Becoming Salt and Light this Easter Season
Notes
Transcript
Handout
I believe that God wants us to make a difference in our families, our work places and our world. How does he want to do that? He wants us to be his witnesses.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
We will receive power from the Holy Spirit to be witnesses. I have said this over and over. The first pert of being a witness for the Lord is to follow him… to live it… to walk the walk.
Then we are to tell people about Him.
Think with me for a minute. Do you remember when you first gave your life to the Lord? Maybe you were not a horrible person, but forgiveness feels good. I remember how good it felt to be saved and forgiven. Free of shame… Peace when you sleep at night. Pain from your past - healed.
What I want to see is others experience the joy and freedom of knowing that forgiveness for themselves.
The Seek and Save Event was great, but there were two negatives that I saw. One person was going around, not saying anything but handing out a trac while wearing a sign saying Repent. The other was a guy who preached what sounded like an angry God.
That’s not how God wants us to make a difference. How does he want us to be His witness. Let’s look at what Jesus said in Matt 5:13-16
13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. 14 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. 15 If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. 16 Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
This is how Jesus wants us to make a difference in our world.
Someone asked Mother Theresa one time. How do you feed the world? She replied, you begin with one. IOW start small. Movements begin with just a few people that make a difference and who allow the HS to turn them into positive change agents. When we allow God to use us, we make things better for people.
God wants us to live lives that attract people to want to change their lives.
God wants us to live lives that attract people to want to change their lives.
There are a lot of ways people try to spread the Gospel… not all of them effective.
We need to live a life that is such a positive influence that it attracts people to want to change their lives. We can do that as the HS lives in us every day.
In Matthew 5:13 “Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. IOW, we make things better. We give it flavor.
Then he said in Matthew 5:14 “14 “You are the light of the world… We are to make things brighter.
—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.”
Then Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
Let your good deeds show so that people will follow Jesus with you.
How can we become Salt and Light?
How can we become Salt and Light?
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
Salt has a lot of good properties. Salt provides traction. Salt heals wounds. But one of our favorites in SE LA is that
Salt provides flavor and makes people thirsty.
Salt provides flavor and makes people thirsty.
We are the only flavor of Jesus Christ that some will experience. It is vital for that flavor to be a good flavor so that it will attract people to a relationship with Jesus.
14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
Light has a lot fo good properties as well. It can be 60 and cool when it’s cloudy or 60 and feel like Summer if the Sun is out. Light warms us. Light has healing properties. But
Light lights the Path.
Light lights the Path.
Light chases darkness away. One candle in a dark cave will spread and light the whole area. Our headlights on our cars light the way for us to drive. Just like the headlights on the car, we need to light the way for people to see Jesus.
We are not to be undercover Christians. When we do something for someone, we need to let them know it’s because of what Jesus has done for us.
So how can we be salt and light?
So how can we be salt and light?
What are some things we can do that will attract people to Jesus.
1. We can honor people. We connect with people.
1. We can honor people. We connect with people.
When you sow honor to people, you connect with them. Jesus valued people and he connected with people.
If we want to be like Jesus, and that’s what we are supposed to be doing, we need to do what Jesus did. Jesus showed honor to people by valuing them. It didn’t matter who they were, where they came from, what they did…
Here is a picture of how Jesus did it.
35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
When we honor people, Jesus loves it. If you want to be close to God, begin showing honor to his people.
When you connect with Jesus, you honor and value people. When you connect with people, you connect with Jesus.
2. We are to add value to people. Influencing
2. We are to add value to people. Influencing
When you add value to people, you can begin to influence them to be better … to move towards a relationship with Jesus.
When we add value to people, it gives us influence into their lives. Then we can be salt and light in their lives. We cannot correct something until we have influence and we will not have influence until we connect with them by showing honor.
We need to ask the Holy Spirit to show us were we can add value tot he people we meet every day.
5 Things we can do to Add Value to Others.
5 Things we can do to Add Value to Others.
Value people
Value people
It’s a daily decision.
Think of ways to add value to people.
Think of ways to add value to people.
Give a big tip to a waitress with a note. Ask them if you can pray for them.
Send someone a text or even better, a card.
Take them some food..
You have to look for ways to add value to people.
You have to look for ways to add value to people.
This is why some people add value to others and some don’t. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in this.
Don’t just think of ways to add value, do the things you think
Don’t just think of ways to add value, do the things you think
You have to act on it.
Encourage others to add Value to others.
Encourage others to add Value to others.
Cause a snowball effect.
Paul understood this. He knew to add value to …
19 Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: 20 religious, nonreligious, 21 meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, 22 the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. 23 I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!
Paul entered into their experience, he connected with them, so that he could understand how to reach them. Man on subway with the wild kids…
He didn’t take on their lifestyle or adopt their values, but he wanted to effectively reach them and you do not do that with a bull horn preaching about an angry God. Paul connected with people and added value to them so that he could reach them for Jesus.
This is important because my perspective about someone determines my attitude towards someone. If we see someone as weak, we’ll help them. If we see someone as broken, we will fix them. If we see someone as valuable, we will serve them Like Jesus did,.
If we are going to be Salt and Light, we have to connect with people and add value to them.
3. We have to live good values: Attracting
3. We have to live good values: Attracting
When our lives match the words we speak, IOW we are living out or faith and living out Christ like values, it will attract people to the Gospel. When we are salty people providing a good flavor of Jesus, we make people thirsty for a relationship with Him.
Here are some values that we should be living out.
22 But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit. Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.
4. Share good values: Transforming
4. Share good values: Transforming
When we have connected with people, and add value to people, and we are living what we preach, then we can share good values with people and see lives transformed.
We can then speak into their lives because we have earned the right to speak.
Values are important. The Golden Rule, forgiveness, loving others.
Good values create stability.
Good values create stability.
They make us bigger on the inside. Transformation begins on the inside. If you have good values on the inside, you don’t need validation from outside. But if I lack good values within me, I seek validation from outside of me.
Good values create trust.
Good values create trust.
If you get people around tables and begin to talk about values, it begins to change people. Studying good values is a good thing. We have a values deficit in this culture.
All of us want to make a difference in people’s lives. Jesus wants to change our world and he has done his part, now he wants us to do ours.
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
1 Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. 2 Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”
How can I help?
Easter is in 3 weeks. Invite someone to come to church. But don’t stop when they come; invite them back. If you have to bring them, bring them. The goal is not jus tto have them come on Easter. Our goal is to see them come to know Jesus like we know him and have their lives transformed.