Christ’s Vision for the Church (6)
“You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5.13-16
Epicenters of transformation
As the temple, nation, and servants of the Lord Jesus, churches and their members are weapons of righteousness in His hands, equipped, sent, and active in seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, bringing the beauty, goodness, and truth of the Lord to their Personal Mission Fields and community.
From this it should be clear that Jesus is building His Church as an agent of change, an epicenter of transformation to reflect the good purposes and character of the Lord in a world of wrong belief and sin.
But let’s not miss the three primary metaphors Jesus used to suggest how churches bring about the kinds of spiritual, moral, and cultural changes that turn their world rightside-up for Jesus. We do not serve as agents of change by wielding the sword of battle or stuffing the ballot boxes of our favorite politicians, at least, not in the first instance.
The Church changes its society by serving as light, salt, and leaven.
Three metaphors of change
As light, church members are sent into the dark world of our Personal Mission Field to emit a constant glow of glory, which we receive from the Lord in our times of prayer and study in the Spirit (2 Cor. 3.12-18). As Christians sanctify Christ as Lord in our heart, we become filled with hope, characterized by peace and joy, and eager and enabled for every good work (1 Pet. 3.15; 2 Tim. 3.15-17).
Such a steady, warm, glow of divine light in all our words and deeds cannot help but attract those who benefit from our works of minisstry to the very Source of such light, even Him Who is the Light of the World. They may not be ready to receive Him as we explain the hope that is within us, but they will not be able to miss or deny the reality of our light.
To “let” our light shine, we must be willing and equipped, and this is the work of all church members. Leaders equip us for ministry, and we encourage one another to love and good works (Eph. 4.11, 12; Heb. 10.24). We must seek the Light of Jesus and submit to His will if our light is to shine as He intends.
As salt, our churches and members resist everything that tends to corruption and decay, preserving all that is wholesome and good against all that threatens to undermine or destroy it. We also, as living sacrifices to the Lord (Rom. 12.1, 2), “salt” the presence of God’s gracious covenant into a lost and confused world. And, by our everyday lives and conversations, we create a thirst for the Lord and His promises on the part of those who know us.
Thus church members are mindful of and speak out against the lies and half-truths of an age that rejects God and His Law. We refuse to participate in the works of darkness that corrupt the hearts of men. We maintain a constant self-watch against any sin settling into our soul, and we exhort and admonish one another against any sinful or corrupting practices. We live to the fullest all the precious and very great promises of God, which we realize increasingly through our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1.4; 2 Cor. 1.20). Thus we are transforming agents in our world.
As leaven, churches and their members do not hold back in seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness simply because we are few in number or small in significance. We recognize that every step of faith, every deed of love, every word of truth done or spoken in faith has the potential to touch a needy soul with the reality and grace of Jesus Christ. Leaven takes time to do its work, so we must be patient with the people in our Personal Mission Field and continue as light and salt to expose them to the good works and relentless love of Jesus.
As we pursue this calling, we know that vast multitudes of angels stand ready to assist us, that the Holy Spirit of God dwells in us, and that nothing we might undertake in Jesus’ Name will be impossible for us. So we work gradually, steadily, step by step, bit by bit, and little by little, making Kingdom progress in often infinitesimal ways as we faithfully follow Him Who has called us to be agents of change.
The example of the Thessalonians
The first believers understood this high and holy calling as agents of change. The impact of the church in Thessalonica was typical of so many other of the churches of the first three centuries of the Christian movement. They turned their world upside-down by living for and proclaiming Christ and His righteousness (Acts 17.1-9; 1 Thess. 1.2-10). We are their spiritual heirs and should thus should expect that the impact the early churches made throughout the Roman world can be the impact we make in ours.
We must work diligently and faithfully to equip all church members for Christlike living and works of ministry. Only thus will our churches realize the transforming power of light, salt, and leaven to turn their communities rightside-up for Jesus Christ and fulfill His vision of the change agents we can be.
For reflection or discussion
1. Would you say that your church aspires to be an agent of change in your community? Why or why not? If so, in what ways?
2. Why is “light” an excellent way of thinking about the church’s ability to bring change to the world? What about “salt”? And “leaven”?
3. “The first believers understood this high and holy calling as agents of change. The impact of the church in Thessalonica was typical of so many other of the churches of the first three centuries of the Christian movement. They turned their world upside-down by living for and proclaiming Christ and His righteousness (Acts 17.1-9; 1 Thess. 1.2-10). We are their spiritual heirs and should thus should expect that the impact the early churches made throughout the Roman world can be the impact we make in ours.” Comment:
Next steps—Demonstration: What can you do to encourage fellow church members to be agents of transformation in their Personal Mission Field? Seek the Lord. Ask Him to give you one or two things to do and two or three people to reach out to. How will you be light, salt, and leaven to them?
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Men, check out our Spring Men’s Reading Groups. Great reads, sound learning, warm fellowship.
This week: Our Read Moore podcast is looking at the Kingdom of God in our book, The Kingdom Turn. In our Crosfigell teaching letter, we are looking at the state of pastors and churches during the period of the Celtic Revival, using contemporary witnesses. And in our Scriptorium column we are studying the sermon on the mount. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
