Are you making an impact?

by Michael G. Mickey

Impact: The effect or impression of one thing on another.

Matthew 5:14-16: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

It isn't easy being the light of the world these days, is it? A politically correct world that has forgotten its God is set against the modern day Christian at every turn, trying to silence the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Why is this true? The Word of God is no longer considered worthy of being respected and reviled in our highly-evolved society. Instead, the Bible is considered an outdated book that has no bearing in the world today.

Luke 21:33: Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

Hebrews 13:8: Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

As Christians living in these days of incredible evil being perpetrated against the Church and our God, we sometimes have to be creative in getting the Gospel message out, but the responsibility for us to do so is still there.

Matthew 28:19-20: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

Because the world today, under the influence of Satan, is set against Christians, we're no longer able to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ whenever and wherever we want to as we once could without suffering the consequences of doing so. Even so, we can still have a major impact on those around us. Why? Because the light of God's love that resides within us is visible in even the smallest details of our character and lives.

Everywhere a Christian goes, the light of God eminates from him or her and people see it, whether they admit it or not. Just as a drop of water makes a ripple that eminates in every direction upon impacting another body of water, a Christian makes an impact on every person they encounter in their daily lives.

Ungodly people often react harshly to Christians as a result of the impact Christians have on them and, in some cases, may even actively work to bring harm to them. Why is this true? When ungodly people see Christians, they are troubled by what they see because, in the heart of every unsaved soul, there is a God-shaped hole they're in need of filling, a void they can't find in the life of a Christian.

One of three things typically happen as a result of the troublesome impact Christians have on the ungodly:

Christians not only impact the ungodly, but other Christians as well. In the world today, because of pressure being applied on the saints of God to keep their mouths shut, a large number of Christians are so intimidated they are afraid to allude to their Christian faith at all which is why it's so important at this point in the history of the Church for Christians to provide comfort, support, and encouragement to other Christians.

1st Thessalonians 5:8-11: But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

As you can imagine, I get quite a bit of email here at RaptureAlert.com, the majority of which is positive support in the form of emails written by other believers. Most of these emails encourage me to continue waving the blood-stained banner of the Lord Jesus Christ high in the midst of a world filled with spiritual wickedness. The power of God in these emails is a driving force for me and I am thankful for them all. I read many of them over and over and over. In other words, Christians who are reading my website are having a major impact in my spiritual life.

In closing, I want to encourage every Christian who reads this article to consider the impact their presence is having on the world and take comfort in knowing the light of God which resides within them is having an impact far greater than they may imagine.

Someday, when we stand before God in the presence of the saints, we may be amazed how far the ripple effect of our Christian lives has truly reached. Something you have done or said as a Christian may have far-reaching implications in the life of someone else. In fact, someone in heaven may point to you as the person who led them to Christ. Hopefully, many will!

I once heard it said a Sunday school teacher inspired Billy Graham to become a Christian, the result of which brought about what many consider the most successful world-wide ministry Christianity has ever known. I've also heard the same Sunday school teacher was the inspiration that led the late Dr. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, to accept Jesus Christ. Did this Christian have a major impact in the world? Absolutely! Can you have a similar impact? Yes! This Sunday school teacher had no advance knowledge Billy Graham and Bill Bright would become the great Christian leaders they eventually became, but look what this Christian's faithful service to the Lord accomplished.

THINK IMPACT!

Lastly, if you're reading this and you're not a Christian, I urge you to consider accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today. No matter what you have done in life, no matter what the sins you have committed against God are or how many times you've sinned, God is waiting for you to come home to Him by accepting His Son, Jesus Christ, as your personal Savior.

The importance of making this decision today can't be understated. If you delay in making a decision to accept Jesus Christ and tomorrow comes as every other day in your life has, you will have been blessed to have another opportunity to make the only decision that will save your soul from spending an eternity separated from God in a place of eternal torment and anguish we commonly refer to as hell, but what if tomorrow doesn't come for you? If you die without having accepted Jesus Christ, you will be judged on your ability to obey ten simple rules God made for mankind. Are you good enough to pass the test without Jesus Christ? Click HERE to see for yourself.