall of man So lets decide right now… we really don’t want Satan’s influence in our lives.
Today, we don’t see Satan coming to us in the form of a snake to have a heart to heart discussion on the nature of God, rather he uses others as well as his own voice to plant seeds of doubt, fear, unbelieve, Lets also acknowledge that that Satan can use the word of God to his own advantage.
Look at the temptation of Christ – three times he quoted scripture to try to influence the Lord to fall…
Matthew 4:1-11 King James Version4 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Satan’s temptations were powerful, nothing small here, he tried with all he had to influence Christ to abandon his calling to follow him.
Today Satan still tries mightily to influence us, he uses things like…
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Religion
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Science
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Schools, colleges and universities
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Neighbours\friends
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Family
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News media
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Social Media
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Books, print media
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Music
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Videos and Movies and Hollywood
Satan uses preachers, and teachers and evangelists and even our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, those in our families and closest to us, he is ruthless and cruel, he will do anything to plant a seed of doubt and unbelief in your heart to change your behavior.
I have seen Satan deceive people using the Word of God to the place they leave the Lord, truth and the church to follow error, destroying themselves and even their families.
It is the saddest thing in the world to see Satan destroy or influence a person, and to see that person believe his lies and act on them.
Friends and Family who try to influence.
In the book of Job is a perfect example of people who don’t know the Lord and think they know the Word trying to force their opinions on others, Jobs friends thought he had sinned, which was why he was enduring such pain and sorrow.. poor Job trying to deal with that, then even his own wife who was full of pain said…
Jobs wife
Job 2;9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
Jobs friend – Eliphaz
But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
6 Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?
7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?
8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
9 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.
From this we see anyone or everyone can be affected by someone who thinks they know the Lord and gives their opinion to the hurt of another person… the question then becomes…where then do we go, who do we trust, how can we protect our minds and heart for being deceived and influenced by negative voices and damaging influences?
Who are the positive influencers in our lives today?
As apostolics, the first voice we should listen to is that of Jesus Christ. He being our savior and God should be the first person we look to to find out about any topic or question we have.
The Word of God then becomes our guide to find out what the Lord wants us to do.
The problem is that the Word can be misinterpreted, so we need to use proper hermeneutical skills, and if we haven’t had 7 years of Bible training, and we have a question, we should seek out our Pastor.
The Pastor is a gift from the Lord to any person.
Jer. 3:12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
There is a promise that if we repent and turn to the Lord he will give us pastors that care and who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.
The Lord has also given other gifts to perfect the saints.
Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
We refer to these gifts given to us by the Lord as the five fold ministry.
Apostles – a person sent out to preach the gospel and establish churches.
[to be] apostles,
ἀποστόλους (apostolous)
Noun – Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong’s Greek 652: From apostello; a delegate; specially, an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ.
Prophets – an anointed speaker
[to be] prophets,
προφήτας (prophētas)
Noun – Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong’s Greek 4396: From a compound of pro and phemi; a foreteller; by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet.
Evangelists – A preacher of the Gospel
[to be] evangelists,
εὐαγγελιστάς (euangelistas)
Noun – Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong’s Greek 2099: An evangelist, a missionary, bearer of good tidings. From euaggelizo; a preacher of the gospel.
Pastors – the leader of a group of saints and under shepherd
[to be] pastors
ποιμένας (poimenas)
Noun – Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong’s Greek 4166: A shepherd; hence met: of the feeder, protector, and ruler of a flock of men. Of uncertain affinity; a shepherd.4166 poimḗn – properly, a shepherd (“pastor” in Latin); (figuratively) someone who the Lord raises up to care for the total well-being of His flock (the people of the Lord).
Teachers – an instructor of the word of God.
teachers,
διδασκάλους (didaskalous)
Noun – Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong’s Greek 1320: A teacher, master. From didasko; an instructor.Cognate: 1320 didáskalos (a masculine noun derived from 1321 /didáskō, “to teach”) – a teacher, an instructor acknowledged for their mastery in their field of learning; in Scripture, a Bible teacher, competent in theology. See 1319 (didaskalia).
For me, personally, these are the people who I allow to speak into my life.
Jesus Christ, The Spirit of God, the Word of God, the New Testament Apostles and their writing’s, and the modern day Apostolic church and their writing’s and preaching.
I want to hear and listen to the voices of those who the Lord has given to us, who will help with knowing truth, with how to live our lives, and who give us knowledge, understanding and wisdom.
The most powerful churches are churches that have all these gifts working within them, or have access to them.
Who is your Pastor?
Your Pastor is usually the pastor of the church who baptized you and who you submit to when it comes to the word of God to teach you knowledge and understanding. He or she is also the one who who will give account to the Lord of your life.
King James Bible
Heb.13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
Having the five fold ministry in operation helps to keep everyone spiritually healthy and receiving the right training and there are checks and balances if we make mistakes, or misinterpret the word, or have a wrong idea or philosophy or even have an attitude problem, the five fold ministry is there to correct and encourage and support us.
Being accountable to the saints, to your pastor, with your pastor accountable to the greater church and the five fold ministry helps to keep us spiritually, emotionally and even physically safe.
Use the tools the Lord has given to us, the Word, the Spirit, your pastor, the teacher, the gifting’s of the five fold ministry.
Who are the voices among the Apostolic church today?
Check out the resources here
Where do you go to find solid teaching and training?
Books, Videos, ebooks, Bible studies
So who are you going to allow to speak into your life?
Lets check our spirits and see who has the most influence in our lives.
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