The Power Of Influence

Hello people.

In this post as we turn again to Galatians we will digress briefly from our core subject of grace to consider the issue of influence. 

“When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.” Galatians 2:11-13

These verses contain examples of the power of influence:

1. Peter was afraid of particular people (“the circumcision group”) and he allowed their presence to influence his actions though he should have known better.
2. The other Jews joined Peter and even Barnabas was led astray. The other Jews obviously respected Peter’s opinions and so they followed his actions. Barnabas too was affected by all the events. Barnabas had been Paul’s companion and “ministry partner”, yet he was also carried away by their example of pretence and insincerity.

I see in this a very powerful illustration of how much influence we can exert. Without even speaking at all, the folks that came from James had caused a ripple effect on several other believers. Just as Scripture says "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (1Cornthians 5:6, Galatians 5:9).

Pastors have an effect on their congregation. You will notice this for example in some churches where almost all the Pastors attempt to talk like the Head Pastor. People are influenced by their friends and not even necessarily close friends (think of the “peer pressure” effect). Family members (especially parents and older siblings) have much influence on others in the family. People at work are influenced by their co-workers. The examples areendless. 

I remember how growing up I really looked up to my older brother. Paschal is one of his names and when it was my turn to pick a name, I also picked a “P” name (Patrick) just to be like him. I don’t even think anyone in the family realized that my decision was based on my brother’s influence. It is a reality of human existence that we simply cannot run away from. We are influenced by the people we associate with and we can also influence people around us. Just think of Peter in Galatians 2. 

My message as we go into the week is that we learn from Peter. Don’t be a negative influence! I am convinced Peter would have regretted his actions not just for his own act of insincerity (that was bad enough) but also because he ended up influencing many people negatively.  Always think of other people who would be influenced by your words or actions. Choose to be a positive influence. It’s like dominoes. One action or event sets off a cascade and the final outcome could be of greater magnitude than ever envisaged. 

Hope you don’t mind the brief interruption in our journey of exploring God’s grace. We will proceed next week as we view more snapshots of God’s amazing grace. 

Just in case you have not noticed, over the past few weeks I have added links to songs celebrating God's grace. My song for the week is "This Is Amazing Grace" by Phil Wickham (thanks Nike for the reminder). Have a lovely week everyone.


"This Is Amazing Grace" by Phil Wickham