The call to follow Christ is a call to build influence among people. Whether you like it or not, God is more than ready and more than able to use you to become an influence to the people around you.
According to Tim Elmore in "Growing Leaders," sociologists have shown that even the quietest people can influence as many as 10,000 people in one lifetime. This just goes to show that every one of us is destined to live a life of influence no matter who we are and what kind of life we lead.
Jesus once said in Matthew 5:13, "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."
Our positive influence over people is not just expected. It is even commanded.
But sometimes we confuse popularity with influence. While the two overlap in many areas, they are two completely different things, and to pursue popularity does not fulfil the mandated pursuit for Christian influence.
Here are two differences between popularity and influence.
1. Influence Seeks Service, Popularity Seeks Glory
Wanting to be popular has a lot to do with seeking fame, attention and glory. Influence, on the other hand, seeks to gain more for others than for the self. While popularity has more to do with the number of followers you have on your social media accounts, influence has more to do with what value you provide to your connections no matter how big or how small it is.
Mark 10:43 says, "But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant."
The call to Christian influence is one that blesses others and refreshes others before we seek things for ourselves
2. Influence Builds Character, Popularity Builds Ego
When all we seek is popularity, chances are our hearts are not in the right place. That's what the people who built the tower of Babel sought. In Genesis 11:4, we see the true intent of the whole venture: "Come, let's build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world."
When all we want is fame and fortune, we miss the point. God's greatest command to us is to seek His glory first and then to serve others as well. That's what influence does: It honours God through a strengthened character and serves people with that character.
