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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Chris Hodges
Read between
January 5 - February 13, 2018
Our motive for sharing our faith must always be grounded in this kind of urgent, loving attitude.
our conversation should be full of grace and seasoned with salt.
While we don’t have to have all the answers, we should be ready to tell others
about the hope we have in Christ: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).
It simply means you remain open to opportunities to tell others about what matters most in your life.
Jesus connected with people before he corrected them.
Everyone longs to be loved unconditionally.
As Christians, we don’t have to become everyone’s best friend, but we should show the compassion, kindness, and honesty we see modeled by Jesus. He always put the relationship first. Jesus connected with people before he corrected them.
people don’t care what you know; first, they want to know that you care.
Walk the Talk The next step after connecting with people is living according to what Jesus taught.
Even if they disagree or are not ready to make a salvation decision, they will remember another person who genuinely showed interest and concern for them.
This is so important because we have to earn someone’s respect before we can build a relationship. And we have to have relationship before we can have influence.
it’s our attitude, our body language, our willingness to look them in the eye.
Once you have established a baseline of respect and demonstrated a willingness to relate person-to-person, then you can look for an opportunity to share your story.
Evangelism is not telling others what they should do; it’s telling them what happened in you.
That’s all we have to do: let others know what God has done in our lives.
All we have to do is intentionally drop positive God-thoughts with whomever we meet.
the goal is to persuade, not coerce.
And when we live a life that others find appealing and authentic, it’s easy to do.
Finally, if we are to be salt and light, we need to invite others to a place where they can experience God for themselves.
The key is to make sure you choose a place that’s receptive to newcomers who may be skeptical or have questions. A place where they will feel welcome and appreciated.
It’s vital to communicate that Jesus isn’t a religion; he is someone to be experienced, directly and personally.
Jesus changes lives. This is why it’s so important to get seekers into an environment where they can experience the presence of God for themselves.
Connecting with people, listening and understanding them, before correcting them is paramount to being a person of influence like Daniel.
Like Jesus, we need to ask about and understand people’s ideas first to then effectively show them the truth.
fumbled, and God met them and lifted them back on their feet. An Endless Ladder
Free Gift The only accurate view of God is the one that sees him as our Savior and his love for us as a free gift.
by listening, understanding, and showing them who Christ really is.
Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words. —ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
He let God transform him into the person God had always intended him to be. And if we’ll live in the same space of surrender, God will also transform us into his likeness for the purpose of influencing the culture around us. By my definition, this is what true leadership is all about: influencing the culture around you.
The Full Weight of Glory Our present culture desperately needs this—more encounters with life-giving, fresh-air-bringing followers of Jesus.
The biblical word we translate as glory literally means “full weight.” We are to represent the “full weight” of Christ’s presence to everyone around us.
And when we spend time with God, the result is boldness. “The righteous are as bold as a lion” (Prov. 28:1).
cultivating our relationship with God. Everything flows out of that relationship and how we spend quality time in his presence. We develop closeness with God by praying and fasting, studying his Word, and worshipping him.
The more time we spend with him, the more others can see him through our words and actions.
We can’t make a difference if we’re not different.
Throughout Luke’s account, the focus remains on Jesus’ ministry to people and the way it was always primarily about those people around him.
If we want to be like Jesus and make a difference in our culture, then we must learn how to be people persons.
We all relate to other people uniquely, but we are all called to relate, to care, to notice the people around us.
Jesus demonstrated his greatness by putting others before himself.
With him as our example, we must be team players, believing we are better together.
We need other people, and they need us. We must defend, protect, and ...
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We must humble ourselves just as Jesus
did and remove barriers of race, gender, age, and ethnicity. In Jesus’ eyes, there are no outsiders.
In Jesus’ eyes, there are no outsiders. . . . God doesn’t play favorites, and neither should we.
that Matthew’s gospel, traditionally symbolized by the face of the eagle, spotlights “Jesus as Messiah.”
Being comfortable allows people to be receptive.
Christians should be the people who do things before they’re asked. We need to take the initiative whenever we become aware of a need or opportunity.
They all show an attitude of calm, resilient unflappability despite what seemed like impossible situations—debilitating sickness, uncontrollable natural circumstances, even the finality of death. With the Holy Spirit living in us, we have the ability to remain faithful, to exude peace, calm, and hope no matter what may happen in our lives.
Don’t bring more problems; bring solutions. Bring a steady certainty of who God is, and allow others to know that he and he alone is the source of your peace and purpose in this life. The secret of influence isn’t what you say; it’s how you live.
