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earth and the light of the world.
B. Since salt is used to flavor tasteless food and to preserve food from decay, this would indicate that this world is tasteless and empty of real life. In fact, it is rotting all around us. It is in desperate need of salt. Those who know the Lord can bring life, health and joy in the midst of death and decay by telling the Good News and being a living example. Jesus didn't call us to be
sugar. He called us to have the
penetrating power of salt which in contact with fish can preserve it from rotting.
C. Unfortunately salt can lose its saltiness. The Jews used salt from the Dead Sea which was filled with white minerals. When the salt was watered out of it, it became useless sand. It was only good to be thrown out. How do salty Christians lose their saltiness? They compromise with the world to the place where they begin to look, act and talk like the people of the world who don't know Christ. In fact, unbelievers can't tell the difference between Christians and themselves. They come to the con
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clusion that "being a Christian" just means going to church on Sunday and living
like the world the rest of the
week. No wonder there is no persecution for such saltless Christians, and no wonder unbelievers have no desire to be that kind of hypocrite!
IV. The light of the world
A. When Jesus called us to be the light of the world, He was indicating the world's condition to be darkness. The darker the night, the greater the need for light. Light helps the lost find their way to God.
Just as we badly need salt to preserve our fish from decay, we badly need light to illumine our homes. Salt and light are not luxuries; they are necessities.
B. Just as unsalty salt is of no value, a covered light is useless as well. A city set on a hill gives light to the surrounding countryside. A lamp put on a stand gives light to everyone in the house. A covered light does no one any good. How do Christians hide their light?
They don't live as people of light because they don't want
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to be different. They want all their worldly friends to like them. So they look like
Christians on Sunday and like the world the rest of the week. But when our light fails, we let the darkness win.
C. So Jesus says that we need to let our lights shine. We do this when people see our good deeds, not just hear our "holy" talk. Faithful everyday Christian living may not bring us friends from the world, but it will bring "praise to our Father in heaven". That's why He makes us lights - so that He will receive praise and people will be attracted to Him, the great Light of the world!
Conclusion
Do we live like kingdom people, fulfilling our role as the salt and the light of the world? Let's not be like Lot who though he knew God himself, never turned anyone in Sodom to the Lord because he did not live as a kingdom person, fulfilling his role as salt and light in a dark and decaying city. U
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Juanita Simpson is a retired missionary still serving the Lord in Micronesia after 36 years of ministry.
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change. The Bible teacher is not a pipe through which the water of the word flows without changing the pipe, except maybe to rust it. The Bible teacher must be like a tree that sends it roots deep into the ground to draw up the life-giving water of the Word and lets it effect every part of his life so that every part grows
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and bears fruit. Then those around can take refuge in its shade and eat its nourishing fruit.
Jesus said that a student will be like his teacher. As you understand the Word, your students will also understand it. As the Word impacts your life it will impact the lives of those
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you teach. Let us commit to studying the word so that we can be prepared "in season and out of season" to "Preach the Word… with great patience and careful instruction."
Next issue… "Reading Effectively to Understand the Word." U
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"The Bible teacher must be like a tree that sends it roots deep into the ground to draw up the life-giving water of the Word …"
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