SALT AND LIGHT

Pastor Allan’s opening remarks were, “Are you ready for the Living God?  When we live and move IN Him great things happen.”  

 

Pastor confessed; In life there are a lot of things that I am not too proud of.  Even as we drive down the road and call someone an idiot, do we ever consider to complement those who are doing right?

Reading from Matthew 5:13-16  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted?  It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

So others can see your good works, and not yourself telling how good you are.

A chef cooks his soup and if it doesn’t taste right he adds a bit of salt.  If he still doesn’t like the taste, it might need some sugar !

Look around you and realize there is a lot of foul smelling soup out there.  I get frustrated when I enter the church office and discover someone has thrown another rock through our window.  It makes me angry.  I tell myself to calm down, and to remember that I am salt.

How are we supposed to do this when we put our hand out and the dog bites us.  Something is just not right.  

History tells us that many have been persecuted and died for our Lord.  Look at Europe today and perhaps we are even nearer to them than we realize.

We may be personally spit on, and even corporately as a church.  The neighbors are angry because our church is in their neighborhood.  (Actually this building has been here for many years, with the Salvation Army next door.) 

The bottom line is for us to show them the way by being salt.  We want to see our city be blessed.  You may know that one of the beautiful fish sculptures was stolen, and the city took down the other 6 to protect them.  Now we all must suffer the loss.  Guess what?  The soup is about ready, and it needs a pinch of salt.  We must salt the sacrifice. 

Salt looses its flavor if it is watered down.  So many dilute God’s Word, tearing out this page and that and dissecting what is left.

We all fall short and make mistakes, but we must learn to live with one another, and learn to love one another.  Can we learn to “Handle things” that offend us?  We live in a world where many do not give a RIP.

Understand there is a time to rise up in anger, but not to live continually in a state of fury.

Satan has reigned over this city long enough.  Begin to pray for those who upset you.  What can we do to make it right?  Put some salt on them.

Colossians 4:6  Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Walk in wisdom to those who are “Outside of Grace”  Pray for boldness to share and go out.  God is still working so walk in his light.

How many here have a smart phone?  Several hands went up.  God has a smart phone with His calendar and his plans.  Let us be that city set on a hill that cannot be hid because our light shines so brightly.

May this church be a city of refuge where people can find God and be set free.

Be Both Salt and Light