Light of Light Study

Today’s study will be on Christ’s teaching on the salt and light. I realized that the body of Christ is the one that needs encouragement and a reset of priorities. It seems as though the body of Christ is in a state of disarray, confusion and division based on political matters. People pursue action based on justice; however, a deeper examination will uncover a more sinister plot by those who intend to rip society by its seems. I call upon the body of Christ for a revival & a repentance from their love of the world. The Word of God is the double-edged sword that can perform that heart changing event. We will examine Matthew 5:13-16, and contrary to what you might think, our focus today is not to explain the symbolism of the salt and light, rather, my intent is to activate believers in the application of the message. I want us to be fully cognizant of the period of time we are in and to recognize the importance of the lesson that Christ taught us 2000 years ago. Matthew 5:13-16 states: There are two primary objects of focus: salt and light. We are educated on its purpose, application and repercussions in case we fail to execute our objective. For those who may have read these verse countless times likely understand the concept, but do you do they fully comprehend the implementation? It’s important for believers to dust off their spiritual wheels and to oil it repeatedly in order to prevent spiritual corrosion. As such, believers must step out of the subconscious and fully engage in the works of the faith. We don’t have the luxury of playing church by resorting the life in the faith as some social club. Christ has likened us to salt and light, two elements crucial to life. Let’s look at the implication and application of these objects as indivisible aspects of the faith. For many decades, Christians have disconnected from the world and have chosen to live in their bubble. This is true with most Christian communities around the world as they have created pockets of areas where they live among their brethren and refuse to engage the nonbelievers in fear of persecution or ostracization. They have become covert Christians, and in most cases, you can’t differentiate them from unbelievers. They have played perfectly into the hands of Satan and his strategy to polarize populations by self-isolation and extreme ideology. The political rhetoric is so extreme that it’s impossible to engage an unbeliever because critical thinking and conversation is not wanted. Many are fearful for their jobs as private and public life has become a blurred mess. On the contrary, the explanation provided by Christ dictates that we should permeate in society and deeply penetrate into the heart of society. By doing so, we are providing an essential element to its existence. We know that salt of course was used to preserve food and it was at one point more expensive than gold. Our presence has a purpose and an ability to transform through the Holy Spirit that transforms us first. Let me add one point of clarity, Christ says in John 15:19 that “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you”. So, we know that we are in this world but not of this world. We do not love this world, but we are concerned for the fate of those that reject Christ as Lord and Savior. We know that Jesus is the only way to salvation, thus, when we disconnect from the world and resort to false doctrine of a selfish “theology”, we no longer do the will of the Father. It’s our opinion that the prayers are directed in an inward manner focusing on the “I” than on the Kingdom. How often do we pray for the affairs of the Kingdom and for His will to be done? So, where is the Church as it relates to their effectiveness in society? Is Christ properly presented and has the message of salvation and the Christian worldview been properly portrayed? Of course, we believe that the effectiveness has dwindled not because God is impotent, rather it’s the body of Christ that has allowed for the world to permeate in them, instead of the opposite. My message today is simple: Stand up for Christ, be available to preach the Gospel, witness through your actions and differentiate yourself from the unsaved world. Let the world see our light in order that we may transform the world through Christ. We should avoid submission to world as is the example we see in the Old and New Testaments. In Acts 5:27-29, Peter and the other Apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin (religious leadership at the time), they were rebuked and strictly forbidden to speak the name of Christ. Their response was the following “We must obey God rather than human beings!”. This should be our slogan and a call to action for Christians to finally stand for God and be the Salt and Light we were called to be.

Will you buckle and allow for evil to take you over? The Christian faith requires commitment and for believers to stand for their faith. There are those that believe Christianity is for the weak. However, we don't believe that those that say that have walked in the shoes of Christians and know the tremendous battle that is played on the spiritual and secular realm.

Christians are living a double lifestyle; they serve both God and man! However, Christ is clear about this situation, He has said that you can not serve two masters, and you cannot serve both God and man. Check out this Bible study to learn how and what you must do to remain faithful to God and refrain from serving two masters. www.illuminatingfaith.com