No Substitutes Please

Jesus proclaimed to His follower that they were the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

Salt and light are two very powerful forces. As long as salt doesn't cease be salt & light does not cease to be light - it's difficult to stop them!

As I was thinking about salt this morning, I couldn't help but think about those people who use salt substitutes. It looks like salt, tastes a little bit like salt, but it in no way has the same effect as salt. If we aren't careful our style of Christianity may be nothing more than a substitute for the real thing. It may look Christian and it may even taste like the Christian faith but the effect is very different. Jesus said, "Not everyone who says unto me Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of heaven..." In other word: Not everyone who claims to be salt really is.

Light is a different concept. The only way that we can hope to stop light is to cover it up or turn it off. "Hide it under a bushel? NO! I'm gonna let it shine!" In the home, when you use a lampshade it changes the quality of light. Sure...the light is still shining but it doesn't eliminate as much darkness. How bright are we going to let our light shine? Another element of putting out the light is to cut off its power source. If you unplug the light or turn off the switch - the light is no longer effective in getting rid of the darkness. When you and I unplug ourselves from the source of light in our lives we will cease to be light in the darkness. However, many of us don't want to be cut off from the source of power. That's when we simply turn ourselves off!

One other note on being light and salt. If you and I were to go to the local light & lamp outlet there is something that we will notice: It's very bright! One could almost wear sunglasses just to keep from being blinded by the light. But as long as those lights/lamps stay inside that store they will never make a difference in a home, a building, or on a sidewalk. And salt? As long as it stays in a mine, in the shaker, or on a store shelf - it will never season the food, cure a ham, or be effective in preserving something that is canned. Here's my question: Are we simply being light among light and salt among salt? If all we ever do with our faith is hang out in our holy huddles (the church) we will never make a difference in our world!

Folks, we must make an effort to be among the lost people of the world. Those of us in the church better make it a point to rub shoulders with those who don't know Jesus or else we will never shed light or be salt for anyone. We must be careful that in our preaching and teaching of separation from the world that we do not remove ourselves from it completely.

What if salt loses its savor?
What if the light in us is actually darkness?
Jesus actually addressed these issues. Salt that loses its savor is useless. And if the light in us is actually darkness, how great that darkness is! Like a lot of things in life, there is a shelf life. You eventually have to use the salt and you eventually have to turn on the light. Thankfully, for us, it takes a long time before salt loses its savor and a light is no longer able to be turned on. But how long can we let this happen? How long before we are unable to make a difference?

In the "Barbarian Way" by Erwin McManus, I found this statement: "When the church becomes an institution, people are nothing more than volunteers to be recruited. When the church is a movement, our stewardship becomes the unleashing of our God-given gifts, talents, and passions." Although McManus probably never intended to use this quote in this way, I felt it was appropriate. As long as we in the church remain alive and active in sharing salt and light we can unleash the greatest possibilities. However, if all we ever do is remain a collection point for salt and light, we unleash nothing.

Now - stop reading and go out there and be SALT and LIGHT!