Time Magazine & Great Commission Influencers
Time editor Rick Stengel rightly points out, “The Time 100 is not about the influence of power but the power of influence”;in that sense, what influence these leaders might have if following Jesus were their passion!
I understand, of course, that some may already follow Christ, and many would have no desire to do so. Just imagine what might happen, however . . .
- American military personnel sharing Christ in live or die situations
- the salvation of a Japanese leader opening the door to revival in that hard-soil nation
- converted French leaders/influencers calling Western Europe back to God
- Hollywood moguls using their publicity machines to tell stories of their lives changed through Christ
- Indian believers illustrating Christian unity and strength for a fractured nation
- global philanthropists committing their resources toward the spread of the gospel
- Iranian and Iraqi believers living for the one and only true God
...and on and on the stories could go.
How might such conversions happen, though? There is only one way: somebody must tell the influencers about Jesus (Rom. 10:14).
This is where this edition of Time most captures my thinking. In many ways, this list of “influencers” is a list of unknowns. Even the editor admits such: “You might not have heard their names before.” He continues, though: “but their innovations and efforts will help change the world for years to come.” We may not recognize or remember long the names of some of the world’s most influential people, but the fruit of their labor may well outlast them.
Somehow, that just seems right in God’s economy. Think about the Great Commission believers who daily proclaim Christ around the world. They are salt and light to a lost world (Matt. 5:13-16), telling the Good News without concern for worldly recognition. Sometimes only their immediate family and friends recognize their names. In some cases, only a few others know where they are serving geographically. These believers will likely never be featured in a national magazine. For some, to paint their portrait across the cover of Time magazine might, in fact, be dangerous. But, these “unknowns” are willing to remain unknown, giving their lives so that Jesus alone might be known. We might not know their names, but “their efforts will help change the world for years to come.”
Their efforts will, in fact, change eternity – and that’s the kind of influence that really matters.
That’s Great Commission influence.
- read whole article at chucklawless.com
I understand, of course, that some may already follow Christ, and many would have no desire to do so. Just imagine what might happen, however . . .
- American military personnel sharing Christ in live or die situations
- the salvation of a Japanese leader opening the door to revival in that hard-soil nation
- converted French leaders/influencers calling Western Europe back to God
- Hollywood moguls using their publicity machines to tell stories of their lives changed through Christ
- Indian believers illustrating Christian unity and strength for a fractured nation
- global philanthropists committing their resources toward the spread of the gospel
- Iranian and Iraqi believers living for the one and only true God
...and on and on the stories could go.
How might such conversions happen, though? There is only one way: somebody must tell the influencers about Jesus (Rom. 10:14).
This is where this edition of Time most captures my thinking. In many ways, this list of “influencers” is a list of unknowns. Even the editor admits such: “You might not have heard their names before.” He continues, though: “but their innovations and efforts will help change the world for years to come.” We may not recognize or remember long the names of some of the world’s most influential people, but the fruit of their labor may well outlast them.
Somehow, that just seems right in God’s economy. Think about the Great Commission believers who daily proclaim Christ around the world. They are salt and light to a lost world (Matt. 5:13-16), telling the Good News without concern for worldly recognition. Sometimes only their immediate family and friends recognize their names. In some cases, only a few others know where they are serving geographically. These believers will likely never be featured in a national magazine. For some, to paint their portrait across the cover of Time magazine might, in fact, be dangerous. But, these “unknowns” are willing to remain unknown, giving their lives so that Jesus alone might be known. We might not know their names, but “their efforts will help change the world for years to come.”
Their efforts will, in fact, change eternity – and that’s the kind of influence that really matters.
That’s Great Commission influence.
- read whole article at chucklawless.com
