“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:8)

Do you try to influence others by raising your voice? Texting in ALL CAPS? Emailing with an abundance of exclamation points? Flooding your Instagram feed with motivational (always scripturally-based, of course) sayings? What’s behind that desire? In other words, who or what’s influencing us? Any why?

Jesus nears His ascension. Naturally, the disciples want Him to stay; they mourned His death; now He has returned and spent forty days with them.  Are you going to institute the kingdom now? Jesus has a different plan. He sends the disciples out to be the greatest Influencers anyone could be, once they receive the Holy Spirit to move and influence them. 

The draw to keep Jesus near is understandable, but If He stays, would they ever leave to become the Gospel Influencers He wants? They would likely start Kingdom Building right there. The comfort in staying together must be similar to the difficulty of starting new church plants or sending out missionaries; which members will leave a beloved pastor? But when the Spirit prompts us to leave our comfort zone, and we obey, then we become influential Influencers. Once they leave, the disciples will encounter hardships, torture, even death. But, oh, their influence. They needed Jesus to ascend, though; without that, the Spirit’s empowering would never have filled or led them.

We have the Holy Spirit’s influencing power, too. Like the disciples, we may be reluctant to move out. We stay put because we think we're ill-prepared, uneducated, or unsuited to the task. But...remember the flawed people God used throughout Scripture, including these very disciples. We stay put because we feel comfortable where we are; it’s dangerous witnessing out there, we tell the Spirit. But...haven’t you felt His power when you did step out?  

We’re equipped because we have the Spirit. But do we regularly follow His prompting, regularly tap into His power to become Influencers?

Your influence doesn’t have to be on a grand scale, so long as it’s motivated by the Holy Spirit, comes from a heart of Christian love, with a desire to bring others to God.

Influence comes in quiet words reassuring a questioning child, in the courage to speak up when a neighbor is swearing, in bringing a meal to a sick friend. Doors open. influence increases. The hope of the “ends of the world” is Jesus, but it might just start small. You don’t always need ALL CAPS.

I’m sure we would have wanted Jesus to stay, too, but the Holy Spirit is “Jesus Continued” (J.D. Greear). What Jesus accomplished in His physical body, we now have the privilege of continuing as His body, the church. Yes, we have shortcomings. But because of the Holy Spirit’s power, we can have the confidence to be Influencers - for eternity’s sake, not for Instagram followers.