Matt. 5:13-16 "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. 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.
A verse about engaging in spiritual friendship
Not: Could be - or else we should try harder
Should be - or else we would feel guilty
Will be - or else we would wait around
Jesus uses the senses to draw us closer to the Kingdom
Salt taste = Adds Flavor - Makes Thirsty - Preserves
What is your saltiness quotient?
Do you add flavor (joy, blessing and fun) to the company you keep?
What is there about your relationship with Jesus that this community is dying to hear and can’t live without?
A close brush with God can be terrifying, exhilarating but never forgettable
Do you create thirst in others for Jesus? Carpenter ants spray secretion on other ants to make them hungry Fill the world with flavor -they will want a taste test - like at the grocery store or Sam’s club.
Do you bring wholesomeness wherever you go? See rotten people renewed - saved?
Light bulb - no matter how small in a dark room is still light.
Light sight = Understanding - Direction - Calling
What is your light quotient?
Do you help open eyes blinded by this world? Show me the way!
Little Bo Peep - leave them alone? Or like the shepherd with 100 and one was lost - drop everything! Manhunt - Imagine losing a child - oh we can get more.
Do you show a practical, appealing way to live?
Do you lift up Jesus so that all people are drawn to Him? Ravens
Steven Douglas - Campus Crusade for Christ president - his 19 yr. Old daughter asked him, "How can I tell if I have a call from god?" She went on a one week training then off to a closed country during Christmas break. In that time, during that time there were 28 professions of faith (Nationals led) she had disciples and 1 church plant.
We serve a God who calls and sends - if you haven’t heard the call - its only because you haven’t listened close enough. If you have heard - then go.
Biggest difference between me and lots of other kids who went to youth camps is that I refused to put it on the back burner, it led me, it was the carrot leading me forward
This is why we need to reproduce the youth camp experience with our kids.
What do we do with our culture?
Ignore the gospel in order to be relevant and you have no content,
Ignore the culture and you have no audience.
Safe people who are culturally relevant but not biblical.
Unsafe people who are biblical but judgmental
Many people have rejected Christianity for good reasons.
We need a generation of safe people who will understand and apply the Bible, the world will listen when you speak with authority
You can’t be salt and light unless you LIKE and SERVE and GREET seekers - become spiritual friends
What is the point of your being saved? Why are you called? To SERVE and LIVE SACRIFICIALLY Not to get the key to the executive washroom
Shine like a lighthouse - it will draw attention as well as enemy fire.
Not my job to point out sin, that is the Holy Spirit job.
The Good News of Jesus is catching - get caught!
Virus - Word of mouth viral marketing style, yo-yo, scooters, cabbage patch dolls, tickle me Elmo - Evangelism. Essence is not promo - but one person telling another person
Good news Gossip - it can’t be stopped or regulated by rules or legislation -
Viral means you have to catch it, it catches you before you can infect another
Viruses 1st sent in games, eventually they hooked them on to e-mail so that friends and other networks spread the virus
Churches thought (wrongly) that the way to get message across was to create a program or denomination, but that is like the games to spread the virus, it has to be a super game to catch people, the best way is to infect people who infect other people
Momentum is excitement gone epidemic and excitement is life change gone viral
I don’t want anyone who is a fully devoted follower to start coming to Prince of Peace unless they put on their work gloves roll up their sleeves and join in the harvest
What creates excitement is life change and people under 30 won’t be part of something unless there is excitement and life change.
Sunday ought to be the highlight of your week, if it isn’t something’s wrong, if people ought to feel like they are missing something if they miss a Sunday for a vacation or work
If people aren’t excited about what Jesus is doing in their life or the lives of people at church, what chance is there that they will tell others about it.
If you find no excitement in God’s blessing then He will move to plan B - trials so He can deliver you!
An encounter with God will create momentum that is unbelievable
It is all about God - Let Him Shine in you! When we have worship wars we mistakenly think its all about me.
Infantry officer Putnam’s job was to count the dead in Vietnam. He had seen so many hundreds of fallen soldiers, could look into the eyes the living and tell you what would look like dead. Isn’t our job as Christians just the opposite? Week after week we look into the eyes of the dying and tell them how they will look alive
