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You Can Lead with Influence

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Gospel CoalitionOver the last few months, I’ve written about how Proverbs helps us to gain not only a godly perspective on our own lives but also the influence required to lead others. Last week, The Gospel Coalition published a guest post I wrote on the topic of influence.

Paul’s recipe for influence was simple. It had two primary ingredients: hope and humility.

Paul divulges these not-so-secret keys to influential ministry in chapters 2 and 3 of 1 Thessalonians.

Humility means caring more about others than about yourself. It means being honest about your need for grace. It means refusing to trample others on the way to your own success or personal fulfillment….

Hope means believing God is at work through Christ, so anything can change for the better. It means approaching others’ sin with patience rather than anger and refusing to complain about everything that’s wrong with the world, instead thanking God for what’s still right. It means being honest about difficult things while remaining confident God will use them for good.

For a more detailed look at humility and hope, see the Proverbs series on this site. For a more condensed look at Paul’s employment of these traits in 1 Thessalonians, see the Gospel Coalition post.

Check it out!

Question: What other ingredients have you found to build influence in your leadership of others?

How can you know the will of God?

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If you’ve been a Christian for more than approximately 37 seconds, you’ve probably been in a conversation about how you can know the will of God.  In my experience, most of these conversations quickly become debates about whether and how God speaks to individuals about specific decisions they’re facing.  The answers to those questions are significant and are often correlated with denominational lines, so I won’t presume to give God’s authoritative answer on those questions today.

However, if we go back to the original question of how we can know the will of God, we are indeed able to to speak authoritatively!  The Bible tells us plainly in several places.  Let’s look at two of them together, found only a few verses apart:

[1] Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. [2] For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. [3] For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; [4] that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, [5] not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; [6] that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. [7] For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. [8] Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 ESV, emphasis mine)

[16] Rejoice always, [17] pray without ceasing, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV, emphasis mine)

Therefore, here are several things the Bible very plainly says are God’s will for us:

  • Abstaining from sexual immorality (4:3)
  • Self-control of our bodies, in holiness and honor, and not in passions of lust (4:4-5)
  • That we not transgress and wrong our fellow Christians regarding the items above (4:6)
  • Rejoice always (5:16)
  • Pray without ceasing (5:17)
  • Give thanks in all circumstances (5:18)

Honestly consider that list.  Are you abstaining from sexual immorality, including keeping yourself from adultery, fornication, visiting sexually explicit websites and the like?  Do you run to the Lord in prayer so often that it seems to you and others that you pray ceaselessly?  Do your friends marvel that you are constantly rejoicing and giving thanks in all circumstances, even the ones that leave others shaken and panicked?

If you’re anything like me, there’s certainly room for growth even in that short list!  Praise God that Jesus died so that my hope – and yours – is not in a perfect list, but in a perfect Savior!

So, while it is appropriate to ask whether God gives specific direction in regard to His will, it is still more appropriate to recognize that He is very clear with us on what following His will looks like according to 1 Thessalonians.  If we desire to know more of His will, let’s agree to at least start with what is already plain in His knowable Word (1 Thess 4:2!)