Reason #2: We aren't letting our light shine!
The second reason we are losing the battle for the hearts and minds of our fellow Americans is all about light, or lack there of.
Jesus called us to be salt and light, then he modeled 90% light and 10% salt. Once you understand the intrinsic nature of salt and light you understand why.
Salt is a preservative—it slows down decay. It is wholly defensive in nature since it tries to stop something else from advancing—in this case cultural and spiritual decay. However, salt cannot undo decay that has already set in.
On the other hand, light’s entire purpose is to dispel darkness. It does not try to prevent decay—it overwhelms it and replaces it with something new. It invades the darkness and dispels it. Light does not try to stop anything. On the contrary, it is entirely offensive in nature.
We, the Body of Christ, are doing a pretty good job of being salt—not a great job but a good job. Unfortunately, when it comes to being light (giving others the opportunity to begin a relationship with the Creator God) most of us are AWOL.
If our light is waning it is usually because we aren’t experiencing the light of Jesus in such a way that we think it’s worth sharing with others, or it is because we have been cowed into putting our light under a bushel.
The early followers of Jesus couldn’t help but tell others about what their Savior had done for them. They faced incredible persecution and yet the light of God’s love and forgiveness illuminated every area of their life. People wanted what they had.
Do people want what you have? Do YOU want what you have? This is the place to start my friends. Unlike the federal government, you can’t give away what you don’t own. Ask God to awaken your spirit to the love of Jesus and surrender your heart, soul, and mind to Him. Go all in. The light of the Savior can be uncomfortable as it exposes the darkness but the joy of His illuminating love, presence, power, peace and mercy is, as my dad would say, “intoxicating.” It’s hard to hide such a light, but sadly, not impossible.
Many of us have been cowed into putting our light under a bushel by political correctness, progressive religious leaders and fear of retribution. Around the world followers of Jesus are put to death every day for sharing their faith. In America we often choose to simply keep our faith to ourselves and abide by the lie of the enemy, “Practice your faith at home. Leave it out of the public square.”
People can’t know the source of our light if we don’t share it with them. The enemy is counting on that.
A friend of mine went the student body president of a university and asked him if anyone had ever taken a few minutes to explain how he could know God personally. The president responded by saying, “No, a number of my friends have had the opportunity, but no one has ever taken it.” (In other words, he knew that a number of his friends were Christians, but none of them had ever bothered to tell him how to begin a relationship with God.). His response reflects one of the primary problems we face in the church today: More often than not, we fail to even attempt to engage the culture in dialogue about who God is.
Once a young Christian I was mentoring told me that evangelism was just a “Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) thing”. He said it certainly was not a directive for all believers. I suggested that we do a study of the Book of Acts. A few weeks later the young man sheepishly acknowledged that he had been wrong. It was a joy to see him begin to blossom as he followed the example of Peter, Paul, and even Jesus Himself by taking advantage of opportunities to tell his peers about God’s love and forgiveness.
Over the years I have had many people say to me, “Your father must have the gift of evangelism.” Frankly, I am not convinced that he did. But I am convinced that he had God’s heart of compassion for those who did not know the Creator God. When he received a telephone call that was a “wrong number,” he told the caller about Jesus. He talked about Jesus to taxi cab drivers, CEOs, bag boys, flight attendants, hotel maids, doctors, nurses, criminals, lawyers, and politicians. Growing up, whenever we went on family vacations, we would often realize Dad was missing and turn around to see him talking with someone we had passed twenty yards earlier. It is important to understand that this was a man who was rather reserved by nature. He was not an extrovert by anyone’s account. But he wanted people to know the God that he knew. As he said, “It is the love of Christ that constrains me.”
One of the worst excuses I have ever heard for not even attempting to tell others the good news about God’s love is the statement, “I do not have the gift of evangelism.” If such an excuse is legitimate, then I should be excused from having to show compassion since I do not have the “gift” of compassion. I’m sorry if that comes across as offensive, but it needs to be said. If we are not willing to talk about the one issue that is foundational to morality itself, we have no right to complain as the moral state of the nation continues to disintegrate.
We are to be salt AND light. Each and every one of us. Can you imagine what would happen if God’s people woke up and allowed His light to shine in them and throughthem? We will see a spiritual awakening break out across our land! If Christianity conquered Rome in 350 years simply by believers proclaiming and living out the love of God every day, then it can happen in America too.
Action Points:
Grab some friends and read GOD, Who Are You Anyway? together. The bigger your view of God grows, the brighter His light will shine through you! Not only will YOU want what you have, but others will too!
If you are trying to live the Christian life on your own effort your light will never shine bright. Click here and learn how to live the Christian life in the power of the Holy Spirit!
If you don’t know how to help someone know God personally this is a great tool: Would You Like To Know God Personally? You can order it from crustore.org
Ask God to give you the opportunity to share the light of Christ with someone this week. Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God.
Next blog will be about the 3rd reason we are losing the battle and how we can win!!
Based on GOD is the Issue by Brad Bright
©2019 Brad Bright