Do you consider yourself an influential person? You see, I don’t mean the number of people who follow you on social media, appreciate your posts or comment on your photos, although the number of people who accompany you can indicate the extent of your influence, it can’t be defined or limited. Because of this aspect, as the world is a world, people influence each other, to some extent we are all influencers, influence those who live, work, study and live with us, our influence can be direct or indirect, it can happen intentionally or not, will it be through the words we say or the actions we perform?If you’re a mother, I’m sure you have no doubt.
Now, let me ask you another question: do you consider yourself an influential person?Well, maybe that term doesn’t sound very positive, every time I hear it, I remember my mother scolding me when I was a kid so I wouldn’t be. so easily influential, I think that deep down we like the idea of influencing much more than being influenced, being influential seems to express a more positive aspect, power and action, while being influential seems to convey a negative aspect, weakness and passivity. whether we like it or not, it’s a fact: we’re all influential.
- You may not even realize it.
- But much of what you consume is the result of an influence you’ve received.
- Whether through ads.
- Directions.
- Ratings.
- It’s very likely that before you watch a movie or download an app.
- You’ll review the notes to see what people are saying.
- From clothes to books.
- From music to recipes.
- Are we all influenced to some extent and reproduce what we receive?Who didn’t make bread in this quarantine to throw the first stone!.
The influence is not bad, God conceived it, was the first to influence the Creation and as bearers of his image, we reproduce this characteristic in our world, the influence, as the gift of the Creator, aims to promote good in the most diverse spheres, so being influenced is not bad, because we were created not only to influence, but to receive good influences , for God’s plan for the construction of this world.
However, we cannot deny the effects of sin on our ability to influence and be influenced, for sin, even what should be beneficial to us, becomes potentially harmful. The Bible and general history are living accounts of how men can use their influence for purposes that do not glorify God. It’s no different when you look at our own time, of course, influence can become a bad thing when not used wisely. As Christians, we must beware of the kind of influence we receive and exercise over others. Also.
In the following lines, I want to focus on the type of influence that we have received through the Internet and social networks.
In the age of so many influencers, we must be careful how much people and opinions should influence our lives. Speaking of women to women: there are many women I admire and follow on social media, they inspire me and influence me as Christians. , as women, as wives, mothers, professionals, communicators of the Word; whether it’s because of your personal attributes, gifts, beauty, grace, reading, culinary skills and so many other things, yet, as much as I admire them, so that this relationship is healthy and does not lead to idolatry, I must remember that they are mud and cannot be my idols.
Idolatry begins when the people we admire become untouchable, when we place them above errors and corrections, and we do not tolerate their teachings and opinions being questioned, this can happen in the most diverse fields: family, social, political, theological, among others. The fact is that when we do not tolerate our parties, the “isms”, the ideas and arguments affected, every time we turn a blind eye to errors and injustices to preserve the image, love and admiration that we appreciate for something or someone, we create an idol.
The externalization of faith is a term I borrowed from pastor and theologian Tomás Camba, author of the book of the same name, this term indicates a growing trend in our time, that of building our faith and our spirituality on the basis of what we hear and learn. others. It is clear that in the dynamics of the Body of Christ we learn from one another, and we know that God has given teachers and shepherds to teach and guide his people, this mutual elevation is vital for maturity. and growth in faith. But the externalization of faith is not about that, it occurs when we begin to replace our direct personal relationship with God and His Word with the teachings we receive from others. To externalize faith is to choose priests so that we may be the answer to all our concerns and questions. Is it outsourcing faith to get representatives to speak for us?and for us while we remain silent, or omit it.
Yes, there is a tendency in our hearts to put pastors, theologians and influencers on pedestals, above any mistake, criticism or disagreement, without realizing it, sometimes we end up using the wisdom and opinions of these people as proof and final parameter of what is right and acceptable. When someone else’s voice becomes our voice, we outsource our faith.
What’s the danger in this? Now, what if one of these people ever said something that goes against the scriptures?Would I be willing not to agree or would my faithfulness to the scriptures conflict?Would he be able to discern the error of truth and distinguish between human opinions and Scripture itself?
Many times we become mere breeders of the speeches we hear, the texts we read and the preaching we look at, on social media we can find several topics on the agenda, it is important to position ourselves in relation to them, yes, but the big question. what you have to ask yourself is: why do we position ourselves as we position ourselves, is it because we understand this from the scriptures or simply why do we read and look at something here and there?
We see on social media that people crave smart answers, voices representing them, telling them what they should be and how they should act. We often see messages like: How do I act in this situation?Unfortunately, when people are instructed to go to the Bible and seek pastoral care, people generally do not. Because many of them do not want to have this “work”, they do not want a personal and genuine contact with the Word of God, they just want a mediator, someone who does the “dirty work” for them. They want a Moses to enter the store, receive the revelation, and transmit the summary of what has been said, they seek an interpreter, not the Law.
Unfortunately, people still believe that there is some kind of special knowledge limited to a small group of people, and that these people are “gurus” of theology, possessors of good and truth. This is totally contrary to the spiritual blessings God gave us. free in Christ (Ephesians 1. 3-15). Through the work of Christ, everyone who believes has free access to the throne of God and his Word. God speaks to us through His Spirit and enlightens our minds and hearts so that we may know this truth accessible to all.
Christian pastors, theologians and influencers are blessings, no doubt, but they are not high priests, there is only one high priest and that is Christ. Sisters, we must be careful not to idolize people. As soon as doubt arises, the Bible should be our primary source and not its interpreters. As beloved and servants of God as our brethren are, they are dust like us, they are fallible. If your faith is based or conditioned by what others say, be careful, do not subcontract your faith.
In 2012 I went through a crisis of faith that asked me why I believed, throughout the process I wondered if I believed simply because I was taught this way or if I believed because there was a biblical and authentic conviction in my heart. The crisis shook me, I had to go looking for answers, and thank God I found it. This kind of crisis is something deeply necessary in The Christian life, at some point in the journey we must answer these questions: why do we believe why we defend what we stand for?Are our beliefs the result of what we read in the scriptures or, simply, what we receive from someone, have we been as jealous as the Berenés, or have we simply reproduced what comes to us without reflecting?These questions require honest answers.
Our generation is not used to consuming summaries here and there without even looking for everything. We don’t want to read the Bible, we don’t want to read full books, we don’t want to study and delve de further into the topics we insist on discussing on the Internet. We just want chewed food, we expect someone to do the work for us. Are we getting simple? Sharers? And we are influenced without any reflection or criticism of what we consume.
I would like to leave two tips that can help us be more cautious about the influences we receive. It was Charles Spurgeon who said, “Visit many good books, but live in the Bible,” for educational purposes, I will divide this wise counsel into two parts:
Through books, we realize what the sage said in Ecclesiastes 1:9: there is nothing new under the sun, all our views, opinions and perceptions are the result of things that have already been said and written by someone, there is nothing exclusively All the content we read and look at has sources, rather than just reading and looking “in short” , we need to get into the habit of searching for sources outside of that content. We cannot be content with synthesis alone, as if it could not ingest anything else.
We need to get out of the world of social media and drink from other sources, make our thinking more critical, our reading more mature. We should not just listen to brief analyses on topics such as racism, politics and femininity, for example only on the internet, we must read books, search for reliable sources, and ask for directions so that our opinions are not made up of what it is. posted on social media.
No one has all the truth and knowledge, if we want to grow healthily, we need different points of view, our own convictions must be challenged to be signed, if we get used to hearing only what is easy and pleasant to our ears, we will not be able to manage disagreements, identify mistakes or correct them.
Women, we must stop raising a new Moses to seek revelation, or be our voice, we do not need representation, we already have a representative: Christ, instead of looking for people who represent us, let us be faithful representatives of Christ. Take your faith, take responsibility, don’t outsource it. If you can’t answer or take a position through Scripture and you still need a third party to do so, then you need to read more from the Bible. You need to spend more time studying the Word than enjoying, commenting, and sharing what others are doing. saying.
We must be judicious about how we influence and let influence, whether eating, drinking, watching a movie, embracing a thought or message, we must first be faithful to what the scriptures tell us, right?In actions and conscience.
Don’t subcontract your faith, don’t subcontract your opinions
“Judge all things, do you remember what is good? (1 Thess 5, 21)