Under the Influence

I am in the waiting room of the surgical center as my son undergoes his first ever operation – the removal of four wisdom teeth. Unlike when I underwent my wisdom teeth extraction twenty years ago, he has been exposed to several post-op videos. A few people have asked him if he will want to be filmed; they wonder what he will say and how he will act while still under the influence of the anesthesia.

This reminds me of a recent conversation about THC gummies (or other edible cannabis items). A friend was concerned about Christians in their community using these products recreationally because they have been legalized.

The subject has continued to linger in the back of my mind, and I recalled a passage from Ephesians chapter 5. The context of this passage is so rich - I highly encourage a full reading of it - but for brevity, verse 18 will do:

Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18

Debauchery is the “extreme indulgence in bodily pleasures.” Instead, Paul exhorts the church to be filled with the Spirit. There doesn’t seem to be room for both.

We are people of influence – that is, we are all under the influence. But what (or whose) influence are we under? Into what do I want to be formed; who do I want to look like?

What influences us forms us.

As directors of member care, we are charged with bringing equipping and encouragement to missionaries. One of the ways we do that is through Emotionally Healthy Discipleship. A powerful question that we use during the course, when considering the different practices and activities we engage in, is: Does this bring me closer to or further away from God?

Am I becoming more loving, more like Jesus, more filled with his Spirit?

We will soon have a dozen new candidates going through the orientation process at World Indigenous Missions. One of the new sessions that we’ve added for member care is Spiritual Formation. Because what we are formed by, and whose influence we are under, has the utmost importance in how we live out our calling. May we (all) be being continually filled with the Spirit.

Thank you for praying for and partnering with us as we help to guide and exhort those who are laboring in the harvest fields abroad.