Rethinking Power, Part Two: Influence or Control?
- Jeffrey Jenkins
- Jul 17
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Does Jesus call His followers to influence the world—or control it?
Human beings have long assumed that power is the surest way to influence others. Yet from the pages of Scripture to the unfolding story of history, God consistently works through humble, self-giving love.
Twenty years ago, I was pastoring a small church in Tucson. A leader in the congregation came to me, excited about a video series produced by historian and political activist David Barton, who argues that America was founded as a Christian nation and rejects the doctrine of separation of church and state. (Link to Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal, February 18, 1992.)
At the time, the notion that America is a Christian nation was appealing to me. Feeling certain I was right about my country—and my politics—gave me confidence. It allowed me a way to defend myself publicly against any criticism I faced as a Christian living in America.
At the time, I felt a tremendous amount of pressure that as a Pastor/teacher I needed to always be right. Why? I felt people were trusting me as their Pastor to bring correct theology to them every Sunday. Barton’s video series affirmed my beliefs, and that was energizing.
The immense pressure of needing to always be right weighed upon me at the time, and was part of the reason I left the pastorate and moved on to Hospice chaplaincy as my vocation. Hospice was a good fit for me: When you practice caring for people of various faiths and traditions, being “right” about your Christianity and how you view America doesn’t matter as much; sitting beside people who are dying has a way of rearranging your priorities.
I’m glad I learned that lesson as a fairly young man.
William Wilberforce entered Parliament in 1784 as a young man convinced that God had called him to make a difference. He could have sought influence through force, anger, or domination.
Instead, he spent decades patiently building relationships, persuading colleagues, and introducing legislation that repeatedly failed. Nearly forty years passed before Parliament abolished the British slave trade.
His greatest victories weren't won through coercion. They were won through perseverance, moral courage, and patient influence.
Wilberforce believed God had given him "two great objects: the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners." He prayed, "May it be my meat and drink to do the will of God, my Father."
Those two points on his moral compass reveal the secret of his influence. He wasn’t merely a politician who happened to be a Christian. He was a Christian first. His public life flowed out of a personal desire to love and follow Christ.
Jesus described His followers as "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world." Salt doesn't coerce; it preserves and transforms. Light doesn't force; it simply shines. Jesus spent little time telling His followers how to seize power and much time teaching them how to become the kind of people whose lives quietly transform the world.
Looking back, I can see that God wasn't teaching me to abandon conviction. He was teaching me that conviction is most powerful when expressed through love. Being light ultimately changes people more deeply than simply being right.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
Have you ever won an argument only to discover you hadn't changed a heart?
Who has influenced your life—not by force, but through patience, humility, or love?
Where are you tempted to value being right more than being faithful?
What would change if you measured success by faithfulness instead of winning?
How might God be calling you to become a person of influence rather than control?
CALL TO ACTION
This week, choose one conversation in which your goal is not to win an argument but to understand the other person.
NEXT WEEK:
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