The term influencer has been added to our vocabulary because of social media. Influencers not only have a following on their social accounts but make a living through ads and sponsorships. Whether you’re on social media or not, all of us have influencers in our lives. Think of some of the everyday influencers who shape your decisions.

TIME magazine ranked the most influential people in history. Spoiler alert: Jesus was number one.

Read Luke Chapter 8

Zoom lenses like the ones on the Tower Optical Co.’s binoculars or on your phone’s camera give us the ability to focus on something in the midst of a vast landscape.

Jesus had influence without Instagram. Through His personal zoom lens, He focused on people one at a time.

It may seem like Jesus was the only one with the ability to have a one at a time-zoom lens, but He actually passed on that power to us through the Holy Spirit.

For further study you can look over the study guide and work through the discussion questions.

Think about this, Do you start your day in prayer, asking the Spirit to work in you so that He might impact the world through you? What are some reasons why that is often a struggle?

Read Mark 1:33-35

Jesus knew the value of God’s work in Him before the work could happen through Him.

How does switching the prayer from “God, what do You want to do through me?” to “God, what do You want to do in me?” change your daily approach to impacting others?

For further study you can look over the study guide and work through the discussion questions.

Take a moment and think about some places in the world that you view as being less messy, more calm, and overall more comfortable.

Think about this, What are the reasons you view a city as comfortable to live in?

Read Mark 5:1-20

Jesus put Himself in proximity with people in messy situations.

If you think back about your comfortable places maybe one of the reasons those destinations are comfortable is that they seem far away from the messy parts of life. When we read the Gospels, however, we see Jesus was usually in proximity to messy situations.

For further study you can look over the study guide and work through the discussion questions.

An intersection is a place where two or more roads come together. There are certain intersections in life that we recognize as significant, like graduation, getting married, etc. Take a moment and think about some of your specific intersections in life.

Think about how have they(life intersections) determined the direction of your life from that moment on?

Read John 4:1-30

Jesus met people at the intersection of their life’s moments, forever changing the direction of their lives.

The hope and healing stories of Jesus often happen when Jesus is introduced to people at the right time and the right place. We need to look around and have our eyes open to the opportunities.

For further study you can look over the study guide and work through the discussion questions.

Think about what it means to go the extra mile.

What sometimes prevents us from wanting to go the extra mile?

Read Matthew 5:13 & 41

Jesus used the power of an extra-mile mentality to gain the attention of someone who might otherwise ignore Him.

In the Gospels, Jesus flipped upside-down what it means to truly influence others for lasting change. Here in Matthew 5, we see the power of extra-mile mentality to gain the attention of someone who might otherwise ignore the call of Jesus.

For further study you can look over the study guide and work through the discussion questions.

Some research suggests there are as many as 34,000 different emotions. Think about some of the different emotions.

One thing that was awesome about Jesus was that emotions were part of His life here on earth. One emotion that seems to come up more than any other was compassion. Think about how you would define compassion?

Read Luke 7:11-16

Jesus lived out compassion by always having an action right after having the emotion.

Jesus-like compassion breaks your heart, but it also moves your muscles. Living a life of impact and influence one at a time means that we will always look for the ‘And’.

For further study you can look over the study guide and work through the discussion questions.