Every year, we read headlines promoting lists of the world’s “most influential people”—celebrating CEOs, celebrities, and cultural icons. But it always makes me wonder: If God made a list, who would be on it? Who does He consider truly influential?
In Scripture, God gives us the answer. From Genesis to Revelation, God consistently uses unlikely followers and imperfect people to accomplish His plans and purposes. God honors faithfulness over fame and obedience over applause. He challenges us to redefine what it means to live a life of true influence.
This past year, our study Revelation: The Hope brought that truth into sharp focus for me. And as I look forward to next year’s study, Exile and Return: A Time to Build, I see the same pattern. When we place our hope in Christ, He equips us to build a life of faith.
When Christ Is Our Hope
As I have studied Revelation this year, I have been deeply moved by God’s repeated reference to the martyrs—those who gave their lives for the sake of the gospel. Throughout Revelation, it is the martyrs—not the influential, seemingly successful, powerful, and prestigious—whom God upholds as those who overcome. See for yourself, in Revelation 6:9-11:
“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.”
Or again in Revelation 20:4:
“I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
To live a life that honors Christ is to live a life of faithful commitment to Christ.
In these verses, God doesn’t simply remember the martyrs’ obedience; He highly honors their faithful commitment to Christ. In fact, Revelation 12:11 captures their commitment beautifully:
“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
And you know, it makes me wonder—what might God be telling us through the legacy of these martyrs about what He values and how we are to order our lives today? What if we began to uphold faithful individuals like these martyrs as the leaders to follow on this earth rather than the celebrities and CEOs the world so often prefers? What if we began to define influence not by the number of one’s social media followers but by faithfulness?
These verses in Revelation remind me that to live a life that honors Christ is to live a life of faithful commitment to Christ.
But how do we get there? How do we build a life so committed to Jesus that we are willing to sacrifice everything?
Hope Builds Our Faith
In Exile & Return, we will explore the lives of men and women who firmly built their lives on God’s promises. While they certainly weren’t perfect, they were faithful. Like the martyrs of Revelation, these men and women were willing to sacrifice everything to serve the Lord. When the world threatened their comfort, their position, their livelihood, and even their lives—they stood firm.
Ezekiel built a life of hope in the midst of rejection and isolation.
Daniel built a life of integrity even when it led to persecution.
Ezra built with wisdom as he led the returned exiles to properly honor and obey God.
Esther built a legacy of courage, risking her safety to save God’s people.
Haggai built with focus, boldly calling God’s people to finish the temple.
Zechariah built with vision, pointing to God’s redemptive plan.
Nehemiah built with perseverance, refusing to abandon the work God gave him.
Malachi built with devotion, calling people back to faithfulness.
These men and women were not praised by their culture, but their legacy of faithfulness still impacts us today.
In a world chasing visibility, we are called to faithfulness. In a culture obsessed with status, we follow a sacrificial Savior.
As we reflect on Revelation: The Hope and anticipate Exile and Return, we’re invited into the same legacy. In a world chasing visibility, we are called to faithfulness. In a culture obsessed with status, we follow a sacrificial Savior.
The world may never see us as influential, but we are living for the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, and the King of Kings.
When we place our hope in Christ, He not only sustains us, He equips us to build lives that influence others for eternity. I hope you’ll join us in this upcoming study. Together, we’ll discover that now—in our homes, our communities, our workplaces, and our churches—is our time to build. How will we respond?