The Seven Mountains of Influence: Bringing the Love of God to a Hurting World

In 1975, three Christian men who knew one another but were operating in separate spheres of influence received virtually identical insights at nearly the same time. A sphere of influence is a network of relationships in which you may have some ability to influence (not control) the ways in which others in that same sphere think, act, or understand themselves or the world. After comparing notes, the three men felt that these simultaneous insights were a revelation from the Holy Spirit. The men were:

1.     Loren Cunningham – Founder of Youth With a Mission (YWAM)

2.     Dr. Bill Bright – Founder of Campus Crusade for Christ

3.    Francis Schaeffer-Presbyterian pastor and author who founded L’Abri (“the shelter”) communities beginning in Switzerland in 1955 which eventually spread to Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The insight received was a way of looking at society in terms of seven mountains of influence. The seven mountains of influence shown to these three men included:

1.      The home/family

2.      The church

3.       Schools

4.       Government and politics

5.       The media

6.       Arts, entertainment, and sports (celebration)

7.       Commerce, science, and technology (business/economy)

Also referred to as the Seven Mountain Mandate, these men were shown that to restore Christian values to our culture and move our nation back under the Lordship of Christ, Christians need to bring the love of God operating through the power of the Holy Spirit to bear in all relationships and decisions within one’s spheres of influence and to teach other Christians to do likewise. By bringing the Holy Spirit into every encounter within our homes, churches, workplaces, schools, entertainment choices, what we buy, how we dress, what media we watch, how we conduct research, the technology we develop and choose to use, literally every facet of daily living, the culture will begin to shift back toward Christianity and with time, whole nations will be reclaimed for Christ Jesus. Basically what was being shown to them is that Christian living was about doing the Will of God at all times, places and seasons.

Christians are earthly residents of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is our job to bring heaven to earth using God’s wisdom and power and by living a life surrendered completely to the Spirit. In the Our Father we pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” To help bring the Kingdom to earth, our choices must be made from a heavenly perspective with God’s Will being the only consideration governing them. St Francis de Sales once wrote this:

”Among the true children of our Savior, everyone shall forsake his own will and have only one master-will dominant and universal, which shall animate, govern, and direct all souls, all hearts and all wills, and the name of honor amongst all Christians shall be no other than God’s Will in them, a will which shall rule over all wills and transform them all into itself, so that the will of Christians and the Will of Our Lord shall be but one single Will.”

The above is a prophetic statement from centuries ago about our present day and the gift of living in the Divine Will. Jesus gave instructions for how to receive this gift to Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta. An easy to understand introduction to living in the Divine Will is the dropbook series: https://dwdropbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/db-final-6-1.pdf and for more in-depth information see https://www.queenofthedivinewill.org The task of bringing heaven to earth is impossible by our own power, which is why we need the gift of the Divine Will to enable us to surrender to God’s Will in everything.

What does the Bible say about Christian influence in society? It says we’re leaven, which, when kneaded into dough, makes the whole loaf rise (Luke 13:20-21). When we’re surrendered, faithful and prayerful, the Holy Spirit will guide our lives in all our spheres of influence, maximizing the effect that the leavening process has within society.  Our faith should inform every aspect of daily living and, when directed by God’s own Spirit (whose action is visible by His gifts, charisms, and fruits), society will “rise” and grow closer to God. The Spirit’s guidance should be sought through prayer before every decision. If the company you work for is struggling, ask the Holy Spirit for help and make suggestions for improvements based on what He says to you. When your family lacks peace, pray for the next steps to restore peace. If you are rusty in listening to and hearing the Holy Spirit, ask the Father for more of His Spirit and practice listening for His promptings. The Bible says that the Father longs to give the Holy Spirit to all who ask it of Him (Luke 11:13).

In addition to leaven, the Bible also states that Christians are on the earth to be “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5) which means the Kingdom of God on Earth is built by the way we live in the Spirit in humility and service. God’s people are to be the salt of the earth (Matt 5:13), light to the nations (Is 42;6), a lampstand to light the whole house (Matt 5:15-16) the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27 and other places), and temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19-20). We live under an open heaven and are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6-7), while still living here on earth. We’re called to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) for the sake of Christ, one another, and the Church. Jesus promises His disciples that they will do what He did and even greater works than His (John 14:12) because of the indwelling Trinity that came to us through baptism with water and the Holy Spirit. We need to ask the Lord to fan into flame the Spirit within us. Ask for more of the Spirit, claim the promises of Christ, and see your life and the lives of those in your spheres of influence transformed.

Christians are tasked with transforming the world by living the way Jesus lived—by loving unbelievers while they are still in sin, but without conforming to worldly ways of thinking and acting. We lead people to Jesus by helping those in our spheres encounter Him in the power of the Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit: Wisdom, Counsel, Understanding, Knowledge, Fortitude, Piety, and Fear of the Lord, and fruits of the Spirit working in us: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Generosity, and Self-Control should be visible in us by the way we approach family life, worship, work, finances, and solving problems. Seeing these qualities should attract people to the Spirit in us because they want what we have-authentic loving relationships and the peace of the Kingdom. As problems within the current culture become more apparent and less resolvable without God’s grace and mercy, Christians should become beacons in the night, shining lampposts that attract people to Christ. But if instead we absorb the culture around us and its false gods, and allow it to distract us from our mission, we become out of touch with God and His power. Our “salt” loses its flavor, our light is dimmed, and our leavening power weakens when we have conformed to the world rather than be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2).

Through baptism into Christ, we are anointed as priests, prophets, and kings with the mission to make disciples and bring heaven to earth. The role of a priest is to worship the Word and help others do so, the role of a prophet is to listen to the Word and share the Word with others. and the role of a king is to lead, especially to lead others to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ. The Kingdom grows by our willingness to take risks and share our annointing with others.

One can’t live in this world and not be concerned about where the direction our culture is heading.  We need to listen attentively to the Holy Spiri to receive His inspirations as to how we can bring the most light to bear in every situation and circumstance. How can we be saltier and yeastier in our speres of influence? Where do we need to sacrifice more for others? Are we performing our Christian functions as priests, prophets, and kings? We’re here to worship God above all else, obey Him, seek out the lost and show them God’s love, make new disciples, lead prodigals back toward the Father. Surrendering to God allows Him to shape us like clay into the best version of ourselves, as He invites us to join forces with Him to bring heaven to earth. What could be more exciting?

As Christians, we are amazingly blessed, but these blessings are accompanied by awesome responsibilities. Without God, the task of bringing heaven to earth is impossible. But with God all things are possible (Matt 19:26). Let’s return to the Lord with our whole hearts for it says in II Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” Let’s put on the armor of God and the power of prayer (Ephesians 6:10-18), begging God to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh as in a New Pentecost. To be equipped by God to help transform society one personal encounter at a time, go to:

https://encounterschool.org and https://streetevangelization.com

Let’s go forward in our spheres of influence and be bright, salty and yeasty for the sake of the Kingdom and the salvation of souls. Leave the past to God’s Mercy, the future to God’s Providence and live one personal encounter at a time in the present moment, trusting that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called to His purposes (Romans 8:28).