Influence

This morning started with a 6am theology class at the church. Today was the first of a two-year study our senior pastor leads for somewhere around 40 men who want a deeper theological knowledge to use as a grid for understanding the Bible better and making better life decisions. It's going to be a great year.

The "ice breaker" for the tables this morning was to describe a person in our lives other than a family member who has had the most significant spiritual influence on us. It was really cool to hear the people the guys around our table named: everyone from college pastors and fourth-grade Sunday School teachers, to coworkers and ex-girlfriends.

It was neat to hear the stories behind that influence, and to find the common denominators in each of those instances.

In each case, the person who had the most significant influence on the people sitting around our table had three traits:

1. They took the initiative in identifying and inviting a person to grow alongside them. Every single story included the words, "they took an interest in me and helped me understand..."

2. They had passion that was compelling to the people whose lives they affected. It was clear to us that the people who impacted our lives were people who were absolutely clear and confident in an area we needed to grow, and that they absolutely believed the Truths of Scripture.

3. But, in addition to their passion and knowledge they all had the grace and patience to help us grow at our own pace.

The people who made the greatest impact on our lives weren't always the smartest people in the room, or the most well-read. They never had everything figured out. But they identified and invited us to catch some of their passion at our own pace as they helped us grow in our knowledge of God and the Scripture.

I want to be that kind of person. Whether or not I ever know it, I want to be the person people mention at tables just like mine in four or five years. I don't want to have just been their pastor. I don't want to be just a blip on their radar screen. I want to make a deep, significant impact on the lives of the people with whom I come in contact. Do you?

You don't have to be a pastor - many of the people mentioned today were not. You don't have to have a seminary degree, or a detailed knowledge of the Bible. You just have to be willing to invest in someones life, passionate about what you do know, and possess the grace and humility to walk alongside people as they take meaningful steps toward growing in their relationship with Jesus Christ.