13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
Matthew 13:13-20
14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” 20Then he gave the disciples orders to tell no one that he was the Messiah.
Influencing through Presence matters. To have the most Influence through your Presence, you must make sure the setting helps you Influence those you’re trying to lead.
Make sure the setting helps you Influence those you’re trying to lead.
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Jesus took his disciples on an “off site” retreat. He did it for two reasons…
- People always followed him.
- The setting was a part of the teaching.
People always followed Jesus.
Every time Jesus would try to get away with his disciples, people would follow him. The feeding of the 5,000 came about because Jesus wanted to get away after John the Baptist was murdered. Yet, he couldn’t because people would follow.
No one would follow Jesus to Caesarea Philippi because this was the “Las Vegas” of Jesus’ day. In fact, Caesarea was worse than Vegas. Jesus knew he could go to this region and no one would follow because “good Jews” wouldn’t be caught dead there.
To be fully present, you must have a setting in which you are fully present.
How do you know your setting lets you be fully present?
Answer this question…
What are you trying to accomplish?
Water cooler talk…you’re not looking for a zero distraction, 100% fully present setting.
Someone needs a meeting with you because of some issue? This needs a more fully distraction free zone…but an offsite is not required.
Key leaders need to solve key issues or plan for the future? Well, this needs absolutely no distractions and some time to get deep into the work.
You trying to get a family dinner in before nightly activities? Don’t let other people “follow” you to your dinner table.
Setting is more than the location. Setting also means what you allow to be distractions. If someone needs a meeting, but you are always on your phone, the setting doesn’t allow you to be fully present. If 10 people are trying to dive into future planning, you may get away to an offsite, but can people still follow you through texts and email? If you want a family dinner, but people can ping your phone, are you really Present with your family?
Setting is location and environment. Be intentional about a setting where no one can “follow” you so you can Influence through being fully present.
The setting was a part of the teaching.
Jesus intentionally picked Caesarea Philippi because the location allowed him to teach the preferred future he wanted to teach his disciples.
The preferred future Jesus taught them is “the gates of Hades will not prevail against the Rock.” The Rock of Jesus. The Rock of the Church built upon he Rock of Jesus. The Rock of leadership built upon the Rock of Jesus.
Caesarea Philippi was considered to be the “Gate of Hades.” They were famous for their child sacrifices. People went there to get away from any religious activity so they could do whatever they wanted. Like Vegas…but even worse! Imagine convincing your church board to take your staff to a planning retreat to New Orleans…during Mardi Gras!
The setting was vital for the preferred future Jesus was leading them towards. Jesus essentially said, “Not even a place like Caesarea Philippi can triumph against a Church built upon Me.”
Jesus got the disciples out of their comfort zone. They were told “good Jews never went to Caesarea Philippi.” This made them more apt to listen to the preferred future Jesus had for them.
As they took the Gospel to the “ends of the earth,” I’m sure the disciples who went on this offsite with Jesus never forgot this moment. Through all their struggles, they did continue to push the Gospel into the most difficult of places. Not because they accomplished this future on their own. But because they were Influenced by Jesus in the most dramatic way possible.
People want to be led somewhere. You can only lead them through your Presence. Do everything you can to make the setting distraction free and help set the stage for the preferred future you want to teach those you’re leading.
What can you do today to make sure the settings you Influence in help you Influence through Presence?
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