Have you ever had eggs with no salt? I honestly don't know how people do it. Jesus talked in the Sermon on the Mount about His followers being salt for the unbelieving world. But He added that if we lose our saltiness, we are no longer good for anything. Ouch! He also said His followers are the light of the world, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. We have holy work to do. That work is to remain flavorful and let our light shine for all the world to see so that they can give God glory. So, exactly how does a follower of Jesus lose his or her saltiness? Back in the day, when salt was used as a preservative, it would lose its saltiness through improper storage on the ground. Moisture would get in and ruin the salt. Our job as followers of Jesus is not to be stored in the wrong place and let the moisture of society creep in and compromise our saltiness. With just a passive look at the news and entertainment industry, one can quickly see that the elimination of the gospel is exactly what the world would like to see happen. Jesus told us that in John 15 when he said, ““If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 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.” Society's disgust for righteousness is nothing new. It's been going on in one form or another for about 2,000 years. Light’s job is to give light, darkness’ job is to extinguish the light. Jesus told us that, as His followers, we are salt and light. Our calling is to flavor, preserve, and light up the world around us. We are not called to go along just to get along. We are not to be secret agent Christians who blend into the world around us. We will not be rewarded in heaven for what great compromisers we were. Jesus said not to hide our light under a basket but to place it high so all can see. This means having a good public testimony as Peter wrote to us, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” Jesus said in Matt. 5:16 “Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works, and glorify your Fatherwhich is in heaven.” We should all remember, unchurched people don’t read the bible, but they “read” the people that do.Ken Staley is pastor of Faith Church of Pleasant Grove 9:30am and Harrisville Methodist Church 11:00am. Both are Global Methodist congregations. You can text Ken at 918-852-9797.
