Next we should act. We should make a noise about the
sepsis that is so evident on the earth. For instance, when the homosexuals feel
they are being discriminated against, they complain. Even more so, Christians
should be in the news all the time for speaking out against wrongs. We could
write to the newspapers, file complaints with our congressmen, speak out at
parent-teacher meetings, and tack posters on notice boards. We could even
arrange peaceful, orderly protests and marches if the Lord directs. There are
so many ways in which we could stir the consciences of the world and make them
aware of sin and righteousness. If we do this, we give the Holy Spirit the
mandate to do what He was sent for. “‘When he (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will
convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment”
(John 16:8).
The Lord has gifted many Christian
authors to write books that could help a lot of people find solutions to their
problems, to have a bit of light in their darkness of understanding. We should
promote such books as well as television and radio programs that have answers
to life’s mysteries. The Lord said we are the light of the world because the
world is in darkness. They don’t understand life. They don’t have much wisdom because
true wisdom comes only from the Lord.
We are the light of the world because
we have access to and are filled with the ultimate source of knowledge and
wisdom of life: the Holy Spirit. Only God has the answers to life. Only from
Him come joy and peace, and we have access to them. We can hear from the Lord
and shed light on people’s understanding, or we can refer them to sources of
godly light (books and so on). Whatever the case; “His divine
power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our
knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).
This is where faith comes in. If we
are salt and light, we will act accordingly and God can use us as He has used
Elijah, Elisha, Moses, Jesus, etc. If we believe the Lord can do it and we are
worthy in Christ to do it with Him, we will have the sufficient motivation.
Christians seem to have an attitude
of, “We do our thing, the world does their thing, and we do not interfere.” Who
is the Lord of heaven and earth? Whose children are we?
In the parable of the servants, who
is the household of the Master who went away? Is it only the Church? Why would
Jesus then command the same servants to be the salt of the earth? God wants to
be glorified; He wants the world to see His power and His glory, because He
wants them to come into the Kingdom as well. That is why He did so many mighty
deeds in Israel and why Jesus did so many miracles. If we focus only on our
little local church and our needs, or even only our town, we make only a slight
change over a long period of time. How then will the world be reached, the
earth changed?
Imagine that Jesus came to earth and
settled in a local church. There He preached every Sunday and did everything
routinely as local churches do, only loving the members and meeting their
needs. How would that have made a difference to the world and the earth?
Each
individual needs a global vision in addition to a local vision. In Acts 1:8,
Jesus said to the one hundred and twenty, gathered in the upper room: “But
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.”
This was the
first church representing all the true churches ever to exist until Jesus comes
again. He doesn’t tell them to witness first in Jerusalem, then in Judea and
Samaria and then to the ends of the earth as it is often preached from the
pulpit: first your town, then your county, then your country and then the
earth. He tells them all to be His witnesses everywhere, at the same time. This
is why the Holy Spirit soon scattered them all over the known world and called
Paul to evangelize the gentiles. He probably also allowed an attack on Paul and
Barnabas’ relationship, causing them to have an argument as recorded in Acts
15:36-41, so they could split up. (To be continued)
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