A couple of years ago (May 2017), Eugene Romanovsky wanted to sell his old car, a 1996 Suzuki Vitara. It had certainly seen better days, but that did not Romanovsky, who is an Israel-based visual effects artist. Using his skills, he developed a full-blown, Hollywood-style action trailer to make the sales pitch. Take a look... (Show Video: #BuyMyVitara)
The 2-minute video includes a barrage of dramatic “footage” of his Vitara traversing exotic terrains, from the sand dunes of the Sahara to valleys filled with dinosaurs to the craters of the moon behind some astronauts.
The clever promotion succeeded in gaining some attention, quickly achieving over 3 million views online (now over 6 million). Ironically, however, the eventual buyer of the car didn't know about the video. “He saw it on the street,” said Romanovsky. (Lee Moran, “Visual Effects Artist Creates Breathtaking Trailer to Sell His Old Car,” The Huffington Post, 5-10-2017; www.PreachingToday.com)
Some Christians think they have to sensationalize the old Gospel to “sell” it to an unbelieving world, or at the very least, put together a polished presentation. But more often than not, the Gospel impacts people simply because they “see it on the street”. They see it displayed in the lives of people they know.
Do you want to change your world for the better? Do you want to influence people to follow Jesus? Then I invite you to turn with me to Matthew 5, Matthew 5, where Jesus tells His followers the simplest and most effective way to have a positive impact on the people around them.
Matthew 5:13 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. (ESV)
Impacting your world for Christ is simply a matter of being who you are. Jesus says to you, and only to you, who depend on Him...
YOU ARE SALT; DON’T LOSE IT.
You are seasoning; don’t diminish it. You are also a preservative; don’t waste it. You are wise; don’t become foolish.
You see, the 1st Century rabbis used salt as a symbol for wisdom. So to lose your saltiness means to become foolish, to become a moron, literally.
In fact, Jesus uses the same word at the end of this Sermon on the Mount to describe “the fool,” who builds his house on the sand (Matthew 7:26-27). He hears, but doesn’t heed what Jesus has to say; so, when the storms of life come, he falls apart.
Jesus is addressing His followers, i.e., those who humbly live their lives in dependence upon Him. And He says to them, “You, and you alone, unlike anybody else in the world, are the salt of the earth.” The “you” is emphatic in the original Greek.
You, and you alone, are a preservative. You, and you alone, are seasoning. You, and you alone, are wise. Don’t diminish who you are! Just continue to live your life in dependence upon the Lord, which is the essence of wisdom, and in that way...
Keep the culture from further decay. Be a preserving influence on the world around you to cleanse some of the decay that naturally occurs.
Salt was used in Bible days to clean and preserve things. Elisha used salt to purify “bad water” (2 Kings 2:20-21). And midwives rubbed newborn babies with salt, after washing them with water, to protect them from disease (Ezekiel 16:4). In the same way, those who depend on Jesus, are a cleansing and preserving influence on the society around them.
I think of what is going on in Hong Kong these days. Millions of people have mobilized to protest a proposed extradition bill, which would expand the jurisdiction of the Communist-controlled courts in Mainland China.
In June (2018), a group of Christians sang the chorus, “Sing Hallelujah to the Lord,” and it caught on with the rest of the crowd. In fact, Reuters reported that the song has become “the unlikely anthem of Hong Kong’s protests” even though only about 10 percent of Hong Kong people are Christian.
The protests have been largely peaceful; although at times police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. Even so, one protester held a placard which said, “Stop shooting, or else we sing ‘Hallelujah to the Lord’”.
Protesters say the religious song has often helped defuse tension with the police. “It has a calming effect,” said Timothy Lam, 58, a pastor at Grace Church Hong Kong, who has attended the protest with other churchmen to promote peace.
Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed government leader, Carrie Lam, postponed the introduction of the extradition bill and apologized in the face of the huge show of opposition. Carrie Lam is Catholic, and some protesters said they thought their adoption of “Sing Hallelujah to the Lord” might have helped sway her. (Jessie Pang, Marius Zaharia, “Sing Hallelujah to the Lord' an unlikely anthem of Hong Kong protests” Reuters World News, 6-18-19; www.PreachingToday.com)
It’s amazing what a group of simple believers can do to keep their world from descending into absolute chaos. Just by being who they are, singing a simple chorus in praise to the Lord, they are making a huge difference!
That’s what Jesus calls all His followers to be. He reminds us, “You are salt, so BE salt in your world.” Keep the culture from further decay.
More than that, as salt, improve the culture around you. Make the world a better place just by your presence.
You see, salt is not only a preservative; it is also seasoning. It makes food taste better. In the same way, those who depend on the Lord, make their world more appetizing.
I like the way Tyler Edwards put it in his book Zombie Church. He says, “Bombs have what's called a ‘blast-radius,’ defined as the distance from the source that will be affected when an explosion occurs. Churches should have love-radiuses—anyone within twenty miles of a church should know it and be positively affected by the church's love.” (Tyler Edwards, Zombie Church, Kregel Publishes, 2011, page 59; www.PreachingToday.com)
I wonder. What is our “love radius?” Do we have a positive affect on the people around us? We can, simply by being who we are – salt in a tasteless world.
At the end of his 7-volume history of the expansion of Christianity, Kenneth Latourette's, says, "No life ever lived on this planet has been so influential in the affairs of men as that of Christ. From that brief life... has flowed a more powerful force... than any other ever known by the human race.
“Through it, millions of people have had their inner conflicts resolved. Through it, hundreds of millions have been lifted from illiteracy and ignorance and have been placed upon the road of growing intellectual freedom... It has done more to allay the physical ills of disease and famine than any other impulse, and it has emancipated millions from chattel slavery... It has protected tens of millions from exploitation by their fellows, and it has been the most fruitful source of movements to lessen the horrors of war and to put the relations of men and nations on the basis of justice and peace.” (John Stott, “Christians: Salt and Light,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 109; www.Preaching Today.com)
This has been the influence of Jesus through His followers in every society, and this will continue to be the influence of Jesus through His followers, as long as they don’t withdraw from society.
Leo Tolstoy's story Two Old Men tells the tale of two men, Efim and Elisha, who decide that before they die they must make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. After months of planning, they collect what they will need and begin to walk. After a long day on the road, they come to a village that seems deserted. Seeing a small hut, they look in to see what has happened. They enter its darkness and smell death. As their eyes adjust to the lack of light, they see bodies on beds. With some fear and trepidation, they come close and see that the people are still alive, but barely.
Elisha wants to stay and help. He encourages his companion to go on beyond the village, “And I will catch up with you,” he says. But as Elisha opens doors and windows and offers them food and drink, he begins to see that their needs are more complex than he first imagined. And not only them, but the whole village is suffering. He finds his friend and tells Efim that he wants to stay a little longer. Elisha encourages Efim to make his way on to Jerusalem. “I will find you,” he says.
So one man stays in the village, helping the villagers find their way to health and happiness again. He eventually returns home, never making it to Jerusalem. The other man makes his way to Jerusalem, where he waits for his friend who never comes. Before long he too returns home to Russia, walking across a continent. At one point along the way, he comes to a village that seems strangely familiar to him. And then he realizes that it is where he left his friend – but everything seems very different now. Men and women, older and younger, are busy at work and play; animals are healthy, and the crops are growing, and so he asks, “What has happened?” In simple innocence, the villagers explain that a man stopped along the way and gave them back their life. (Adapted from Steven Garber, Visions of Vocation, IVP Books, 2014, pp. 112-114; www.PreachingToday.com)
You too can make your world a better place just by engaging it as a follower of Christ. In your pilgrimage towards heaven, don’t neglect the needs of people around you. As a follower of Christ, you are salt! Just be who you are to preserve and improve the world around you.
Then in that way, make people thirsty for Jesus. Cause people to want to know Him personally. When people see Christ in you, they want to know what makes you the way you are. Your life, lived in dependence upon Christ, is like salt. It makes people thirsty for more information.
Howard Hendricks used to tell a story from his student days at Dallas Theological Seminary. He was invited to preach in west Texas, a place he called “25 miles beyond nowhere.” 17 people had gathered, and he preached with all of the fervor and passion of his heart. When he got through, a tall Texan came up and said, “You were wrong.”
“Well, sir,” Hendricks replied. “I've been wrong on many occasions. Give me the information.”
The Texan said, “In your sermon you made a moronic statement. You said you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. And that ain't true, 'cause you can feed him salt.” (Howard Hendricks, “Beyond the Bottom Line,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 101; www.PreachingToday.com)
Your life, as a follower of Christ, makes people thirsty for Him.
That was John Crilly’s experience when he picked up five young men at the airport in his pickup truck. They were Muslims raised in Kenyan refugee camps, fleeing tribal violence in their homeland. They had boarded a plane in T-shirts and flip-flops and arrived in a new country in the dead of winter, carrying all their belongings in a bag.
As they were driving along, one of the boys mentioned something about prayer. Out of curiosity, John turned down the radio and asked, “How does a Muslim pray?” Immediately, the relational dynamic changed, and John went from being a mentor in a position of status above them to a student, who was interested in learning from them.
They started the conversation by telling John about the five “salats” of each day, with each one chiming in as he listened intently. He was fascinated and asked follow-up questions to clarify his understanding and seek to know their lives better. Their experiences were utterly foreign to John, but the discussion was rich, as he was able to demonstrate his love for them by hearing their story, learning about their religion, and exploring their world with them. Then an amazing thing happened.
As they arrived in John’s driveway, one of them asked him, “How does a Christian pray?” (Mary Schaller and John Crilly, The 9 Arts of Spiritual Conversation, Tyndale, 2016, pages 99-100; www.PreachingToday.com)
With his simple curiosity, as a humble follower of Christ, John was making them thirsty for more knowledge of Him! That’s the way you influence people to follow Jesus. Just be who you are as you live your life in dependence upon Christ.
Jesus says, “You are salt.” Don’t lose it; don’t diminish it. More than that, Jesus says...
YOU ARE LIGHT; DON’T HIDE IT.
You are a guide and a comfort; don’t cover it. You are truth and joy; don’t conceal it.
Matthews 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. (ESV)
D. A. Carson says, “The image is of a brightly lit city on a hill-top, representing the corporate effect of the combined ‘lights’ of individual disciples.” Together, we who depend on Jesus, reflect Him to a world lost in darkness.
You see, Matthew calls Jesus “a great light” in the previous chapter (Matthew 4:16); and Jesus Himself declares, “I am the light of the world” in the Gospel of John (John 8:12 & 9:5). Yet here, Jesus says of His followers, “YOU, and only you” (the “you” is emphasized here), “YOU, and only you, are the light of the world.” Nobody else is that light except you who live your life in dependence upon Me, Jesus says.
But how can that be if HE is the light? That’s because He dwells in every believer, so His light shines through every believer if they don’t conceal it.
The Apostle Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 4: For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us (2 Corinthians 4:6-7).
Jesus Christ is the light that shines in every believer, described as “jars of clay,” so that even if those jars are broken or cracked, He shines through all the more!
That’s the secret, my friends, to influencing your world for Christ. Just let Him shine through you! Let Him shine through your brokenness. Let Him shine through your pain and weakness. Don’t hide your life from others. Instead, let them see what God is doing in your life as He works to heal the brokenness and pain. Be genuine and real with people. Don’t hide the struggle, and don’t hide what Jesus is doing for you in the struggle. Instead, let Jesus shine through you, to provide insight and joy to those who see you even in your pain.
Matthew 5:15-16 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. (ESV)
This is in stark contrast to what Jesus says in Matthew 6:1. There He says, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” In other words, shine; don’t put on a show to impress others.
Putting on a show to conceal your weakness takes a lot of effort with no reward. Shining takes no effort with the result that others gain insight and joy as they watch God at work in your life. So don’t hide what God is doing in your life.
Just shine and provide insight to those in darkness. Just shine and provide guidance to those who are spiritually blind.
Just for a moment, I want you to close your eyes and imagine that you are blind. Now, let's complete a few basic tasks, like separating medications, using the right button on a microwave oven or knowing which side of the street to catch the bus. Think of all the questions you might have because you can't see.
Well, there’s an app for that. It’s called “Be My Eyes,” which a visually impaired man in Denmark created to connect blind people to sighted volunteers through video chat. The volunteer can answer questions, because they can see the blind person's surroundings using his or her phone's camera.
The other day, a “Be My Eyes” app user connected with a young man who wanted to know the expiration date of the milk in his refrigerator. The visually impaired man positioned his phone's camera to the top shelf. Looking at the image of the milk carton on his phone, the app user said, “I wouldn't drink that if I were you.” (Kim Komando, “10 Killer Apps You Shouldn't Live Without,” Kim Komando blog, 05-13-15; www.PreachingToday.com)
In the same way, you can provide insight to those who are spiritually blind. Only, you don’t need an app for that. As you live your life in dependence upon Christ, just let Jesus shine through you, and don’t hide what God is doing for you even in your pain. Just shine and provide insight for those in darkness.
More than that, just shine and provide comfort for those is distress. Just shine and provide joy to those who in despair.
You see, light not only shows the way; it brightens the space. Imagine that you are in a pitch, black room where you cannot even see your hand in front of your face. What are you feeling? After a while, you feel fear, loneliness, and deep despair.
Now, imagine that someone turns on the light and you see people who care. What do you feel? Immediately, you feel peace, love, and joy. That’s what happens when you shine in a dark world. People find comfort and joy in seeing God at work in your life.
Alexa Bjornson and her son Landon had made the plane trip several times, from Las Vegas to Portland to visit Landon’s father. It had become an annual tradition. But just this last July (2019), Bjornson was sending Landon to fly all by himself… and she was nervous.
Alexa knew that Landon, who is on the autistic spectrum, could sometimes be perceived as an annoyance from other travelers. So, she sent Landon with a note asking for kindness toward her son, $10 for any potential inconvenience, and her cell phone number.
After the flight touched down in Portland, Bjornson received a text message from Landon’s seatmate, passenger Ben Pedraza. He included a selfie of himself posing with Landon, and he wrote, “I was Landon's seat neighbor for his flight to Portland. He did ask if we were there yet several times, but he was a great travel buddy. We had a good time and played a few rounds of rock-paper-scissors. He's a great kid and you're a lucky mom.” Pedraza then wrote, “I appreciate the $10, but it wasn’t necessary. I donated it to Autism-Society.org, in honor of Landon.
“I was so relieved,” said Bjornson, in a Facebook post that was shared over 130,000 times. “There are good humans on the planet that make him feel like it's OK to be himself and not make him feel like an annoyance.” While in Oregon, Bjornson said that Landon and his dad planned to share a meal with Pedraza and his family. (Nicole Pelletiere, “Mom thanks passenger who befriended 7-year-old son with autism during flight” Good Morning America.com, 7-2-19; www.PreachingToday.com)
It’s easy to shine in times of comfort and convenience. But when you let Jesus shine through you in times of discomfort, people find relief and joy. So shine and provide insight to those in darkness. Shine and provide comfort for those in distress.
And in that way, show the way to Jesus. Lead people to know the One who is healing your brokenness.
On an August weekend in 1982, President Ronald Reagan wrote in his diary: “More of Saturdays work plus a long letter I have to write to Loyal. I’m afraid for him. His health is failing badly.”
Loyal Davis, Reagan’s father-in-law and a neurosurgeon, was just days away from death. He was also an atheist, and it weighed heavily on Reagan’s heart.
So he took pen in hand to point his father-in-law to Jesus. This is what he wrote in a recently discovered letter found in the Reagan Library as part of Nancy Reagan’s personal effects:
“Dear Loyal, I hope you’ll forgive me for this, but I’ve been wanting to write you ever since we talked on the phone. I’m aware of the strain you are under and believe with all my heart there is help for that...
“It was a miracle that a young man of 30 yrs. without credentials as a scholar or priest had more impact on the world than all the teachers, scientists, emperors, generals, and admirals who ever lived, all put together. Either he was who he said he was or he was the greatest faker & charlatan who ever lived. But would a liar & faker suffer the death he did?”
Reagan wrote out John 3:16 for his father-in-law: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Then Reagan added:
“We have been promised that all we have to do is ask God in Jesus name to help when we have done all we can—when we’ve come to the end of our strength and abilities and we’ll have that help. We only have to trust and have faith in his infinite goodness and mercy.”
Did the letter have any impact? Nancy Reagan, who was with Loyal Davis when he died, and who saved the letter, later claimed that her father did turn to God at the end of his life. (Karen Tumulty, “A private letter from Ronald Reagan to his dying father-in-law shows the president’s faith,” The Washington Post, 9-14-18; www.PreachingToday.com)
Reagan, who was only in the second year of his presidency and under a lot of opposition, took the time to show a dying man the way to Jesus. He didn’t hide His faith. Instead, He just let it shine. You do the same!
If you want to make a difference in a dark and decaying world, get out of the saltshaker, get out from under the basket, and just be who you are – salt and light. In other words, shake some salt and shine some light. Shake and shine for Jesus just by letting people see the real you as you live your life in dependence upon Him.
You are salt; don’t lose it! You are light; don’t hide it!
I like the way John Stott put it years ago. He said: “If the house is dark at night, there is no sense in blaming the house. That's what happens when the sun goes down. The question to ask is, ‘Where is the light?’
“If meat goes bad, there is no sense in blaming the meat. That is what happens when the bacteria are allowed to breed unchecked. The question to ask is, ‘Where is the salt?’
“If society becomes corrupt like a dark night or stinking fish, there's no sense in blaming society. That's what happens when fallen human society is left to itself and human evil is unrestrained and unchecked. The question to ask is ‘Where is the church?’” (John Stott, “Christians: Salt and Light,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 109; www.PreachingToday.com)
My dear friends, let’s just be the church wherever God puts us this week.
