Sharing Faith?

As we continue our look at being a follower of Christ, I want to take this Lenten season to concentrate on just one aspect of following - one with several components. I also want to take a step back myself, and try my best to simply “break open” God’s word, and allow it to speak to us. [behind the curtain…]

Intro

As we continue our look at being a follower of Christ, I want to take this lenten season to concentrate on just one aspect of following - one with several components. I also want to take a step back myself, and try my best to simply “break open” God’s word, and allow it to speak to us. [behind the curtain…]

...sometimes we just need to get out of the way, and let Christ’s story and influence on us be told without commentary.

So for the next four weeks we will look together at the ways in which we tell the story of Christ. Because, after all, that is our task, handed down by our Savior. The call to go and teach the world about Him.

We start looking at that today in Matthew’s Gospels. We pick it up from Christ’s own words there in , beginning in verse 13.

Matthew 5:13–16 ESV

“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. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 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.

Scripture

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Pray

Salt and Light

Salt and Light. That is the focus here of Jesus’ instructions for our lives. Not that we be world changers, or superheroes. Famous and wealthy or seekers of fortune and glory. Just salt and light.

If we think about those two things for very long at all, I think we would realize that they have a very real, and very relatable effect on the world around them. One that has some very obvious and practical applications for us all.

You see, both of those things, they both offer life to the world around them.

It is a bit hard to see now, given our advancement in preservatives, but there was a time, not too long ago, in fact, that salt was the very thing that allowed us to store enough food to survive after the growing season had passed. And for those who were listening in this moment in the text there on that mountain, that would have been an obvious connection. Salt preserves. It offers life.

[Gatorade pic] Even today, we can see the function of salt in our lives…[athletes/brain function]

But not only that, there is an even more obvious parallel to be drawn here. Salt just makes things taste better.

[adding salt to broccoli]

...And salt doesn’t just make good things taste better, it can make bad things bearable!

And that is the real call from Christ to us! Make things better. Make bad things more palatable. Preserve life. Bring life to the table in all things.

[lightpic] And what about this light? How does this idea of light fit into our lives?

Well, right away, we need to know that light touches everything. “A city on a hill can’t be hidden,” Jesus says.

Have you ever been watching TV at night and hoped no one could see? Just me?...[elaborate]

Church, we need to know that we are the city on a hill! Our lives, our thoughts, our actions, and especially our words are the light that we can’t hide!

We are called, and in fact entrusted by Christ, to at the very least be willing to be a reflector of His light in this world. “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify God,” Jesus tells us.

[Sharing Faith?] So that leads me to my main point for the day. Are we sharing faith? Are we sharing light? Are we salt, or have we lost our saltiness?

And by the way, salt that loses its saltiness is dirt, if you were wondering. “Trampled underfoot,” Jesus tells us.

But have we lost it? Are we a light? Possibly we are. But I want to focus on one of the primary ways we are not.

[Brandon’s Status]

[story about that]

We are sharing everything EXCEPT our faith. Now I’m not saying that we shouldn’t share our victories, or our joys, and even our sorrows on social media. We should definitely do that. That is a community, and intended to be useful for connections. BUT. If we start sharing greater ideas - non personal things that we are obviously focusing far too much on - political pieces, conspiracy theories, agenda driven propaganda that, if you do a DNS lookup on the home site hosting such pieces, you will find that have no root at all in America.

When you start sharing those things, church, and especially when ALL you share are those things, what you value, WHO you value, becomes abundantly clear.

And I don’t care if you associate the ideas of what you are sharing with Jesus, our insistence on sharing our faith in them and NOT in Jesus’ own words exposes us and our faith! And worse yet, the things we are sharing are not building up the kingdom of God! Instead we seek to divide bring darkness into the world by assuming there is some choice to be made - my side or theirs - instead of Christ follower or not! We think about hate, and invasions, and the war on our values, never seeing that we ourselves have become instruments of the very war on Christ!

Philippians 4:8 ESV

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

[Whatever is good, whatever is…] [read that verse]

[read that verse]

If your most common shares, and most common thoughts are about anything that isn’t true, that isn’t honorable, or just or pure or lovely or commendable - then you are thinking of things contrary to the things of Christ! His word on this is absolute! The fruits of the Spirit - the things someone who is reflecting Christ’s Spirit produce, or share to the world, are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control!

Think about those things! Share those things! You are a city on a hill, not a dark alley! We are salt and light! How on earth can we allow ourselves to time and time again share anything that has to do with our personal or political agendas, and completely forget the Christ that are called to share with this world?

So what do we do? How do we fix it? Do we just start posting only about Jesus? No. Not necessarily. I mean you can if you want, by all means! But that isn’t what I am getting at. I am getting at a very relatable and simple idea.

[Addition by Subtraction] Addition by subtraction.

I suggest we let Christ’s light expose in ourselves those shortcomings. Use this text, this moment, this season of Lent, to ask yourself if the world hears your preferred agenda or your Christ when it hears you.

Church, if you live for Christ, and not for self, you will glow in this world of darkness. You will be able to show others what living for Christ looks like. And when you do that, you will help to change this world for HIM! So don’t hide your light. Don’t mask it with this other stuff that only shows people hatred, and division, and gossip and descension. Become a beacon of truth, a beacon of light, shining in this world for all to see!

Matthew 12:34 ESV

You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

- But most of all, let that light that you begin to reflect change you. And change your heart. After all, it is out of our hearts that our mouths speak. And when we don’t shine His light in the world, we show the darkness that we allow to dwell in our souls.

But most of all, let that light that you begin to reflect change you. And change your heart. After all, it is out of our hearts that our mouths speak. And when we don’t shine His light in the world, we show the darkness that we allow to dwell in our souls.

But that isn’t the way it has to be. You see, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never overcome it! If you feel your light is out, or isn’t as bright as it once was or needs to be, you can light it today! Let Christ in. Allow Him to be the light in your life. And carry that light out into this world for everyone to see.

Then you can be salt and light. Making the world a better place for everyone, and a cleared picture of the kingdom of God.

[seated inviation Jenn solo]