Christian Influence

Christian Influence

Good morning everybody! I am so glad to be here serving with you all. The Lord has brought us together for a reason, His reason! It is to learn, to receive, to give, and to praise!

Matthew 5:13-16 says, “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 by men.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

This morning I have been led to talk about the impact we have on our community. Believe it or not, we have a very dramatic effect on those we live by, work with and associate with. Even those that we meet in passing! We directly effect everyone we come into contact with. That’s right, everyone. That stands true for us a s individuals as well as us as a community of believers.

Knowing that, we need to decide what type of impact we make on them. Do we want to be just another face they see, someone they may not want to be around, or do we want them to see His impact on our lives?

A pastor in Texas was in a hurry after work. He had to get to the mall for some items, go to his daughter’s school to pick her up, take her home, get to a Deacons meeting, and then to spend the evening in counseling sessions. Once in the mall, he saw an advertisement on a music store window that said, “2 CD’s for $9.99”. He loved music so much he decided he just had to take advantage of it. He went in and picked up 2 CD’s he really had been wanting, and went to the register to pay for them. He threw down with his money while talking to everyone around him- as pastors do.

Then he picked up his bag and his change and went out of the mall. When he threw the bag in the front seat of his car, he noticed for the first time that the clerk had charged him $1.99 instead of $9.99 for those CD’s. His first thought was that he didn’t have time to go back in to get it fixed. But a small voice kept saying, “You don’t have time not to.”

So, he went back in, stood in the same line until it came his time to talk to the clerk once again. He said, “Look I’m in a hurry. You made a mistake. The sign says $9.99 and you charged me $1.99. Please make this correct so I can get on with what I have to do.”

She said, “Sir, I didn’t make a mistake.”

He said, “Sure you did. There is the sign, here is the receipt. Please make the correction.”

She said, “No, sir, I didn’t make a mistake.”

He said, “What do you mean?!!”

She said, “Can I tell you the rest of the story. Will you let me finish, please?”

He said, “Yes I will.”

She said, “For 17 years I’ve been out of church. Recently, my life has been falling apart and I needed to get back into church. I looked around at what was closest to me. I found the name of the church and I went there Sunday and slipped in and sat on the back row. The pastor that day was speaking on integrity. Sir, it happened to be your church. And when I saw you in my line, I wondered if this was something you preached on Sunday or lived on Monday. And I determined to find out.” Then she said, “Sir, I don’t even know the right questions to ask, but I know that whatever you’ve got I need. “ And then she began to cry. The manager, who happened to be a Christian, stepped in and took over the register, dismissed the pastor and then he led her to the Lord. Do you think she would have ever darkened the doors of a church again if this pastor had not gone back in?

Christians are the salt of the earth!

In today’s modern-day society, salt is often considered an enemy - at least where our health is concerned. How many times have you heard someone warningly say, "Don’t put too much salt on your food!" My very own doctor has told me that the number one problem concerning high blood pressure has to do with salt intake. However, my brothers and sisters, salt wasn’t always looked upon as such an enemy. When Jesus, the Christ, said: "Ye are the salt of the Earth...," He meant it as a compliment. His compliment included the warning to stay true to our "salty" nature!