Matthew 5: Your Integrity Is Your Influence

Introduction

"Your integrity is your influence." That is the title and the common thread of Stephen Foster's message at HTB (Holy Trinity Brompton) in London. A husband and father of four daughters, and a former lawyer, he preaches on a short and well-known passage from the Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:13-16.

We are living in a difficult time, he says, marked by major cultural, economic and geopolitical upheaval. Faced with that, it is easy to believe the lie that you have no influence, that you are a hostage to outside forces that are far too powerful. "But what if God had a purpose in placing you in your company, your neighborhood, your church, your city?"

Our relationship with influence is complicated: we distrust those who have it, we hesitate to use it, we fear being affected by it. Yet Jesus exercised the greatest influence the world has ever known, not by keeping it for himself, but by giving it away on the cross for others. So there is such a thing as influence the way God sees it. To find it, the passage calls us to two things: to be distinct, like salt, and to be bright, like light.

Outline of the message

1. "You are the salt of the earth": an identity, not an option

• Jesus has just taught the Beatitudes, that beautiful and unique way of living in the kingdom he is inaugurating: there is a blessing in humility, in gentleness, in holiness, and even in persecution.
• Then he says: "You are the salt of the earth." Not "you could be," not "I would like you to be," not "if you really try hard, maybe one day you will become" the salt of the earth. You are.
• Your identity, your purpose and your calling, right where God has placed you, is to be salt.
• Salt has two functions: to bring out good flavors and to resist corruption. In those days it was used mainly to preserve meat, and even as an antiseptic on wounds, because it slows the growth of bacteria.

2. Your difference can make a difference

• Salt works because of its chemical makeup, sodium chloride (NaCl), which is entirely different from whatever it is put into. If it loses its flavor, it is good for nothing: to have value, to have influence, it must remain distinct.
• "I find it very tempting to go with the flow, to fit in and lose my distinctiveness." You start a new job thinking you will shape the company culture, and you discover that it is shaping you. You arrive in a city to transform it, and the city transforms you.
• At 22, Stephen Foster started out as a lawyer. He had grown up in a tough neighborhood and attended a modest school. His workplace had its unwritten codes, and he kept breaking them. His supervisor asked him who had taught him to tie his tie, then where he had bought his suit. He told himself he might not be cut out for this profession.
• Their first big case concerned a man accused of importing millions of pounds' worth of drugs hidden in the car he was driving, who claimed to know nothing about it. To the experienced lawyer, a conviction seemed almost certain. The young Stephen objected: "There is no honor among thieves." Every person let in on the secret is one more risk; that kind of network runs on a "need to know" basis. The argument was taken up in the closing speech and the man was acquitted.
• "Sometimes you think: I am so different that I cannot make a difference. But maybe it is precisely your difference that lets you make a difference." The influence you carry may be tied to the uniqueness you embody.

3. The closer you are to Jesus, the more distinct you are

• The cultural moment is astonishing: many people are opening up to faith in a new way. His generation was told that if you kept faith at arm's length long enough, you would live a fulfilled life. People are finding that this is false: less peace, less purpose, less hope. "Secularism is not really livable."
• He speaks of surprising and lasting waves of salvation: people who come to church without knowing how, who read the Bible or pray for the first time.
• At a party, a stranger felt sorry for him for being a pastor: how do you get anyone to come to church these days? Stephen Foster answered that they sometimes run out of room, that most of those attending are students, young adults and young families, and that they are looking for more mature people to walk alongside them. The man objected that the younger generation surely rejects the faith of its parents. "Exactly: I see many becoming Christians by rejecting their parents' atheism." The man ended up asking if he could come and see.
• Trust in institutions is declining and leaves a void. He cites the book Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams, a Facebook whistleblower, which describes a giant company shaping the lives of billions of people. What strikes him: what value system lies behind so many decisions? Only growing faster and reaching more people?
• "We need people of integrity, distinct people, who can bring ancient wisdom to bear on today's challenges." The source of that distinctiveness is the connection with Jesus: "The closer you get to Jesus, the more distinct you become."
• Who is Jesus? It is one of the most important questions of your life, and your whole life answers it. He lived a life of great beauty, he died a death full of sacrifice, and the evidence indicates that he rose again: so you can meet him today.
• A trend on TikTok is to "pretend to be a Christian" for 30 days: read the Bible, pray, worship. One person, on day 25, said: "I can't pretend anymore. I am going to become a Christian for real." But it is not only about felt benefits: Jesus did not come merely to improve your life, he came to save you, redeem you and transform you.
• About 90 days from Christmas, he asks the question: will you be able to say at Christmas, "I am closer to Jesus than I was at the end of September, and more distinct because I spent time in his presence"?

4. Neither diluted nor removed: the salt has to go into the dish

• First danger: being so immersed in the culture where you live and work that you no longer stand out from anyone. You then have nothing particular left to bring.
• Second danger: wanting to be so different that you no longer really get involved. But salt is made to be put into the dish.
• His practical suggestion: tomorrow morning, put a small pile of salt on your desk ("a pile, not a line," he adds with humor) and tell yourself: "I am salt. I am called here to resist evil and make good grow. I will not let the culture shape me, I came to shape it. As long as I am in this environment, my presence will make things better."
• "I am just an ordinary person," you will say. A person eats about two kilos of food a day, and needs only about six grams of salt, which is 0.3%. "One in three hundred can make the difference."
• A friend, a young doctor, came to ask his advice: her hospital was consulting staff on a new policy that she considered unethical. Her more experienced colleagues agreed with her, but thought it too risky for their careers to respond, and suggested she do it. "Is this a matter of conscience for you?" Yes. "Then I think you should go ahead." They prayed, and she answered the consultation. A few weeks later, the leaders got back in touch with her: they had not wanted that policy, but they had needed a single independent voice. Out of thousands of people consulted, she was the only one to speak up, and the policy was dropped.
• "Just one voice. But when the Holy Spirit comes upon your voice, when you believe you were placed there for a reason, things can really start to change."

5. "You are the light of the world": let it shine

• Jesus says elsewhere: "I am the light of the world." When you see him as he is, in his beauty and glory, and you entrust your life to him, you can say: in you I have eternal life, hope, salvation, the forgiveness of my sins. The penalty I deserved fell on you, because you shed your blood on the cross to give me forgiveness, freedom, purpose and the hope of eternal life.
• When you place your trust in Jesus in this way, his presence and his Spirit come to dwell in you, and you become the light of the world.
• It is in the nature of light to shine: no need to push it, you simply let it shine. Gathered together, we are like a city on a hill, visible from afar. Scattered across our workplaces, our homes and our neighborhoods, our light is seen wherever we are called to live.
• Light illuminates: it brings clarity, understanding and discernment. The light you carry will help others see things as they are and will reveal solutions to problems that others do not see.

6. Do not put your light under a basket

• "Neither do men light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket." You probably do not do that, he says, but the temptation is there. On Sunday, at church, everything seems easier.
• On Sunday we sing that the highest place is at the feet of the Lord; on Monday morning, when a colleague gets the promotion, we think: "I wanted that job. It's not fair." On Sunday we sing that his love has changed our lives forever; on the subway, when someone bumps into us, we snap: "Get out of my way." And faced with a passive-aggressive email on Monday, our reaction has nothing left of Sunday.
• So we hide our light. But Jesus says: "Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
• To let your light shine is to let people see a little of what is in you, instead of hiding it. Stephen Foster admits: "I am not always good at sharing my faith and showing my light."

7. Be the answer to someone's prayer

• At 27, a lawyer, he attended a weekend training to learn how to talk about his faith with his colleagues. They prayed there for opportunities to share it. He prayed that prayer, then forgot about it.
• On Monday, he arrived at the office at 7 a.m. to prepare a major case with a seasoned lawyer, a King's Counsel (KC), whom he was meeting at 8. A more senior colleague asked how his weekend had gone, then what training he had attended. "Can I ask you a question? What is heaven like?" This colleague had spoken about faith at a dinner the week before and could not stop thinking about it. A deep conversation began, and it was over before 7:30.
• Result: ten minutes late for the first meeting. Apologizing, he explained the conversation, then the training. "Like me?" asked the lawyer, who had grown up in Ireland with a complicated relationship with the Church and with faith. They talked about it. Leaving a few hours later, he asked: "Lord, what are you doing to me?" And he sensed God answering him: "You prayed the prayer."
• We often think that the impulse to talk about our faith, to say that we pray, or to invite someone to an Alpha course is a coincidence. But what if that person was crying at 2 a.m., calling out for help? What if they had started to pray without knowing to whom? What if they were reading the Bible for the first time and asking God to send someone to explain it? "What if that impulse is what allows you to be the answer to a desperate person's prayer?"
• At a wedding, a man who works in public relations told him about one of the directors of his company, a friend of the preacher: attentive to every person in the office, clear in his communication, a sort of moral compass for the company. When Stephen Foster told him they went to the same church, the man replied: "That explains everything. I knew there was something different about him." He asked if he could come. Invited to the Alpha course starting the following Wednesday, he said: "That sounds perfect."
• Two minutes of conversation at the edge of a dance floor. The preacher had hardly done anything: this man had been watching his friend, who was salt and light in that group. He had seen his good works and was ready to glorify the Father who is in heaven.

Key takeaways

• Jesus does not say that you could be salt and light: he says that you are. It is your identity and your calling right where God has placed you.
• Salt works only if it stays different. Your distinctiveness is not an obstacle, it can be the source of your influence.
• The source of that difference is your closeness to Jesus: the closer you get to him, the more distinct you become.
• Avoid both traps: dissolving into the culture or withdrawing from it. A little salt is enough, but it has to be in the dish.
• Do not hide your light on Monday. A conversation, an invitation or a life of integrity can answer someone's prayer.

Personal application

1. In which setting (work, studies, family, neighborhood) do you feel that the culture shapes you more than you shape it?
2. Which of the two dangers threatens you more: blending into the crowd or keeping yourself apart?
3. What would a life closer to Jesus look like in concrete terms between now and Christmas?
4. Is there a situation where your conscience calls you to speak up, even if you are the only one doing so?
5. Which recent impulse have you ignored: talking about your faith, saying that you pray, inviting someone to an Alpha course?

Verses cited

• Matthew 5:13-16
• Matthew 5:3-12
• John 8:12

Frequently asked questions

What does "your integrity is your influence" mean?

For Stephen Foster, the influence God gives does not come from a title or from power, but from a different kind of life. Jesus exercised the greatest influence the world has ever known by giving himself on the cross for others. A Christian influences those around them when their life remains one of integrity, distinct and visible right where God has placed them.

Why does Jesus say "you are the salt of the earth"?

Jesus does not say "you could be" or "you will one day be" the salt of the earth: he says "you are." It is an identity and a calling. Salt brings out good flavors and, especially in those days, prevents corruption. It has value only if it stays different from whatever it is put into.

How can you let your light shine at work?

Stephen Foster invites us not to hide on Monday what we sing on Sunday: to react differently to a missed promotion or an aggressive email, to dare to say that you pray or go to church, to invite someone to an Alpha course. A simple impulse can make you the answer to someone's prayer.