Pray for Your Church: Impact (2)
“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
A question
If we’re going to pray for our church and expect the Lord to hear and answer our prayers, we need to be as informed as possible about the state of our church and its need. But we can only consider that situation by holding our church up to the plan and template Jesus declared He would follow in building His Church. Whatever Jesus, the Architect and Builder of His Church, has said about His intentions, we must use as the criteria for assessing the state of our own church. If we will do this, we will be able to pray more intelligently and more specifically for the Lord’s good and perfect will.
So let’s ask a question about churches in general. In the light of our text, which suggests a kind of spectrum from salting the earth to being trampled underfoot on it, where do you think the churches, say, of this country stand? Are they actively and effectively “salting” their communities? Or are their communities ignoring the churches, doing whatever they think is best, and paying little heed to whatever is preached on any given Sunday morning?
Are we salting the earth or being trampled underfoot on it?
Let’s take a more careful look at what Jesus seems to have intended by this metaphor, then we’ll come back to the question.
Salt
In Jesus’ day, salt had three primary functions. Most people would have understood two of these, but only those raised in an Old Testament framework would have known about the third.
Salt brings out the flavor of things, making them taste even better. Believers and their churches are appointed to be the salt of the earth. The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. He made it all good, but at present, much of it is in flight from the Lord (Rom. 1.18-32), and many aspects of it groan and travail under a burden of sin (Rom. 8.20-22). Everything on the earth and in it has rich potential for good, for expressing that which refracts and reflects the very character of God. Jesus intends that we, His Church, by our good works and true words, should bring the goodness of God to light in the land of the living (Ps. 27.13).
Salt had another use in Jesus’ day. It was a preservative for meat. Thus, not only does salt bring out the inherent goodness of things—a goodness put there by the grace of God—it also preserves the goodness that exists, so that it will not quickly decay. We are the heirs of a rich tradition of Christian theology, literature, art, music, law, invention, science, and social and cultural renewal. Our culture and society still benefit from that heritage, although erosion and corruption have set it. Our calling is to preserve the Christian heritage of goodness and the benefit it brings to the world.
The third function of salt is covenantal. In ancient Israel, all sacrifices were to include salt as a sign and remembrance of God’s covenant: “And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt” (Lev. 2.13). Thus, salt recalled the promises of God, and remembering those promises—those exceeding great and covenant promises, all of which are fulfilled in Jesus (2 Cor. 1.20) and by which we participate in God’s Presence and pleasure (2 Pet. 1.2-4)—is how we as believers and churches express our dependence on God and His faithfulness. We are called to remember God’s promises and to live toward them, as if we would reach out and receive them according to the Word of the Lord (cf. Gen. 12.1-3).
We are the salt of the earth: bringing out all God’s goodness in all things; preserving our heritage and its benefits; looking to the promises of God in all we do. The purpose of a church and its Good News and Kingdom mission includes not only proclaiming the Gospel but working for the goodness of God in culture, the care of creation, and the rebuilding of institutions so that they honor God and do good work (cf. Rom. 13.1-4).
We are the salt of the earth! But in our day, the earth and its fullness are wracked with the decay of sin; the creation groans and travails, waiting and yearning to experience the freedom we have come to know in Jesus Christ and His Kingdom (Rom. 8.18-25); our cherished traditions are being neglected or set aside; and for most people, “church”, leaves a bad taste in their mouth—when they think about church at all.
Back to our question
So, to ask again: Are we salting the earth or being trampled underfoot on it?
However you answer that question concerning your church and those in your community, prayer for our churches is always needed. So here’s a prayer you can use for yourself and your fellow church members as you seek to fulfill the Lord’s appointed calling as the salt of the earth:
Lord Jesus, You have appointed us
as the salt of the earth
to work for goodness,
preserve what is good and beneficial,
and do all things with a view to
realizing Your covenant promises.
Help us, Lord, today and every day,
to bring the savor of Your love,
the power of Your Word,
and the grace of Your Spirit
into every nook and cranny of our lives.
For reflection
1. Which aspects of your church’s life and ministry express your calling as the salt of the earth?
2. Where would you put your church on the spectrum suggested in today’s article?
3. How are you seeking to fulfill your calling as the salt of the earth?
Next step—Transformation: Work to improve in all three aspects of what it means to be the salt of the earth.
T. M. Moore
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: We continue reading excerpts from the book, Revived! in our Read Moore column. Why not listen in? Last week’s Crosfigell letter called us to make sure we have the right priorities. You can also find some valuable resources for shepherding at The Ailbe Seminary and in The Ailbe Bookstore.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
