“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.” Matthew 5.13

The Christian Ministry: Part III, chapter VIII
Charles Bridges (1794-1869)
“We should each of us consider ourselves as the appointed luminary in our respective spheres – placed as the centre of the system – the source of light and warmth to all within our circle. We should thus be ‘burning’ as well as ‘shining lights.’ We need not always blaze; but we must always burn. There must be love as well as light – the light of holy love.”

What a powerful image: “the appointed luminary in our respective spheres”! As the sun brings light, warmth, and life to the world, so we are called to light the world we inhabit, wherever we are, whatever we’re doing. This is the idea behind a Personal Mission Field. Each of us has been sent to the world to bring the life and joy of Jesus, and the reality of His Kingdom, to a world trapped in sin and the Lie. Unless we are salt and light to the people around us, they will only ever think of the Christian faith as something to avoid. The Christian life is full-time work, not just for the minister, but for those we are called to equip as followers of Jesus Christ. Let them see in us what we strive to help them become.

Would the people you encounter each day consider you as a “luminary” to warm and enlighten them? Why or why not?

T. M. Moore

Have you made the Kingdom turn?
We will only shine with the light of the Kingdom once the idea of Kingdom has become the reality of our daily lives. Have you made the Kingdom turn as a citizen and ambassador of Christ’s realm? Or is the “Kingdom of God” just a nice theological idea? Order our book The Kingdom Turn and learn how living in Christ’s Kingdom unto righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit can become your daily experience.

Working your Personal Mission Field?
Every believer has a Personal Mission Field, but the people we serve won’t be much inclined to identify and work theirs unless they see us doing so. Watch this brief video explaining our Mission Partners Outreach, then download the information and enlist some men to join you in this effort. The six free studies in this course will help you exude the presence of Christ more consistently and really.

Help us build up the community of readers who are learning from great pastors of the past. Pass along this copy of Pastor to Pastor to a friend in ministry, and encourage him to sign-up at our website, www.ailbe.org, to receive it every day.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.