Kingdom Influence Part 3
At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Influence,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.
Our series is called Kingdom Influence, and this week we are slowing down to ask an important question: What is shaping us as we step into our world and our community? Before we talk about influencing others, we have to be honest about what is influencing us.
1 Corinthians 1:18–21 (NIV)
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
Paul speaks directly to this tension in 1 Corinthians 1:18–21. He reminds us that the message of the cross does not fit neatly into the values of the world. To many, it looks foolish. It lacks the markers our culture celebrates. There is no display of dominance, no clever rhetoric, no image management. And yet Paul boldly declares that the cross is the very power of God for those who are being saved.
So what is shaping us? Because the truth is, if we are not intentionally anchored in the cross of Christ, it is very easy almost without realizing it to begin influencing the world using the world’s tools. We default to power instead of surrender. Persuasion instead of faithfulness. Personality instead of character. Pressure instead of love. Performance instead of obedience.
Paul wants us to understand something early on. Kingdom influence does not begin with strategy. It begins with Christ and Him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:2 (NIV)
2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
This verse is even more remarkable when you remember where Paul was preaching. Corinth was a city obsessed with status, intellect, eloquence, and success. It celebrated strength and self promotion. In many ways, it looks a lot like our world today.
Yet Paul refuses to build influence the way Corinth expected. He centers everything on the cross. Not because the cross looks impressive. Not because it wins arguments. But because it is the place where God’s power is most clearly revealed. The cross exposes the limits of human wisdom and reminds us that salvation and transformation are always God’s work, not ours.
If our lives are not continually shaped by the cross, our influence will slowly drift away from the Kingdom even when our intentions are sincere. The power has never been in us. The power is in the cross. And when the cross shapes us, our lives become a faithful witness to the Kingdom of God in the world around us.
This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.
Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.
