“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven..” – Matthew 5:11-16
I have been writing a good bit about the social upheaval around the world and the importance of unity in the Body of Christ, of late. Jesus said that we are to be salt and light. What makes the salt – salty and what makes the light – bright is not what is happening – around it – but what is happening – in it. If we look at the world and allow the world to influence us – our attitudes – our behavior then we are just like the world – there is no difference. We make decisions about what is right and what is wrong – what is truth and what is not based upon what the world does and says. If we look at the goings on in the world and draw conclusions about our brothers and sisters in Christ, then we have made a tragic mistake.
If I decide that my attitude toward a Christian is based upon what the lost do – I have misled myself and sinned against another Christian. If I don’t see other Christians in the same light that God see me – I have missed the essence of the faith. We are all made one by the transforming power of the Spirit of God and faith in Jesus as the Way, Truth, and Life. If we see other Christians in any other way, then we have a carnal understanding of who we are in Christ.
Our unity is to be a testimony of our spiritual nature, salvation in Jesus and the power and glory of God. Our unity should defy the division that is so rampant around us outside the Body of Christ and not reflect it. Failing to preserve unity in the Body, the salt loses its saltiness. The light is dimmed to almost being put out. It does us no good to stand with the world against what is wrong with this world if we cannot stand with each other. We want to stand with those who are clearly carnal in their belief and separated from God, yet we cannot stand with each other. Think about that!
Don’t watch a world in turmoil and draw conclusions about Believers – brothers and sisters in Christ. The lost have no hope – they are grabbing at straws, lashing out at injustice – and their response unrestrained quickly evolves to chaos. I do see the light of Christ on display around our country – it is a testimony of our faith – but we cannot fix a world that is headed for destruction, although we might influence it with the fragrance of Christ – God sent His Son to save all – that in knowing that only some would be saved. Not by His choice, but by man’s choice. For most people seeking answers, it is anything but Jesus. For Christians it is only Jesus. The answer found in changed hearts and not restrained or placated anger. Eventually suppressed anger will find its way to the surface. It may be because of an unwarranted death – perhaps a pandemic – economic turmoil – what ever the “trigger” might be – the revelation is unresolved anger and fear.
Don’t expect the world to embrace Christians when they have already rejected Christ. What does salt and light look like? What does the world need to see? What it has needed in the past and will need in the future. Unity when there is every natural reason to not be united. Love when there is every natural reason not to love. Peace when there is every natural reason …. I think you are getting the idea. Joy, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…. All of that from the power of the Spirit of God in us and hearts fully submitted to Him. A testimony of the power of God in the life of a human being in spite of what is happening around them
Should Christians be involved in social activism? I think so, but always, always in the context of who they are in Christ and with a demonstration of the fruit of the Spirit. Should they protest against injustice – yes – but in the context of who they are in Christ and with a demonstration of the fruit of the Spirit.
I can do nothing spiritually right if my heart is not right, spiritually – if my relationships in the body of Christ are not right. If I try to do good in the power of my flesh – out of the strength and wisdom of my natural self – my old nature – I am not longer salty – the light of Christ no longer shines – I am just another voice in the crowd. Paul wrote that we are to ..
“Bear one another’s burdens and fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2
But the law has two parts – first, and most important, love God with every fiber of your being and then second – love others. If there is division in the Body then we have not accomplished the first so we should not even try to accomplish the second. And if you are thinking that disunity in the Body does not affect you – you don’t understand how the Body works.
“But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” – 1 Corinthians 12:24-26
Change in the world begins with a change in the heart.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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