How Christians Influence This World?

Key Verse: Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Introduction

A dignified old clergyman owned a parrot of which he was exceedingly fond, but the bird had picked up an appalling vocabulary of cuss words from a previous owner and, after a series of particularly embarrassing episodes, the clergyman decided he would have to have his parrot put to sleep. But a lady in his congregation suggested a last-ditch remedy. She said, “I have a female parrot. She is an absolute saint. She sits quietly on her perch and prays constantly. Why don’t you bring your parrot over and see if my own bird’s good influence doesn’t reform him?” The pastor said it was worth a try, and the next night he arrived with his pet. The bird took one look at the lady parrot and chirped, “Hi, Toots, how about a big kiss?” The lady parrot responded gleefully, “My prayers have been answered!”

On a more serious note, Oswald Chambers wrote of influence like this: “The radiating influence from one person rightly related to God is incalculable; he may not say much, but you feel different.

1) The World Can Be Divided into Two Kinds of People

a) First, there are the believers who in the Beatitudes are called blessed (makárioi), indwelt by God because of Christ (Matt. 5:3–12). They are the people who realize their spiritual helplessness, show sorrow over sin, and who are meek (or balanced between extremes), hungry for God's righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, ridiculed, persecuted, or slandered because of Christ. Jesus compares them to salt and light.

b) The other group consists of the unbelievers of this world. They are proud, self-sufficient, and do not understand their own unrighteousness before a Holy God.

2) The Believer Influences the Unbeliever by What He Is, Not by What He Has or by what He says

a) Christ did not say, "You have salt and light to dispense," but rather "Ye are the salt.... Ye are the light of the world" (Matt. 5:13, 14). The believer's very presence in the world acts as salt and light, preventing corruption and exposing error.

b) Being blessed means having God's nature within

2 Peter 1:4 “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

i) Because of Christ,

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

ii) Indeed, Christians are different. Titus tells us

Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

iii) To be sure Christians are "a peculiar people" and we must understand that we are definitely observed by unbelievers. The word translated "peculiar" is perioúsios (per-ee-oo’-see-os) which means "beyond usual, special, property a man has that he has purchased with his own money." Or “having abundance, ones own, what is special”. It doesn’t mean as the world would imply they are different, but rather they belong to the Savior instead of belonging to themselves. It is the difference in their character which distinguishes them.

c) The adjective blessed (makários, “mack-ar’-ee-os) means not only indwelt by God because of Christ, but also being fully satisfied. Having obtained peace with God through Christ, the believer is more fulfilled than if he had all the world as his possession (Matt. 16:26; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25). Seeing the believers' contentment despite poverty and physical suffering, the unbelievers are amazed (2 Cor. 6:10). It may even cause them to see their own lack of spiritual security in spite of worldly goods (Rev. 3:17).

3) The Believer Must Interact with This World of Corruption and Darkness in Order to Act as Salt and Light

a) Just as salt is derived from the earth, so every believer is to remember that he is earthly, (epígeios, ep-ig’-i-os) (2Cor. 5:1). However, in Christ he becomes "free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2). Thereby, he acts as a preservative in the decaying world around him. Should he lose his Christ-likeness, "his savor" (Matt. 5:13), he would no longer be of any use.

b) Likewise, the believer is light because Christ is the "light of the world" (John 8:12). Just like the believers in Antioch were called “little Christ’s”, for that is the term for Christian, the believers today reflect the light of Christ. Therefore, Jesus admonishes (to caution or reprove gently, to warn) them, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). One day the total universe, kósmos (John 8:12), will be completely transformed by Christ. The believer's life should manifest (shine, become apparent publically, appear, to open) the beginning of that transformation.

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