Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
When looking for the word ‘influence’ in the Bible, it doesn’t exist, except in the Amplified version (which I LOVE btw), the book of Job, and also in a Jewish book called the Wisdom of Solomon. Although the word itself ‘influence’ isn’t barely mentioned, Jesus’s main theme was ‘influence’ He influenced the world and told us to influence the world. We are to be influencers. Not cloistered monks. Not hermits nor technically/social media illiterate. We are to be ‘in’ the world but not of it.
Influence = the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.
Taking a vow of silence, being a hermit on a mountain top or in modern terms, stopping all forms of electronic communication, has nothing to do with what Jesus wants. He wants us involved. Well meaning, devout people sometimes say that they are going into prolonged silence to seek God, but I don’t buy it. They are not hearing correctly from God. They may think that they are, but because they are doing something contrary to the Word of God. They are definitely not being led by the Spirit of God. Sure we can slow down on the words that come out of our mouths, or on social media, in fact it’s scriptural:
Proverbs 10:19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
You absolutely cannot influence the world and this lost generation by being absent, aloof, mysterious, peculiar or just plain weird. Jesus is coming soon, and the only reason that we are still here is to be be ‘light and salt’. You can’t do that from a mountain top contemplating your belly button.
Influencers project their thoughts and beliefs inside people, by being there for them, being an example, and by living what they believe. There is a lot of hocus pocus and abracadabra in the church today. You can only ‘in’fluence others is by being ‘in’volved in their lives, either physically, virtually or by prayer if there is no other way. If they come to you with a problem, I believe they are soliciting advice and prayer. They have something they want fixed, or they wouldn’t have come to you. I don’t have a church but I am seen as a pastor by many. I really believe in the power of prayer. Problems that I can help with, and follow up on, I thrill in. Many people like prayer requests but don’t really believe in the power of prayer. I owe my life and ministry to the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life, and the power of prayer.
Jesus is real to me. His Holy Spirit in me is just as real to me as my wife Winnie is. Not just because the Bible says so (which is also a fact) but because His Holy Spirit communes with me and compels me. Prayers Work. Jesus is Resurrected from the tomb. If you don’t believe that, you might as well be a follower of Mother Goose or Aesop’s Tales.
James 5:16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
People get surprised when I ask about their prayer request 3 months later. Sometimes they even get offended. They something aloof like ‘yes that problem was resolved within a week’. My answer is, ‘Praise God! Why didn’t you tell me so I could rejoice with you and help someone else out instead of interceding about this issue for 3 months?’ The reason is, they really don’t believe that prayers work. One of the things we try to do at PureHeart is to help all of God’s children (ages -9 months, at conception, to 120+ years old). We help a lot of abandoned elderly people with food, nursing homes, care givers and medicine. A lady once asked me to pray for an old retired missionary who was destitute, sick (no insurance not s.s. benefits and in need of an old folks home. I prayed, and burned up resources to get a place for her. When God finally showed me a way to help, I went back to to the lady who asked me to intercede. Not only did she not want my help, but she got mad at me for butting in. I think she had forgotten about the lady, and just asked me to pray for the missionary lady because she wanted to sound spiritual. I was so confused!! haha.
*Note! Influencing for Jesus is not about giving unsolicited advice, being pushy, opinionated, belligerent, mean, judgmental, preachy or even quoting Bible verses. It’s about being saved (in Jesus) and being in people’s lives (whether or not you completely read through the Bible every year, or got to church every day).*
‘In’fluencing isn’t only a Jesus (and His followers) occupation. Satan is the prince of the air. He is The King of Worldly Influencers! He himself is a GREAT influencer. He, his demons or his minions whisper into people’s ears and gets ‘in’side their heads. Paul wrote about this from prison to John ´the beloved’s´ Church in Ephesius (where Jesus’ mommy, Mary, congregated for the rest of her life).
Ephesians 2:2… in which you once walked. You were following the ways of this world [influenced by this present age], in accordance with the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the spirit who is now at work ‘IN’ the disobedient [the unbelieving, who fight against the purposes of God].
Many Catholics I believe are saved. Especially the earlier ones. St. Tomas Aquinas, a’ Kemp, St. Francis of Asisi. St. Augustine wrote some things that blew my mind. ‘Practice the Presence of God’ was written by Brother Lawrence, a 14th century monk who’s sole job was washing dishes for a monastery, He revolutionized my prayer life. He taught me how to influence others by prayer if I couldn´t be with them physically. God is omnipresent.
Not wanting Bible wars or arguments, I have found stronger believers than me in every one of thousands of different denominations, doctrines, dogmas, and divisions in the church. There is one deciding factor. Are you saved or not?
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Even if you believe that in KJV or Good News For Modern Man, Reina Valera (spanish Bible) or any of the other zillions of translations in zillions of other languages, this truth makes you saved, or not.
Believe and tell others you believe, that’s what saves you. That´s what makes you an influencer. It’s that simple. Don’t let the religious or the theologians steal your faith. I say that because one of the people most instrumental in my salvation got into those kind of arguments, and as a result, has been in mental institutions for the past 30 years because he is convinced that he is going to hell.
I regressed and talked about the catholic church for a reason. The catholic church is a major influencer of the world. For good, reason! It was started by some pretty great influencers, starting with Jesus. If it hadn´t been for Jesus on the road to Damascus, then Paul wouldn´t have been saved. Paul went on to lead hundreds of Roman soldiers and slaves to Christ from prison in Rome, who paved the way for Peter and so on and so forth.
The Roman Catholic Church (my dad was Catholic) laid out 7 cardinal (deadly) sins. Like it or not, these influence the world´s morality. The catholic church says the 7 cardinal sins are pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. That´s very scary considering that I, along with everyone else I know, are guilty of all of them. As with covetousness, which is in involved in 5 of the 10 commandments, these 7 sins are involved somewhere in any other sin you can think of to commit. All sin, no matter how little, will send you to hell. Jesus died once for all sins, IF you believe with your heart, and confess with your mouth.
But isn’t it interesting that marketing experts throughout the ages (‘in’fluencers with a capital ‘I’) use the 7 cardinal sins as a guideline for marketing? Read up on it. Everything from the Howard Johnson’s ‘Fried Clams billboard’ to ‘it takes two hands to handle a whopper’ involves one of these seven sins to get inside our minds. To influence us to buy things through temptation to sin. Facebook, Social Media, Google Ads all push these as 7 sin points (no longer called sins, but ‘marketing hooks’) to get people into their funnels. Read up on META and what it really means as far as social media business plans and direction. Talk about influence!!
Here’s the thing, we are all either saved or not. Conquerers or conquered. Children of God, or children of Satan. Influencers, or people being influenced. Influencing others to go to heaven, or hell.
John 17:14–19, I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
a reminder!!
4more weeks for a nice tax write off
4 more weeks to double your impact with a matched donation
4 more weeks to be able to feed six hungry children a warm, nutritional home cooked meal and juicy for only $1.00 usd
donate before 1 jan 2022 (or send a check dated before 1 Jan 2022 and make a huge difference
Send a check made out to: GraceLifeOutreach (with PureHeart in MEMO please)
and mail to; PureHeartChildren’sFund
c/o GraceLife
190 Seminole Ln #302
Cocoa Beach, Fla 32931
or for your ease, you can use a PayPal or Credit Card online at whatistheloveofGod.com
Dean and Winnie Peters
Joyfully serving the ‘least of these’ in Managua Nicaragua
2 X the IMPACT! It’s matched tax deductible donations, now til 2022! Praise God!
2 X the IMPACT! It’s matched tax deductible donations, now til 2022! Praise God!
PS ….Matched donations are back this year!!!
All donations, up to 5,000 dollars are matched from now until 2022! 100% of your donations go straight to the kids! For example if you give $1,000 dollars, $2,000 dollars goes straight to the kids. Pray about making a 100% tax deductible donation now. Good for you. Good for the kids. And good for your taxes.
WhatIsTheLoveOfGod.com
Praise Reports
watch our new promotional youtube video of PureHeart… maybe it will encourage you to come down and be an iWitness! clic here https://youtu.be/Y7WKFRkDgHc
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS THIS YEAR! SINCE WE ARE ON OUR OWN FOR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS, GOD HAS AGAIN PROVIDED FOR 1,175 CHRISTMAS PRESENTS THROUGH NICA SOURCE (NICARAGUAN NEAR SHORE IT COMPANIES). THANK YOU JESUS! WHAT KIND OF CHRISTIAN CHILDREN MISSION DOESN’T GIVE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS TO CHILDREN AT CHRISTMAS TIME? MERRY CHRISTMAS!
1. Our new room, and warehouse expnasion is almost completed, God is good! Needing to install the AC and we are finished. We had some issues but we should be done in two weeks.
2. The home back up power plant is a few days from arriving. Thank you, we desperately need it! They say it should be installed next week.
3. Our summer break-change of school year is here. We have a lot of broken stuff, painting that needs to be done, light construction repairs. We spent the rainy season fixing other homes, but ours has fallen in dissarry. Praise God that we have the time to get to it without a bunch of school kids running around. Thank you for your help.
4. English class, Daily Bible studies, school and feeding centers are all going well. Graduation ceremonies for the school are this week.
Pureheart Update – All is well, finishing up the new room and warehouse. We are painting, repairing the school´s classrooms, bathrooms, (lots of plumbling and electrical stuff going on) and we are improving our school’s computer abilities.
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. For Souls and Fruit.
2. FOR HEALING OF LOVED ONES WITH EVERYTHING FROM CANCER TO MENTAL ILLNESS.
3. FOR HOME VISITATIONS TO PRODUCE RESULTS, FOR VISITORS TO OUR HOME TO GET SAVED. FOR THE FAMILIES AND PARENTS OF ALL THE PUREHEART WORKERS TO GET SAVED.
4. FOR OUR 2 FEEDING CENTERS AND THE TWO OTHER FEEDING CENTERS THAT WE HELP. FOR OUR SISTER FEEDING CENTER IN ISLAMBAD PAKISTAN.
5. AS WE ARE HELPING OTHERS WITH EMERGENCY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS *THIS CONTINUOUS RAINY SEASON DESTROYS THE SHACKS THAT MANY OF OUR PEOPLE LIVE IN*. THAT WE BE THE LIGHT AND PEACE OF JESUS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORM.
7. GOVERNMENTAL PAPERWORK, I CALL IT ´DEATH BY 1000 PAPERCUTS’. IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, FRUSTRATING, AND EXPENSIVE. AMONG OF WHICH IS FOR PERMISSION TO HAVE AN ORPHANAGE-OLDFOLKS HOME ON A SUSTAINABLE GREEN FARM IN THE MANAGUA CITY LIMITS. THIS IS THE 4TH TIME IN TEN YEARS THAT WE HAVE HAD TO START AGAIN FROM SCRATCH EVERYTHING FROM ALL THE ACCOUNTING, BOOKS, AND PERMISSIONS FOR THE ORPHANAGE. EVEN FORECED INTO REINCORPORATING DOWN HERE. IT GETS TOUGHER EVERY TIME, BUT WE AREN´T GOING ANYWHERE. THE LEGAL AND CPA PAPERWORK AND ACCOUNTABILITY IS ESPECICALLY TOUGH.
8. THE DELAY IS OK, BECAUSE WE ARE STILL WAITING ON THE LORD TO PROVIDE THE MONEY AND THE PERFECT RESOURCES FOR ALL THE FULL TIME STAFF, DOCTOR, NURSE, AIDES ETC THAT COME WITH A FARM THAT HAS ROOM FOR AN ORPHANAGE AND AN OLD FOLKS HOME ON IT, AS WELL AS THE PROPERTY ITSELF. EVEN WITH JUST AN ORPHANAGE HERE, OUR STAFF WILL ALMOST HAVE TO DOUBLE IN SIZE PER NICARAGUAN REGULATIONS
9. FOR OUR OWN CHILDREN`S SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND SAFETY WHILE STUDYING IN THE STATES.
10. AGAIN, THE GOVERNMENTAL PAPERWORK IS HORRENDOUS, AND GETTING MORE DIFFICULT AND EXPENSIVE EVERY DAY.
11. Looking to buy (or get donated) a large tract of land to put the orphanage and old folks home on.
12. Pray that everything goes smoothly with the Christmas hand outs.
Here’s how you can help PureHeart without spending a penny
Please Keep PureHeart in you mind at your job and ask about your company’s matched donations, or corporate donations. Help me to get ahold of them please. We are a stand alone 501c3 and are happy to share proof to any company wishing to add us to their ‘matched donations’ or corporate donations. We are extremely careful with every penny donated, meticulous in our accounting. That is why we are highly rated.
A TALL ORDER, BUT NOTHING IS TOO BIG FOR GOD, NOT EVEN DIFFICULT.
Please continue what you are doing to keep us going.. WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING, IT’S WORKING!!. pray, donate, and spread the word!
LOVE
DEAN AND WINNIE PETERS
OUR BEST EMAIL IS [email protected]
Dean and Winnie Peters
Joyfully serving the ‘least of these’ in Managua Nicaragua