Seeing the END from the BEGINNING!

Being Contagious 

Matthew 5:13-15

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. ¹⁴  You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. ¹⁵Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. ¹⁶In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Have you ever ask the question why are some people are more effective than others? There are people who walk into a room and they change the complexion of that room. They are influencers! 

By nature, each one of us is an influencer, people looked at you in different ways and manners and people usually judges us according what they know and seen in us. This is a matter of life that people looked outwardly. But the question is how contagious our life is to other people?

Please note

“Contagious means: infectious, catching or transferable and the good news is that every one of us can be an influencer on our own field.”

Why is it that we are not effective influencer? It is        because of the following:

1. Selfishness – Selfishness together with self-centeredness and stinginess because if you really want your life to be contagious it will cost you something.

As Pastor Jeff Kenney of “Full Gospel International” said;

“Each time you go to another "influence level", you’ll need to make another sacrifice. But if you’re selfish, self-centered, and stingy, you will never influence others!”

2. Failure and Missed Opportunity. We always look back to our failures and missed opportunities.

But Paul instructed us in Eph 5:16-17,

“So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. ¹⁶Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.”

3. Failure to see the END result  for the task given.

As the Bible say, that seeing the end from the beginning,  we fail to see how our people will be in the future. We focus more on training skills rather that character 

Isaiah 46:10-11 King James Version (KJV)
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

How to INFLUENCE

1. You are  made to be Contagious. Matthew 5;13

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth.

It is the Lord’s will that you become an effective influencer. There are lots of people looking for models to follow.

2.  You are already  contagious. (positive or negative)

“¹³ “You are the salt of the earth, But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?

Can you make it useful again?

The Lord Jesus describes you as a salt and light. The salt flavors and preserves food, you are called to affect the people positively around you.

3.   You should be a kingdom-minded influencer.

¹⁶In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see,

so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

And as the light showing others what Christ is like. Your effective influence can only be measured by the truth of how much you affect others.

Never forget that you do have an influence on others –

either for good or for bad. Be contagious for Jesus!

1. What do you think Jesus meant about salt losing its flavor? How is it possible to become ‘unsalty’?

2. Can you think of ways we sometimes hide our light? (Go to our 6 list again)

3. If we are living as ‘salt and light’, what impact should we be having in our               community and church as 1) salt and 2) light?

4. What things could we do to have more impact on our community and church as 1) salt and 2) light?