YOUR ASSIGNMENT

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, 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 who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16 ESV)

            The focus last time was on the human conscience. This critical component of the inward nature must be influenced by Scripture in order to become an effective tool for shaping behavior. The daily practice of spending time in the Book is essential. Give more attention to reading God’s word in 2016.

            What other spiritual matters should be considered and possibly address next year?

            Those following Jesus have an assignment. Go! Everyone has a world to reach. Believers are to represent Jesus in their world of influence. Many have great influence and others little but everyone has some. How well are you representing Him?

            Influence is both seen and heard. When overseeing a local church, I ended every Sunday morning worship service praying a prayer of blessing. Part of the blessing regularly heard each week was, “Lead us to people who need to see and hear about You and in the power of the Holy Spirit help us to tell them what you have done in our lives.”

            The story of Jesus is not a recitation of Scripture. The message of Christ is your life. Reflecting Him before others is your witness. You are His testimony. Memorizing the Scripture verses in the scripted “Romans Road” and the “ABC of Salvation” will not impact as much as a transformed believer in Christ living by faith, day in and day out.

            When I was overseeing a church in a northwest suburb of Chicago, Bill Hybels was a neighboring pastor. He is a nice guy with a genuine love for people and a real concern about their relationship with God.

            Bill tells a story of a time when he had about 45 seconds to give a small group of nonbelievers the reason for becoming a follower of Jesus. These were people he became acquainted with out of a mutual love for boating. They had observed him in action and were interested about his take on Christianity.

            He told them, “Well, first you’ve got to realize the difference between religion and Christianity. Religion is spelled D-O because it consists of things people do to try to somehow gain God’s forgiveness and approval. The problem with religion is that you never quite know when you’ve done enough. It’s like being a salesman who knows he must meet a quota, but is never told what the quota is. We can never be sure when we’ve actually done enough. Worse yet, the Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that we can never do enough. ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’

            “Christianity, on the other hand, is spelled D-O-N-E. Christ has already done for us what we could never do for ourselves. Jesus lived a perfect life and willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty owed for our sins and shortcomings. To become a real Christian, we must humbly receive God’s gift of forgiveness and ask Him to lead our lives. God accepts us as children of God based on what Jesus has done for us and begins to change us from the inside out.”

            His brief presentation is nicely arranged and easily understandable, yet more important is people seeing the nidi-gritty of living in a wayward world with an another world kind of faith. Bill got their attention because he spent time with them and they became curious about what made him tick.

            Jesus describes the best way of revealing to others a relationship with God by using two everyday components of life, salt and light.

Salt

Your life is to be fashioned after salt. Two major uses of salt are flavoring and food preservation. You are a seasoning and stabilizing agent. You are to safeguard your testimony from things that are tasteless (“no good”) and decaying (“need to be thrown away”).

Salt is a symbol of durability. Moses wrote, “All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to the LORD I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. It is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD for you and for your offspring with you.” (Numbers 18:19 ESV)

            Salt is also a symbol of value. Paul wrote, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:6 ESV)

            As a seasoning your faith in Jesus should counteract blandness and make others crave abundant life. Your faith should cause others to desire Jesus.

            As a preservative your love for God should counteract the rottenness of life that impacts everything and everyone.

Jesus mentions salt can lose saltiness. Have you lost spiritual desires, a sense of sorrow over sin, a longing for righteousness and purity, and a lack of concern for the unchurched?

            The issue of salt is an either/or scenario. You are either salty or good for nothing.

One final thought about a salty testimony: Salt enhances healing and causes pain, sometimes simultaneously. No one can predict the outcome of your witness, yet this fact should not be used as a hindrance to testifying about your Lord and Savior.

Light

Your witness is also fashioned after light, a symbol of illumination. Followers of Jesus are to guide others to a transforming relationship with God. Your witness should be highly visible, clearly seen by everyone. Taking a low profile is actually not possible if genuinely following Jesus.

            Sometime ago I needed to use public transportation on a one-way journey. The return trip was already arranged. Instead of air or rail transportation I decided to use standard bus service.

            Bus passengers are a different type of clientele, and the experience as well as the various conversations were fascinating. The topics of interest were not what is typically heard at airports or on airplanes. People also appeared much more talkative to each other on a bus.

            My appearance was extremely casual, not unlike the other bus passengers – well-worn blue jeans, discount store sweatshirt, older jacket and cap. My luggage was a standard backpack containing everything for the ride. Nothing about me communicated being a credentialed minister or church leader.

            My first bus was late arriving at a bus station where I was to connect with one heading to my destination. They rerouted me to a terminal a couple hundred miles away for another bus going to the same location. The revised trip required a late night arrival and early morning departure at a terminal in a major city. I spent the night slouched over a table in a booth at the dining area, covered with a blanket from my backpack.

            Occasionally I would awake only to see an older black woman constantly looking my way. Yet I continued to drowsily sleep throughout the night.

            The next morning the woman boarded the same bus I was taking and we ended up sitting next to each other. She was very kind and friendly, heading to Brooklyn, New York. In the course of our casual conversation she said, “You’re a pastor aren’t ya? I decided to watch out for you last night and make sure you weren’t bothered by anyone.” I was appreciative but equally surprised by her comment.

            To this day I do not know how she determined my profession, except for the fact that believers illuminate Jesus wherever they go. Your life in Christ is not lived in concealment. Grace is as conspicuous as a city built on a hill. Your declaration of faith makes it virtually impossible to avoid the curiosity and sometimes scrutiny of others.

Jesus mentions light in a house. Your testimony starts at home. Those closest to you should be the first to benefit from your relationship with God. They should be able to quickly verify that what others see in public is the same in private. His unmerited favor should first be a part of your home before shining on others.

A major aspect of an illumined testimony is shedding light on the sorrow of living outside a relationship with God. Is the triumph of Kingdom living visible to those experiencing the tragedies attached to rebellion and pride? People desperately need to witness your compassionate acts of grace in the midst of their troubles.

            Your devotion to God is done in secret but benevolence to others is practiced openly.

Influence

            What does salt and light have in common?  They enhance and lend influence. How are you influencing others toward a meaningful relationship with God? Are you an active agent of divine grace, causing a desire in others to love Jesus as well as illuminating the roadway to salvation?

            Most of my life was spent standing on a platform in a church building helping people know the one True God of Scripture. My witness was predominately in a relatively sheltered and controlled environment. Although my ministry is presently more with a pen than from a pulpit, helping others in a local faith-community still has a very special place in my heart.

            Establishing a new church was my final church assignment, requiring me to supplement family income. I began helping students and aiding parents in the areas of education and sports. My ministry had transitioned primarily into public settings.

            The kinds of people I was in regular contact with were very different than in church ministry. I saw firsthand how much had changed since becoming a fulltime minister. My exposure to the unchurched in their setting showed how the local church has become increasingly ineffective in telling His story to the average person on the street. The first-contact, frontline believers in Christ must become more real in their beliefs and more authentic in their behavior, both visually and verbally. Peoples destiny is at stake!

            Be a thirst agent! And shed light on Jesus! Give greater attention to your witness of Christ in your world of influence in 2016. Fulfill your calling to His assignment.