Disciples who Make A Difference
How do we who are Believers relate to the world of which we are a part?
We are fond of saying that ‘we are in the world, but not of the world.’
There are several warnings in the New Testament about becoming so comfortable in our culture that we are no longer a distinct people who belong to God.
If we are honest, many Believers would admit that to a feeling of discomfort in many situations where the atmosphere is threatening to our sense of morality and well-being.
All that is as it should be, for when we come to Christ we are changed by the Spirit. We start think and act differently as the Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out. This transformation has real consequences.
Often there is a sense of distance into our extended family relationships.
Our friends often react as though we have lost our mind.
Our government seems to be increasingly hostile to that which is morally right in the name of individual rights..
The media, especially TV, does not, as a rule, portray Believers in a positive light, choosing to show the excesses of faith rather than the benefits that come from knowing and serving God.
As a consequence there are many ways in which we have reacted by forming a defensive perimeter.
Sometimes that separatist attitude shows up in rather benign ways.
We listen to our Christian radio stations, read our Christian books, go to our Christian colleges, attend our Christian concerts, and follow our Christian heroes.
As evangelical, Pentecostal, and/or charismatic Believers we exist as a complete sub-culture in America. Many assume that is what it means to ‘live as a Christian.’
A smaller minority of Believes chose a completely different path, becoming militant! They march out to take on the world. They are noisy, angry, and demanding that sin stop now! They fire off letters to the editor that scorch the ‘sinners’ and the sins they perceive in the world. They protest and picket to force change on the world. Their extended families have to deal with their declarations about faith and morality at every gathering as they make their convictions known - loud and clear!
And usually they declare that those who are not ready to be that confrontational about issues of faith are not really Christians at all.
And then, there are many - like most of us in this room today - who wonder what we are to do. Are we to separate ourselves from the culture and withdraw into our own community? Or are we to take up our Bibles and march on city hall? Or, is there something of truth in both approaches?
What does Jesus say about the relationship of His followers to the world in which they live?
Text: Matthew 5: 13-16
"You are the salt of the earth.”
In Jesus’ time, salt was an incredibly important and valuable substance. It served many functions that were well known and which Jesus knew would be clearly understood to those listening to His sermon. For us they are perhaps not quite as obvious, so let’s dig in.
# 1 - Salt was the primary preservative of food.
In the days before refrigeration, salt was the only way to preserve meats and fish that were not consumed immediately. The salted food was kept from rot and decay.
*ill.- When I was a kid, I used to hunt squirrels. With dreams of being as rugged as Daniel Boone, I would skin them and prepare the meat in thin strips. I then took ample amounts of salt and rubbed it into the meat before laying it carefully to dry in the sunshine. Later I was able to feast on my dried, preserved meat. I don’t recall that I enjoyed eating it all that much, but it sure was well-preserved!
Jesus had this function of salt in mind as He told His followers, "you are the salt of the earth."
Followers of Jesus are to preserve the world from the rot of sin. In the same way that the presence of sodium inhibits the growth of bacteria that would spoil meats, our presence should erect a barrier to the work of Satan and his demons.
Wherever we go, we are to inhibit the growth of sin and resist the work of evil. Spirit-filled Believers are God’s preservative agent in the world.
Salt does its preservation work by disappearing into the meat. It is absorbed into the tissues and fibers and begins to block the growth of bacteria. Yet, even as the salt disappears it retains a uniqueness. When salted meat is tasted, the presence of the salt is quite evident.
The analogy should instruct us in our relationship to the larger culture. We must wisely know how to be a part of it, interacting with it, while retaining our uniqueness as a follower of Jesus!
# 2 - Salt is a distinctive flavoring that enhances the taste of food.
Ill. - In our household, I have the privilege of preparing supper most of nights of the week. I enjoy cooking as a creative outlet. In the winter, I especially enjoy making soup! Sometimes my preparations are a success and other times.... well, let’s just say that there is a lot left over to put in the frig when we clean up supper. A key ingredient in the soup is salt. Too much and it’s terrible; too little and it is flat and tasteless. When the amount is right, the taste of the meat stock and the vegetables is enhanced.
Jesus wants us to know that we are the salt in the soup of life. We are the people who are to bring out the best, to enhance the quality of life, wherever we are. And yet, that is not usually the case.
Many people dread knowing that a Christian is moving next door, or coming onto their project at work, or marrying into the family! Ask to give descriptive adjectives about a Believer and you’ll hear things like - ‘judgmental, rigid, intolerant, self-righteous’ more than ‘loving, kind, gentle, sacrificial.’
Is that because of stereotypes? Of course!
BUT, there could be a kernel of truth in there somewhere. It is true that Believers are sometimes much too negative. We are often better defined in terms of what we are against than what we are for. That ought not be!
We should be known as the people who make life better in every way. We are to be the people who bring out the savor of life.
We should known for our integrity,
for our authenticity,
for our kindness as we are advocates for the outcasts and the poor,
for our willingness to give,
for our lack of fear of the future, and
for our deep and sustaining hope!
That is just a partial list. As a follower of Christ, do you bring a distinctive flavor to the stew of life of which you are part?
I risk stating the obvious, but both the preservative and the flavoring functions of salt, to which Jesus alludes, require contact! Salt is essentially worthless when it is kept in a container all by itself!
If we cocoon ourselves in salt warehouses known as the church and form connections only with other people from within our sub-culture, we will not do what God wants us to do in this world.
There is a second line in the verse which is hard to understand....
"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.
Ordinary salt, cannot loose its saltiness. So what does Jesus mean?
In Jesus’ time, most of the salt used by the common people was not very pure. It was mixture of minerals that contained much lower levels of actual salt than the table salt we can buy so inexpensively. If this mineral mix was exposed to water, the sodium choride would leach out leaving a white residue that looked like salt but that had none of its flavor. That residue was thrown on the pathway in front of the house to keep down dust and mud.
The lesson that Jesus was pressing on us in these words was that even as we are preserving and flavoring our world, we must not lose our essential character.
Without regular renewal in the Holy Spirit, without consistent practice of spiritual disciplines; we who are the salt of the earth, will lose the ability to be effective in our work. We may be moral, honest, optimistic, friendly, kind, helpful, and patient people. Those are great traits that make any situation better.
But, if those great character traits are not backed by a fresh connection to the life of the Holy Spirit, all we will be is just another good guy that the world chews up and spits out. Our real ability to change our world for Christ Jesus comes through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s go back to the text.
Using another well known item, Jesus brings home His point about the Christian in the world.
(Matthew 5:14-16) READ
(14) "You are the light of the world. A city 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 men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Light is amazing, and not just because without it we stub our toes on the furniture in the dark!
Light is energy. Sunlight is the earth’s energy source. Indirectly, all of our fuel even the food we eat traces back to the energy of the sun.
Light reveals! Need to find something that has fallen behind the sofa? Go get the flashlight and concentrate some light so you can see it.
Light heals! Many wounds require exposure to light in the process of healing.
Light kills mold and mildew.
There is no misunderstanding these words of the Master. Jesus says that we are to bring health, revelation of the Truth, clarity to situations, and even elimination of slime in our world!
And He says we do by shining brightly and publicly. There are no low profile Christians, no secret saints, no private spirituality! We have a responsibility to stand tall and to let the light of Christ shine through us to scatter the darkness of life.
Darkness is expressed in so many ways. There is darkness where there is ignorance. There is darkness where there is suffering. There is darkness where there is cruelty. There is darkness where there is no hope. You and I have the privilege and responsibility of being light in these dark places.
As I close, I want to quote from one of my commentaries. Michael Wilkins says it so well, I want to use his words directly-
“Much of this is accomplished in the ordinariness of life. We may think that being salt and light is carried out in dramatic ways as we preach, witness, or engage in missions. But if, as we have suggested, the world to whom we are sent are the people all around us, found in every routine of life, they will best see our transformed lives in our everyday activities.
It is in the transformation of those everyday activities that will cause them to praise our Father in Heave.
Everyday people are so affected by sin that they are less than who God created them to be. They lie when they don’t want to, they cheat because they think it is the only way to get ahead, they hurt the ones they say they love. Many people do not want to live like this, but they know no cure for the sin that has so distorted who they are as created in the image of God....
These people cannot change until they have heard the message. But the old adage is so true: actions do speak louder than words. We must show by our lives that we are different.” Application Commentary, Zondervan
Another Christian writer, Donald McCullough, makes the point even more practically.
“I’m more interested in the little things such as remembering to say, ‘thank you,’ and to call your Mom on Mother’s Day. These things may not seem important when compared to society’s major problems, yet they may be the best place to begin; the only honest place to begin.
If a person cannot remember to say ‘thank you’ to the housekeeper, it probably won’t matter much if she writes a major philosophical treatise on kindness; if a man is rude to his family, the angels won’t give a holy rip if he preaches soaring sermons on the nature of love.” Say Please, Say Thank You, Perigee, 1998
Are you a child of God?
Does the Spirit of God find His home in your life?
Then you are to function as ‘salt and light’ in this world. That means we gently influence, not with over-bearing words that flavor the soup too much, nor with militant anger that kills those we are called to heal.
Our light is not of our own character, but rather is a reflected Light, the Light of the Lord, shining through us. Let it shine!
In closing, I invite you to pray this ancient prayer with me. It is attributed to Francis of Assisi, a man who was a rich and arrogant man, who met Christ, and was transformed, made a gentle man, who loved the earth and those who lived in it.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy; O divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; that I may not seek to be understood as much as to be understanding; that I may not seek to be loved as much as to be loving; For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Let us live to the glory of your name, O Savior.
Amen
Jerry D. Scott, copyright 2007
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