Clockwise from top: Jeremy Haynes, Jess Waggoner, Candice Rogers, and Andy Mitchell

"Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only. . . . Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." James 1:22, 25

What kind of Christian are you? A "doer," or a "forgetful hearer"? Forgetful hearers claim to follow Christ, but their faith has no effect on their lives. Doers, on the other hand, are committed followers of Christ. What they believe has a radical effect on every part of their lives! Doers have influence, a positive effect on the people around them. I like to call them "world-changers."

Jeremy Haynes is a world-changer. A member of the Bethesda Christian Class of 2003, he has grown up in a Christian home, but struggled for years with what he describes as "an empty place in my heart." The struggle ended on a hot August night in 2001, when Jeremy gave up trying to live the Christian life on his own and asked the Lord to save him, once and for all. The change in his life was instantaneous.

"God replaced the empty place in my heart with a desire to get busy serving Him. It was as if He was saying, 'I took the nails and died for you. What are you going to do for Me?'" Jeremy explains.

One of the strongest evidences of Jeremy's salvation is a great burden for people who don't know Christ. "I am constantly asking the Lord to give me someone to witness to," Jeremy says. "And He never leaves me satisfied. I always feel that there are more people I need to tell about the Lord."

Jeremy's mission field is a local grocery store where he works. He is careful not to waste his employer's time, but makes the most of break times and opportunities before and after work. For example, one of the other student workers was really discouraged by all the stress in his life. Jeremy simply said, "A few months ago, I was feeling the same way. Can I tell you what helped me?" The guy was interested, of course, and after work Jeremy had the joy of leading him to the Lord.

Jeremy has also found Instant Messenger to be a unique avenue for witnessing. One girl who had been to youth group a few times began asking questions. Jeremy provided answers from Scripture, and one evening during their online discussion, she trusted Christ as her Savior! He has also been able to present the gospel to a coworker, then her two cousins, and then their mom, all through IM.

This bold witness has influenced others to do the same. One youth leader relates the following incident: "I saw Jeremy at work one day, and just to make small talk, I asked, 'Hey, have you been witnessing to anyone lately?' Immediately Jeremy pointed out a coworker and said, 'Do you see that guy over there? I've been talking to him about the Lord.' I was convicted about my own need to be a better witness!"

Jeremy's passion for God is contagious! Just ask his friend Andy Mitchell. Andy also comes from a Christian home, and he, too, was struggling with doubts about his salvation. The events of September 11 only increased his uncertainty. September 23, he and Jeremy decided to take a walk after a Taco Bell dinner. Andy expressed his concerns, and Jeremy encouraged him, "You need to take care of that right now-this is too important to put off." Right there on the street, Andy prayed to receive Christ as his Savior. The doubts and uncertainty were gone!

The change in Andy's life has been remarkable. His attitude is different, he's careful about his speech and actions, and people are taking notice. Coworkers at a local pizza place ask him why he's different. "I tell them that God has changed me," Andy says. "He gave me the greatest gift of all-His life! What else could I do but give Him my life? I'm pumped about my relationship with the Lord and spending time with Him every day. I love talking to other people about God!" Andy has become a world-changer.

This influence has spread to other Christian friends. A few days after the terrorist attacks, a group of guys began to meet in a parking lot before school to pray. Andy participated in those prayer meetings, but they took on a whole different significance after his salvation!

One of Andy and Jeremy's favorite moments occurred on Friday morning, September 28. There was no school due to a teacher in-service day, but the guys didn't want to break the continuity and decided to meet in Andy's basement. They let in a group of repairmen, then proceeded to share prayer requests over cups of "Caramel Groove" coffee. As they prayed, the Lord began to work in their hearts in a powerful way, and several guys were broken and weeping. When they finished, they were astonished to see two of the repairmen-fellow believers-on their faces before the Lord as well!
A group of 12 to 15 guys and girls still meet before school to spend a few minutes in the Word and prayer. They encourage one another, keep each other accountable, and work together to reach unsaved friends. These students are world-changers.

Our entire church has been influenced by these students, as well as others who have decided to become "doers of the Word." Youth leaders Scott and Jennifer Miller are just one example. "Several years ago I couldn't and shouldn't have been able to lead and serve in the youth ministry area because of my lukewarm relationship with Christ," Jennifer explains. "The high school students have impacted me in a dramatic way! I'm grateful to these students who hold me accountable and challenge me to have a consistent and intimate relationship with Christ."

"Our youth group continually challenges me to be open in sharing my faith," Scott continues. "The individuals in our group who testify publicly each week about sharing their faith with their friends are a huge motivator. As adults, we should be setting the example; however, I am humbled weekly by these students who are actually setting a higher standard in their daily walk with Christ. God is real in their lives, and He is using them to change our world, NOW!"

The purpose of these stories is not to glorify individuals but to encourage you to be a world-changer. Influence happens when ordinary people make themselves available for God to use through His power and for His glory.

You can have an incredible influence as you live out your faith. And God honors His promise to bless those who hear and obey His Word.
I challenge you: Be a doer, and change your world for Christ!

More World-Changers

Candice Rogers is a member of the Brownsburg High School Class of 2002. At the beginning of her senior year, she became convicted about the need to share her faith with her unsaved friends.
Candice relates this account about one friend in particular: "I go to a public high school, and used to pray for people occasionally that they would be saved. Then I realized that I wasn't doing anything about it. I didn't have a fire. I wasn't bold, even though I was close to these people! I really got a burden for that and invited one of my friends to church. I knew that Ken Rudolph would be preaching, and I hoped [his message] would 'pound on her heart' or something so she'd get saved.

"I was praying and crying my eyes out for her, and she did come to church one Sunday morning. We had planned to go shopping that afternoon. While we were in the car driving, I said, 'This is really hard for me, and I'm sorry I didn't do this sooner, but do you know if you'll go to Heaven when you die?'

"She just started sobbing and said, 'No, but I want to be saved. I want to know God. I want to know that when I die I'll go to Heaven.'"

"I was able to show her how to be saved, and she just kept saying, 'Thank you so much for caring enough to tell me about this!' All I could think about was, 'Why didn't I tell her sooner?' You know, there are so many people out there who want to hear. We're just too afraid to tell."

Jessica Waggoner's passion is to influence people through music, especially praise and worship. "I love helping to lead praise and worship as part of our student ministries praise band. This privilege allows me to share my heart with my peers."

During her senior year, Jess gained a new perspective on the importance of worship. In Old Testament times, only the High Priest could enter God's presence in the Holy of Holies, and only once a year. Furthermore, there was a cord tied to his ankle so the other priests could pull him out in case God was displeased with his offering and struck him dead! Christ's death and resurrection changed all that.

According to Hebrews 10, we as Christians have the right, because of Jesus' sacrifice, to enter into God's presence at any time to offer our worship and praise as well as prayer. What an awesome privilege! What an awesome truth for inspiring believers and offering hope to unbelievers!

"God has called me to someday travel the world, singing and helping to lead worship," Jess explains. "I want to understand and experience real worship and servant ministry, so God can use me to encourage the unsaved to accept Him, and the saved to surrender to Him. My heart's desire is to change the world for Christ through music, so that one day I'll hear the Master Musician say, 'Well done, Jess. You were a good and faithful servant.'"

Author Bio:
Sheri Waggoner

Position: mom to four kids, and a youth pastor's wife. Family: This year our family has a student in elementary, junior high, high school, and college. Exciting event: Sunday evening service after our Blowout event. Favorite activities: family vacation and anything to do with music. Meaningful accomplishment: planning the women's sessions for the Vision for Youth conference, as well as the opportunities I have to speak and write.