Description

I don’t know of any person who doesn’t want to make a difference in the world. Nobody grows up dreaming of waking up, going to work, heading home, watching Netflix, scrolling through social media, and then doing it all over again the next day until their last breath. We all want to be used to change the world.

We want to make a difference, but there are so many opinions on the way to do that. And we’ve never had more access to inspiring and helpful content to help us become people with greater impact and influence, and yet it seems that more people than ever feel like that’s just not happening in their lives. Maybe there’s another way to make a difference, and we’re just missing it?

The way most people measure the difference a person makes is by how many and how much. How many friends, followers, likes and comments someone gets on social media determines if they’re an influencer. But, many believe that Jesus is the most influential person in history and he never tweeted; He wasn’t TikTok famous, he didn’t have a YouTube channel. So, how did Jesus make such a difference in this world?

The gospels provide a number of answers we could highlight, but there’s one particular phrase that captures how Jesus had such an impact: one at a time.

Maybe we make changing the world a little more complex than it actually is. Maybe we need to stop leaning into the usual ways this world tells us to measure difference-making and start leaning into the unexpected ways God wants to use us.

Whether you’re a businessperson or a stay-at-home parent; maybe you’re a pastor, a community leader, or a grandparent; maybe you’re a roommate, a classmate, a teammate, a sibling, a neighbor or a coach. Wherever God placed you is a space where He wants to use you—maybe only for a season.

Focus on the one.

With conviction and humor, bestselling author Kyle Idleman challenges true disciples to fully commit to the unexpected, Jesus way of changing the world: by loving people one at a time.  He helps us understand Jesus’ surprising habits, unlock the power of small things done with great love, and discover how God wants to use us to change the world one person at a time.

KYLE IDLEMAN is senior pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.  He is the bestselling and award-winning author of Not a Fan, Aha, and Grace Is Greater. He is a frequent speaker at national conventions and influential churches across the country.  Kyle and his wife, DesiRae, have four children and live on a farm where he doesn’t do any actual farming.