All of us are born with the desire to make a positive difference in the world and in people’s lives. Not only that, we also are burdened with a desire to be part of a people who is bigger than ourselves, to belong to something that matters.
If you have put your faith in Jesus by asking him to be the Forgiver of your sins and Leader of your life, YOU are called to be a DIFFERENCE MAKER. As God's people, Jesus has called US – His followers, the Church – to be the people whom He (1) blesses the world through, (2) spreads the message of redemption to the world through, (3) saves and redeems the world through, (4) proves that He is the one, true God in the world through (5) turns the world upside down through with Jesus’ transforming love, truth, and grace, and (6) transforms the world through.
Most individuals, and most churches, don’t even come close to living or experiencing life as Difference Makers. Why? Because being called to be a Difference Maker is not enough. The following is a list of 15 Attributes of Difference Makers.
Difference Makers…
- Are ready and committed to be Difference Makers. Being a Difference Maker doesn’t just “happen”. Difference Makers become Difference Makers by being ready and committed to live as God’s people together with those in their local church.
- Worship God, keeping Him as their #1 priority. Difference Makers worship God by keeping Jesus at the center of their lives. They keep Jesus at the center of their lives by surrendering all of ourselves to Him.
- Rejoice in the future, rather than weep for the past. Difference Makers don’t get stuck in the past, whether that means missing the past for its good parts or regretting it for its bad parts. Difference Makers focus on God’s plans for the future.
- Expect opposition and refuse to back down when it comes. Difference Makers stand firm in the face of opposition, refuse to back down to the fears that opposition produces, and never quit.
- Choose to only speak words that inject lifewhen speaking TO and ABOUT others. Difference Makers recognize that words are powerful and that every word they speak injects something into the soul of another. Because they know that words can literally change someone’s life, they choose only to speak words of blessing…words that inject life into others.
- Prioritize “God’s stuff” over their stuff, thus setting themselves up to experience “God-stuff”. Difference Makers make God’s stuff a top priority, by putting it first, sacrificing everything else for it, and choosing not to elevate something else above it or set it aside for any reason.
- Are radically obedient to God, even when absolute certainty is not guaranteed. Difference Makers choose to be obedient even when it doesn’t make sense, they don’t have all the answers, and they don’t know what’s next. When God calls a Difference Maker to do something, they obey with their all. They choose to act before they understand.
- Are faithful to the One who commands. Difference Makers respond with ready obedience to God, recognizing that delayed obedience is disobedience. They are faithful in the small, ensuring that they can be trusted with the significant. Difference Makers live faithfully, by focusing on choosing to DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING, step by step.
- “Set their hearts” on knowing, living by, and teaching God’s Word to others. Difference Makers recognize that a lifetime of being “ready and committed” to the Word of God provides the opportunity for the legacy and life they leave behind to change the course of their family, friends, and acquaintances lives for generations to come.
- Are ready and committed in how they fast and pray. Through prayer and fasting, Difference Makers prove that their entire lives and their daily needs (their daily bread) are literally dependent on Him, and they prove that they know who they are and Whose they are.
- Live in the freedom that comes from confession. Difference Makers recognize the bigness of sin, what it is, and what it does. They recognize their specific sin. They confess they have TURNED THEIR BACK on God by admitting what they have done, owning it, and being truly sorrowful for it. Difference Makers are free to be KNOWN. They “come out of hiding” and choose to walk in the light.
- Don’t just confess their sins…they repent. Difference Makers refuse to be okay with sin in their lives. They TURN BACK TOWARDS Jesus and His will through the action of repentance, one step at a time. Difference Makers burn the boat of lukewarm Christianity and turn towards radical obedience instead.
- Are ALL-IN in their engagement and commitment to carrying on the mission of Jesus. Difference Makers recognize that heaven and hell are realities and people are truly going there every day. As a result, they live 100% committed to proclaiming Jesus’ message of transformation and carrying on Jesus’ mission of transforming the world.
- Care for the needs of those they are connected with. Difference Makers prove they truly love God by the way they love others. When they see a need, instead of relying on someone else to do something, they meet the need.
- Do not “come down” for distractions. Difference Makers are single-mindedly focused on carrying on Jesus’ mission of transforming the world. Every time they’re faced with a decision, they ask themselves the question “Will THIS help us complete the mission of transformation given to us by Jesus?”. If the answer is YES, they do that thing wholeheartedly. If the answer is NO, they don’t do it, choosing to say with their actions and words, “I’m doing a great work and cannot come down!”.
There is no greater calling, purpose, or fulfillment than living as a Difference Maker, carrying on Jesus’ mission of transforming the world.
If we choose to be ready and committed to live as Difference Makers, we will experience what it feels like to make a lasting difference, turn the world upside down, and live a live that counts for something! If we choose to be ready and committed as Difference Makers, our community will see that this Jesus we say is alive, really is alive!
Let’s be the DIFFERENCE MAKERSand the DIFFERENCE-MAKING CHURCH we are called to be!