Difference Makers: What does it mean?
2018-01-21
Pastor Jonathan Falwell
Key Verse: Acts 1:8
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
John 20:21b Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.
God has called us all to be Difference Makers in our world today. These verses, and many others throughout the Bible, clearly indicate we have a responsibility to impact our world for Christ. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to talk about how we can make sure we are fulfilling our God-given mission.
The TRBC Mission Statement:
To Change Our World By Developing Christ Followers Who Love God and Love People!
What does it mean to be a difference maker?
Nehemiah 1:1-4 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, 2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” 4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
The definition of a difference maker
1. Changes their thinking
– negative thinking will always lead to negative results
– positive thinking will always lead to positive results
– Nehemiah could have responded to the reports of those in Jerusalem with the attitude that nothing could be done, there’s no use.
2. Puts others first
– humility
– care and concern for others
– Nehemiah – “sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”
3. Looks for ways to help
– not a critic
– sees every challenge or problem as an opportunity to make things, and others, better
– Nehemiah 2:4 Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
4. Starts from the perspective of Christ
– sees things, and people, the way Christ does
– LOVES PEOPLE, USES THINGS
– a difference maker has a heart for the hurting (Nehemiah)
– a difference maker has a heart for the lost (Christ)
– Matthew 9:35-38 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
– A Christ Follower
– One who has believed and received the Gospel story of Jesus [His death, burial, resurrection], has followed Jesus in baptism, is obeying all that Jesus taught, and is helping others do the same
– One who is loving God with their heart, soul, mind, strength and loving others like Jesus