WHO INFLUENCED YOU? (Part 1)

This past week I've been thinking a lot about the people who have influenced me over the years. You know, the ones who shared the love of God with me. I believe God has put men and women in my life since birth who pointed me toward a life with God and his Son, Jesus Christ.

I might add, Satan also put men and women in my life to draw me away from God. Someday, I will talk about them. But, this week and next, I want to share with you how you can influence others to come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, just as the men and women that God put in my life did for me.

Welcome everyone to your 24/7, week long, online church service. As you know by now, no one is excluded from this place: Born again, not born again, saved but distant from God by accident or on purpose. You are all welcome here. Our desire is to draw you to Jesus. Let him save you to the fullest. You will never regret it. Jesus tells us how all men can be drawn to him. In John 12:32 Jesus said:

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me.”

Jesus, as John 12:33 shows, was talking about how he was going to die. John 12:33 states:

“This he said, signifying what death he should die.”

The death on the cross. A death designed to save us all from eternal death. Little did the haters of Jesus realize, that when they lifted Jesus up on that cross to die, that he would not only arise from death to live forever, but would draw all men and all women, and children to him – so we could also live forever with him.

The reason I used these scriptures was to show what Jesus believed and taught all through the Bible. Our job as believers is to lift up the name of Jesus. Jesus will honor that by drawing all people to him. These are some of the people who lifted up the name of Jesus to me. You will notice that these individuals cross all denominational lines. Pointing out, what an old southern gospel song says “It's not the name over the door that counts, it's what's in your heart.” The first person I want to mention is my mother. Mom was a Catholic woman. I remember her taking us kids to home church services in Virginia. We lived in a small southern town where there were no Catholic churches, nor much love for the Catholics who did live there.

A traveling priest, Father Berson, would come every two weeks to say mass and teach us about God. This is where I first learned about Jesus and what he did for us. Father Berson also taught us about the apostles, how they followed and served Jesus, telling us they were an example to follow.

I must also mention my grandparents in Virginia. Most of my first ten years as a young boy I lived with them. They made sure I attended Sunday School at the Methodist Church. That was where I first actually heard “preaching from the pulpit.” It may also be where I first felt the draw or tug to become a preacher of the gospel. My grandparents would let me, as a six-year-old, preach to them and anyone else who would listen as they gathered in the living room. They would even let me take up a collection. Do you see the point I am making? Just as my Mom, Father Berson and my grandparents built up the love of God in me, you can do the same for your children, grandchildren and even your friends and neighbors.

As I grew older, I began to notice certain preachers, mostly on TV as I was not attending church on a regular basis. Preachers like Oral Roberts, A.A. Allen, and Rex Humbard began to attract my attention. Although I had basically grown up in the Catholic Church, I knew very little about a personal relationship with Christ. I knew about the Catholic Church, I knew about God and his son, Jesus Christ, but I did not know God in a personal sense.

The above preachers actually talked about a personal relationship with God. They talked about faith and God's love for us. They said we could be saved – whatever that meant. All I know is that I listened to them, not knowing the change it would make in my life. Romans 10:13-14 talks about these kind of preachers. The apostle Paul, preaching to the church in Rome said:

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed and how, shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

These scriptures were basically talking about me. These men of God planted in me the seed of salvation. Many years later, after living a life of sin and defeat, another TV preacher led me in the sinner's prayer. I gave my life to Jesus. Often times, I have been critical of false teaching and preaching, but make no mistake, my friends, there are called men of God who have been placed in your lives to show you the way to Jesus. Continuing in Romans 10:15-16:

“And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.”

This scripture is not speaking of seminaries and denominations sending these preachers forth, but God, by his calling, directing them and leading them to help the lost to know Jesus. Thank you, Lord, for these preachers you have anointed with your love, power and grace.

I want to mention another preacher of the gospel who had a big impact on my life. Bro. Fred Norris, my first pastor after receiving Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Bro. Fred was the pastor of a small Free Will Baptist Church, and what a man of God he was. He preached salvation. He made it so real. He called it “being borned again.” Bro. Fred taught us about the love of God. When he was done preaching, you just knew God loved you and you wanted to return that love. Bro. Fred always had a smile, always showed you the love of Christ and you always knew Jesus first, then his family, and all of us were the loves of his life.

After seven years, we left that church to attend another, but Bro. Fred always stayed connected to us. Bro. Fred is with the Lord now, what a joyful man he must be. Believers, are you beginning to think of persons who influenced you and your walk with Jesus? That is the real goal of this message. Nonbelievers, does this message stir up remembrances of people who shared Jesus with you? I'm talking about friends, relatives, even in some cases strangers. Think of the preachers who have been faithful in your local churches and even on TV, preaching the love of God and building up your faith.

There are so many more to recall, aren't there? Tell you what, let's continue this journey of remembering the people that God has placed in our lives next week, okay? E-mail me today at brotherbob@thespiritofwisdom.org with your memories and stories about those who have influenced you in your journey toward and with God. Let's read John 13:35, Jesus is speaking here:

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

The best way to show love one to another is to tell them about Jesus and him crucified.

God Bless You,
Bro. Bob