We’re all familiar with the idea of influence. Influence is especially important to believers following the most influential Man in history: Jesus. In addition, God has called us to serve as His ambassadors, using our influence to share the gospel with others.
Paul tells us this in Second Corinthians 5:19-20:
In Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Christian organizations seek to use influence to give hope to the extreme poor, with the ultimate desire to see communities reconciled with God through Christ.
Funding often begins at the individual level. For example, Patricia Heaton (actress from the sitcom “Everybody loves Raymond”) and her husband recently decided to match donations to certain programs at World Vision up to $1,000,000. We are deeply touched by this well-known actress giving her platform to help the poor!
Matching makes a difference because it draws new donors into the organization. Many people who wouldn’t give or haven’t ever given will participate because someone with influence asked them to.
In addition, matching grants draw attention to needy places and ignored situations. Although it’s easy to think of supporting US-based causes, animal rights, and environmental organizations, we shouldn’t overlook extremely poor people in developing countries overseas. The donor audience that supports our network of indigenous churches (religious-based help) is often small and mighty.
Use Your Influence
You don’t have to be famous to influence others. God has called us all to leverage our friendships, employment, money, and time to share the gospel and pursue things that matter for eternity.
Looking to give your platform or resources for good works?
- Bright Hope is influenced by God’s call to help the poor in Jesus’ name. This desire, inspired and invigorated by the indwelling Holy Spirit, should motivate every Christ-follower.
- At Bright Hope, we manage our funds without waste. The “bang for your buck” at Bright Hope goes far. We know how to stretch our donated dollars!
- Our programs also deal with economic disasters daily, such as land impacted by flood and drought, and programs involving animals like pigs, chickens, goats, and cows.
- Small organizations are agile. All contributions to Bright Hope are meaningful and will be stewarded carefully.
God works through both large and small organizations. Most importantly, God works through people like you and me.
So, let’s celebrate a step in the right direction. We can rise to God’s calling to be an influence for Christ, and we can use our platforms to help the poor.
If you happen to know a superstar who is looking for a trusted organization doing good works in Jesus’ name…. by all means, send them our way!
