We all love high achievers. We love our professional athletes, entrepreneurs, and other “go-getters” that “make it” in the world. We also want to be like them in some ways and claim our moment in the spotlight. It’s no accident that we see tens of thousands of young people auditioning for “American Idol” just to get their fifteen minutes of fame. Unfortunately for us and for most of these unsuccessful contestants, we fall short of our goals. We lack the necessary talent or inner drive or the charisma to succeed. Failure and the thought of failure can drive us crazy. Knowing how our minds work and want to make ourselves better intrigues us.
Deep down we want to know about our inner person and our inner being. It’s interesting to know what goes on inside someone’s head and we have a whole field of study called psychology devoted to this topic. We also have this voyeuristic quality about us and we want to know what drives the behavior of other and also ourselves. Knowing that this sells, we see countless surveys that evaluate whether we are loving parents, stylish dressers, or know how to evaluate fine wines.
Just the other day I came across a study by Dr. Elizabeth Bard that evaluated a person’s choice of jellybeans. The study indicated that choices in jellybeans might reveal fundamental traits, especially if one’s choice of color has nothing to do with the flavor. The most popular color—especially among men—was black, followed by red. Least popular was purple and white. Here are traits indicated by choice of color. Listen carefully to see what type of person are you.
Black: A man exercises great personal charm in dealing with others. A woman is considered persistent in her demands and desires recognition and control.
Red: A man is capable of powerful emotional involvement; a woman has great charm.
White: A woman “seeks a relationship offering peace and intimacy.” A man “attempts to control his own destiny and yet needs praise and reinforcement from others to maintain self-confidence.”
Studies like this one are interesting, but you know what, by choosing a new favorite jellybean it isn’t going to make me a different person. So, in my estimation, these things are nice to know, but they aren’t going to help me one bit. In order to be a better person, I need to do things better. I need to take some action and improve my life.
This brings me to an interesting thought, what makes certain people “better” than others at certain things. The obvious answer is that they simply try harder. However, I must disagree based on the American Idol test. You see, the hardest working and most talented singers often get eliminated. Talent and hard work aren’t always enough. Sure, you got to be talented to win, but there are other qualities that may be equally important. Likewise, the smartest executives in the business world don’t always succeed because managing others involves something more than just mental bandwidth. Leading people means connecting with them. Being an American pop idol means connecting with the masses.
The same thing is true within the church. I know several people within the church who are nice people and have good qualities, but they are unable to lead people to Christ. Why? Their ability is often limited because they cannot connect with people and ministry is relational. Look at today’s lesson in Acts 5:12-20. Here we see the early church grow from about a couple dozen believers to approximately ten thousand devoted followers. This growth is the result of meaningful relationships that the Apostles established. They were able to connect with people search for meaning in their lives.
Charisma is the word that comes to mind when I visualize the Apostles drawing people to God. I think that charisma is important and want to see how we too can acquire it for the glory of God. I believe that the potential to be a charismatic Christian is within each of us; charisma is a learned quality. Before I begin speaking about charisma, I think it’s best to define what charisma means.
The word charisma is derived from the Greek word meaning “gift” or “divine favor” and it is often used to describe the ability to charm, influence, and motivate people. Charismatic people generally have magnetic personalities and project a certain unusual confidence, authenticity, vision, calmness, and assertiveness. While the ancient Greeks believed that charisma was an inborn trait, today many people believe that it can be taught or learned.
Charisma has a lot in common with evangelism because the evangelist must bond with people in order to spread the Gospel of Christ. Reaching people takes charisma. Think for a moment, wasn’t there someone important in your life that brought you to Christ. We are all in this church today because of someone else’s influence. That is charisma. Today we read about people flocking to the Apostles, we are reminded about the sick lying in the streets waiting to be cured, and can almost see the numbers being added to the early Church. My friends the phenomenon of the Apostolic Church is due to the charisma of the Holy Spirit flowing through the Apostles.
The Apostles bonded with the masses because they were influential, highly regarded, and they commanded a certain authority. They positively influenced the masses to come to Christ because they connected with them physically, emotionally, and intellectually. They were personal and “hands-on” ministers. They were charismatic.
Think for a moment. What makes a person charismatic? So far, we’ve talked about their influence, but how do people get that certain “it” factor. How do Christians receive this special blessing? Psychologists, politicians, entertainers, public speakers, coaches, business leaders, and church leaders are particularly interested in developing their charisma because their entire livelihood is entirely dependent on leading, motivating, and inspiring others. Based on an article I adapted by Tony Allesandra, Ph.D. here are five main qualities that I see that charismatic Christian possess.
1. Charismatic Christians give strong, favorable non-verbal messages
Each day we unconsciously send out messages and signals to others that indicate what we are really like. Perhaps we smile kindly when someone walks by, or we look him or her squarely in the eye when we talk to them. Some people may stare at the ground and are shy around others, while others gawk inappropriately. All these things are subtle unspoken messages that tell people something about us. The apostles conveyed this special charisma that I’m talking about. Notice that in today’s reading, the multitudes were drawn to the apostles, but we don’t hear them speaking a word. They radiated positive non-verbal messages.
Our silent message is dependent on the quality of our Christian character. Have you ever been around someone who was holy? Even though they didn’t say a word, you could just feel the Holy Spirit in them and working through them. Personal holiness is the direct result of a virtuous life guided by the Spirit of God. A spirit-filled life is not only visible, but also desired by a world searching for meaning. St. Seraphim of Sarov said, "Acquire the spirit of peace, and thousands around you will be saved." What St. Seraphim really meant was that when you have the peace of our God in your heart, everyone will see it and want to have it for them. You see it isn’t always necessary to say something, our actions and character are sometimes charismatic enough.
2. Charismatic Christians can speak well.
Unless you can express your ideas to others in a way that they understand no one will be drawn to you. Charismatic Christians speak plainly and directly to people. They have a firm command of language and can express and articulate their most intimate thoughts. They are engaging. The Apostle, prophets, and saints throughout the ages were able to speak effectively because they knew God and had an important message to tell the world. This is because they spoke to God all the time. Charismatic Christians are prayerful people.
Being a good speaker also takes practice. Take the Apostles for example. They were simple fishermen from a tiny village, yet they converted the whole known world. I don’t think that they became charismatic speakers overnight. Although they received the gift of the Holy Spirit, their strong faith and zeal to spread the Gospel also enabled them to influence others to dedicate their lives to Christ. The Apostles witnessed to others constantly and I’m sure that more people were drawn by their message as they matured spiritually.
3. Charismatic Christians listen carefully to others.
Charismatic Christians make others feel important because they listen to them. Understanding other people’s needs are the foundation of our faith. Our Lord always engaged and listened to those He ministered. He simply could have just healed the ailing since He already knew their sickness, but He wanted them to tell Him the details about their needs. Our Lord listened to others because He cared and loved His people. He wanted to make them feel special in His presence. If we want to connect with others and positively influence them like Jesus, we must become better listeners.
4. Charismatic Christians are able to adapt to new or changing situations.
People are drawn to charismatic people because they are in control. The ancient Christian world was risky, unpredictable, and rapidly changing. The apostles lived in constant danger and all but one apostle (St. John the Evangelist) died a martyr’s death. Despite their hardships they were in control because God was control of their lives.
St. Paul for instance traveled constantly and was forced to adapt to new cultures and environments. He was imprisoned, shipwrecked, was nearly beaten to death, and lived in constant danger. Yet, despite his circumstances, St. Paul adapted to changing circumstances. When he traveled, he evangelized. When he was imprisoned, he wrote letters of encouragement to the ancient churches. In his own words St. Paul says, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22).” St. Paul was charismatic because he could adapt.
In today’s passage we see the apostles standing firm in the face of persecution and imprisonment. They were able to do this because of their faith and belief that the Almighty God would deliver them. Charismatic Christians are able to adapt and persevere through the toughest times because they understand that their entire lives are in God’s hands and our Lord would never let them down.
5. Finally, Charismatic Christians have vision.
People are drawn to Charismatic Christians because they have something important to say and they stand for something. They know that God has a plan for their lives and for His world. Today’s lesson bears witness to the fact that the Apostles were not deterred by prison or persecution. They were not afraid of being unpopular with the religious leaders of the day. Instead, the first thing that they did after being delivered from prison was to preach the Gospel to all nations.
Charismatic Christians are able to influence and draw people closer to God because they believe in what they preach. People throughout the ages are drawn to people who have vision and stand for something. Look around. Our world is rudderless, faithless, and fickle. People are crying out for someone to lead them to the Promised Land. I submit to you that God’s Church is hungry for the charismatic leadership of the Apostles that we see in the Book of Acts. Are we up to the challenge? Do we possess Christ’s vision for the world? Do we want the Holy Spirit to world through us so we can bring people to God’s Kingdom?
As I close, I want to reaffirm that we all can be the Charismatic Christian disciples. Our Lord is counting on us to help Him reach and sanctify His creation. In order to reach the world we must bond with people searching for meaning and comfort. Charisma helps us make that connection through the grace of the Holy Spirit. Although we may not have the same gifts as the Apostles we share a common faith in our risen Lord. It is my prayer that our faith leads us to make our Lord’s vision our mission. God bless. Amen.
