Mt 5:13-16; Ac 2:41-47. Tony van Drimmelen. We might get very passionate about issues confronting society (e.g. same sex marriage) and do so at the risk of getting side-tracked and paying scant-regard to our core business – making disciples. By revisiting the life of the early church we take a refreshing look at their witness. To a good degree, they were able to engage with society as “salt and light” and maintain a gospel witness. About them, Luke says: And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Act 2:47b) When the church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, takes the message of the gospel to the world, at some point she is going to clash with culture. We discover that God gives the means (spiritual gifts) for men and women to be courageous and suffer as His witnesses.
