Salt and light, how to permeate in society. The world has seen an accelerated thrust into tyranny and draconian policies that we believe is a step forward into the end times. A global pandemic, domestic unrest, economic downturn and threat of widespread war has handicapped the world. It’s as if one small spark can ignite the world into utter chaos. The body of Christ needs encouragement and a reset of priorities. It seems as though the Church is in a state of disarray, confusion and division based on political matters. People pursue action based on justice; however, a deeper examination will uncover a more sinister plot by those who intend to rip society by its seems. That’s why we must look at the teaching of the salt and light, how to permeate in society.
Illuminating Faith calls upon the body of Christ to a revival and a repentance from their love of the world. The Word of God is the double-edged sword that can perform that heart changing event. We will be teaching from the Sermon on the Mount, examining Matthew 5:13-16, and contrary to what you might think, our focus today is not to explain the symbolism of the salt and light, rather, the intent is to activate believers in the application of the message. Let us become cognizant of the period of time we are in and to recognize the importance of the lesson that Christ taught us 2000 years ago.
Matthew 5:13-16 states:
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
There are two primary objects of focus: salt and light. We are educated on its purpose, application and repercussions in case we fail to execute our objective. For those who may have read these verse countless times likely understand the concept, but do you fully comprehend the implementation?
It’s important for believers to dust off their spiritual wheels and to oil it repeatedly in order to prevent spiritual corrosion. As such, believers must step out of the subconscious and fully engage in the works of the faith. We don’t have the luxury of playing church by resorting the life in the faith as some social club.
Christ has likened us to salt and light, two elements crucial to life. Let’s look at the implication and application of these objects as indivisible aspects of the faith.
For many decades, Christians have been disconnected from the world (especially in the US) and have chosen to live in a bubble. Christians have created pockets of areas where they live among their brethren and refuse to engage the nonbelievers in fear of persecution or ostracization. Moreover, they have become covert Christians, and in most cases, you can’t differentiate them from unbelievers. They have played perfectly into the hands of Satan and his strategy to polarize populations by self-isolation and extreme ideology. The political rhetoric is so extreme that it’s impossible to engage an unbeliever because critical thinking and conversation is not wanted. Many are fearful for their jobs as private and public life has become a blurred mess.
On the contrary, the explanation provided by Christ dictates that we should permeate in society and deeply penetrate into the heart of society. By doing so, we are providing an essential element to its existence. We know that salt of course was used to preserve food and it was at one point more expensive than gold. Our presence has a purpose and an ability to do the will of the Father on earth. Let us add one point of clarity, Christ says in John 15:19 that “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you”. So, we know that we are in this world but not of this world. We do not love this world, but we are concerned for the fate of those that reject Christ as Lord and Savior. We know that Jesus is the only way to salvation, thus, when we disconnect from the world and resort to false doctrine of a selfish “theology”, we no longer do the will of the Father. It’s our opinion that the prayers are directed in an inward manner focusing on the “I” than on the Kingdom. How often do we pray for the affairs of the Kingdom and for His will to be done?
So, where is the Church as it relates to their effectiveness in society? Is Christ properly presented and has the message of salvation and the Christian worldview been properly portrayed? Of course, we believe that the effectiveness has dwindled not because God is impotent, rather it’s the body of Christ that has allowed for the world to permeate in them, instead of the opposite from occuring.
The message today is simple: Stand up for Christ, be available to preach the Gospel, witness through your actions and differentiate yourself from the unsaved world. That is how this title, salt and light, how to permeate in society will take place. Let the world see our light in order that we may transform the world through Christ. We should avoid submission to world as is the example we see in the Old and New Testaments. In Acts 5:27-29, Peter and the other Apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin (religious leadership at the time), they were rebuked and strictly forbidden to speak the name of Christ. Their response was the following “We must obey God rather than human beings!”. This should be our slogan and a call to action for Christians to finally stand for God and be the Salt and Light we were called to be.
If you are ready to receive Jesus, pray this prayer: If you are ready to receive the Lord and to join the body of Christ, pray this prayer, Lord Jesus I know that I am sinner and I ask you forgive me of my sins. I believe that you were crucified for my sins and through your blood I have redemption and salvation. Please come into my heart and I receive you as my God. I pray in Jesus name. AMEN
