Is Our Light Shining So Others Might See And Our Salt Salty So Others Might Better Experience Jesus?

Good Morning Friends,

The world is watching us. In our role, as Christians we are to help people around us so that they do not slip and fall. We are to be encouragers of healthy behavior. With great love and kindness, we are to help people recognize their mistakes and seek God’s I.V. solution for our dehydrated souls. We are to let others see Christ in us regardless of time and place for we have been given the gift to help others preserve their existence and illuminate their understanding in the very tasting and seeing of the faith. But we are left with a question, Is Our Light Shining So Others Might See And Our Salt Salty So Others Might Better Experience Jesus? 
 

Scripture: The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians.” Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3 (NRSV)

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16 (NRSV)

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NRSV)

Message: We need Christ just as much in our bright, prosperous, celebrations and worship as in the times of darkness, misfortune, and despair. We are quite capable of thinking, in error that faith is only for sickrooms and funerals, and for times of great sorrow and trial. Surely it is true that Christians are to be as a lamp to shine at night, a staff to help when the road is rough, a friendly hand to support each other when we are stumbling. But that is not the whole story. We are to help build the cognitive reserves of people so that they realize they are children of God as part of a marriage that is to honor our earthly parents as well as heavenly ones. Jesus went to the marriage-feast as well as to the home of sorrow. Christ’s Good News is just as much for our joy as for our grief. There are just as many comforts, promises, divine encouragements, and blessings above us when we have earthly success, as when we are in our nights of pain and shadow. We are to rejoice in all things. For as Jesus taught, being the “salt” means there must be a lot of unsavory challenges in the world. Being the “light” means there must be plenty darkness around us. We are not supposed to be like the rest of the world. We are supposed to be different. In fact, our difference, how our neural network of spiritual support is formed makes us unique and effective. We are supposed to be salty and sometimes a little irritating! The way we live our lives is supposed to bring a new taste, a new flavor to the table. And sometimes it needs to have a little bite. We are supposed to be living in such a way that we stand out in stark contrast to those around us. Then notice what Jesus says. If we lose our difference and distinction, if we look and act just like the world, the world will throw out our truth and walk right over us. If we minimize our differentiation, we will be marginalized. Our difference is what makes us different! If we are like everybody else, then we cannot lead. We are to be salt and light, empowered and purposeful. Friends, God is good, even when times seem bad. We have been hardwired to accept the challenge of life that lights up our life as neurons fire fueled by the salt as electrolytes that help us to breathe and move and have our very being in a thought…a word that becomes flesh in families.

And So, to survive in the world we need more grace to glorify God in good times and bad. The meat of the message is that God is with us when we share the hope of the Gospel in a way that makes us healthier with greater spiritual as well as physical reserves. Here we discover the way God’s Kingdom is being established here on earth through families adopted into a heavenly relationship that is unique. By being salt and light in relationships we join in the Way of Christ. And the beauty is that Jesus understands us and knows that the Way must come from the inside out …not the outside in. Jesus understands that it is about influence, but more importantly the type of influence we are to exert. Jesus understood the difference between self-centered influence and an unselfish way that refuses to acquiesce to the status quo. Jesus makes a clear distinction between the two as clear as heaven and earth. The world, he says, is like rotting meat, but we are to be the world’s salt to preserve it. The world is like a dark night, but we are to be the world’s light for all to see. This is the fundamental difference between the Christian and the non-Christian. But let me be clear about this, being blessed by The Way is one thing and being salt and light is another. We are to live in this power for the Glory of God. That is why the Holy Spirit gives Christians the power to influence the world…Now there is more God wants us to know. All God’s truth is powerful. This is the power of unity. It is the strength of commitment of even a minority to a common cause and vision. This is the Way of a small band of brothers. This is the Way of a family of God. This is the Way of Salt and Light, Love and Truth.

Pray we are joyous and optimistic and resilient. Pray
that our heads do not get in the way of our hearts. Pray we do not dismiss prayer as a pious platitude. Pray we experience the light shining through us in the darkness, and truly believe that the darkness cannot and will not overcome it. Pray we are a recipe for healthy living. Pray that we each day have a healthy helping of prayer. Pray we share the cup of salvation in community. Pray we feast on the Word of God. Pray our ministry service is topped off with a healthy helping of generous giving in service to others. Pray Christ come alive in our lives. Pray we reorganize our thinking and start looking for and anticipating God in our lives. Pray we begin to see history through the eyes of grace. Pray that God make obvious to us what was hidden. Pray we know that God loves us. Pray we realize that we cannot live without God’s grace. Pray we are a light in the darkness as well as a witness in the noonday sun. Pray we spice up the world in a way that differentiates us as Christians. Pray we see ourselves as God sees us and act like God expects us to act. Pray we value the spirit of God in others, and humbly love one another. Pray God showcase Himself through us in all our ways, so that we may be the light which shines through the darkness of this world. Pray we are guided by the light and preserved by the salt for the purpose God has set for us. Pray we quit trying to fit into the world but instead in the Spirit transform it. Pray we are witnesses to God’s glory. Pray we bring God our offerings of salt and light and feast on the life of abundance in a family and community of love.

Blessings,

John Lawson