My oldest son and I recently attended DTC (our M28 Alliance conference for high schoolers) in Ft. Collins, Colorado. This year’s topic was evangelism – specifically, proclaiming the Gospel without shame. Thank you to all of you who helped raise funds for this conference during the Youth Group Bake Sale on Easter weekend!
Along with many hours of fellowship and fun, a number of tremendous pastors taught, and various M28 youth bands led worship. Some very helpful workshops equipped the teens with practical tools for evangelism. We also spent time going into the surrounding cities to practice engaging people in Gospel conversations and church invites.
It was an encouraging few days to be around so many youth and their parents, talking about the Kingdom of God. And it was also refreshing getting our minds focused on the importance and beauty of the Gospel. It is indeed the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
I want to share one particular takeaway that stuck with me since this conference. It is something a pastor friend in Ft. Collins shared in one of the teachings. In fact, my son and I have talked about it multiple times since then, as it pertains to his attending public high school this year. And I know it’s certainly applicable to all of our lives.
Salty & Bright
Jesus shared this truth in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:13-16. We, as God’s people, are to be salt and light in the world.
In ancient times, people used salt not only to bring flavor to things, but also to preserve food, particularly meat. People used salt to prevent food from going bad before the invention of refrigeration. Salt keeps dead things from rotting. Light, of course, exposes what happens in the dark. It brings truth into situations that deception hides. Light stands out, and those sitting in darkness cannot miss it.
I’ve heard the truth of these verses many times. But one shared application specifically stuck with me.
Salt preserves something only when it comes into direct contact with it. And only when light is near can those in darkness see it.
It was this simple: in order to be effective in influencing the lost for Jesus, I must be near them.
If we act as the salt of the world and hurl little grains from afar, it won’t stick. We do not preserve people who have lost their way in sin. These are the people who need the change that the Gospel of Grace brings. If we shine light from a distance and say, “Come find the light,” we do not influence people as effectively as when we enter the darkness with the light. The Gospel reveals why people need the Truth.
In the World, Not of the World
In Matthew 5, Jesus warns us. While we’re near those in the world, we must not become like the world. We must be in contact but remain distinctly different. Equally important, we must be careful not to lose our saltiness. We keep our saltiness by living out the truth of the Gospel. Therefore, we cannot follow the world in their sin and still be effective. And if we hide the light within us, we make ourselves useless. Jesus says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Christian, Jesus commissioned us to go into the world with the Good News that changes everything. By His power we bring preservation and light into a dying and dark world. May we not retreat from the world or choose not to serve Him. Instead, as we draw near to the lost world, may we stand out as salt and light and always be effective in our witness. To reveal the power of God for all who believe.
Stay salty,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor