The Well Palmdale, CA

I'm often asked...or rather challenged regarding the need to be surrounded by other Christians.  For a believer, this is truly a vital aspect of walking with Christ.  After all, in Scripture, the church is referred to as the body of Christ...that is...the people who follow Jesus are His body...an extension of Him.  If we want to know Jesus, then we need to know His people.  If we want to understand His work, then we need to experience it in community, and see it being lived out in ourselves and in others.  Most Christians have heard this message...some find it valuable...others choose to ignore it. 

Before I get to far, I want to encourage all followers of Christ, that it is good to have friends who aren't believers.  We should love all people, no matter their faith.  The issue that I would like to raise is that of influence.  Who is it that influences our lives, and who is influencing these people?  Your mom told you not to succumb to peer pressure as a teen (a good message for parents to give, for sure), but you probably had no idea the depths of spirituality and sociology that she was hitting upon. 

In a recent article on the game of Paper, Rock, Scissors, Graham Walker (veteran RPS player....yes...believe it or not...he's considered an expert) talks about how to win at Rock, Paper, Scissors.  His primary method involves the notion that all humans will imitate what they see, and what they are exposed to.  If you want that fleshed out so that you can win shotgun every time, read the article.  For the sake of the topic above, let's stick to the simple idea that Walker brings up...humans will always imitate what they see and hear.  This actually reflects the truth of God's world and how He created it.  He desires that we see Him and hear Him so that we reflect Him (see Romans 10:17, Proverbs 27:19, 1 Corinthians 12, and the like).  There are 3 primary ways that God does this 1) His Word 2) His Sacraments (Baptism and the Lord's Supper) and 3) His Church (the people...not the building).  This means that when we are not immersed in all three of these key Godly "influencers", then we are being influenced by something else (media/entertainment, ungodly relationships, etc.)

So, who are your "influencers"?  Who/what is shaping your decision making?  That can be most easily answered in where you spend your time, and who do you enjoy the most.  Jesus has given us His church for a reason...to guide us through His Spirit, to support us, to be a living/breathing demonstration of His love, comfort, knowledge, encouragement, accountability, and influence.  It is with His church that you will find the sort of influence that can lead you away from a hopeless existence and into a Godly life rooted in real hope.  Just imagine...if all of Jesus' church lived in real hope...imagine the sort of influence we could have over this world...

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