Introduction
In the Bible, light has always been a symbol of holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom, grace, hope, and God’s revelation. By contrast, darkness has been associated with evil, sin, and despair. The Master at the advent of His public ministry communicated the following proclamation: ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12
As the light of the world,” there is no better way to visibly identify Jesus’ relationship with His Father. Never compromising this interrelation of His Ministry on earth “Jesus speaks from God and for God and in union with God in the works of the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Apart from Jesus, we live in darkness. We have limited capacity to understand who we are or what we see in the world. “The beauty of our humanity is still evident,” writes Aimee Joseph, “but ugliness abounds.”
The Heavenly Father is the Author of Light, who has the authority to illuminate His creation in its truest form. Jesus as the Light of the world is the outer recognition of His Father’s creation and presence, and the inward dwelling of the Holy Spirit, by which we know our Father and walk with Jesus.
Let your light so shine
Today’s blog post is a continuation of my examination of the commands of Jesus. The selected Scripture reference for consideration is Matthew 5:16, In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven. If Jesus is truly the light of the world,” and there is no better way to visibly identify Jesus’ intimate relationship with His Father, then the same is true with Jesus’ modern-day disciples.
Jesus as the Great Shepherd, while proclaiming aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven to the multitudes with His brilliant exposition of the Kingdom lifestyles in the Beatitudes, shifts His focus from the multitudes to those who would be His life-long disciples.
The Beatitudes present a new set of ideals that focus on love and humility rather than force and mastery; they echo the highest ideals of Jesus’ teachings on spirituality and compassion. Jesus uses metaphors of Salt and Light in His teaching to communicate morality and faithful discipleship throughout one’s life regardless of trials, temptations, and testings for His sake.
For us today, our trials, temptations, and testing as faithful followers will be severely constant throughout our public and private witness.
Consider our challenge,
in the last days, there will be very difficult times. People will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
Below are the spiritual implications that today’s followers of the Master can learn to incorporate into our lives as direct commands of the Master. To reach a level of success in this high calling, today’s disciples must subject themselves daily to the grace and mercy of God via the power of the Holy Spirit. The miracle of reformation of our hearts into the very character of Christ is what the world is waiting to see throughout the unified Body of Christ!
[I personally recommend two books to strengthen your spirituality: Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ, Dallas Willard, and Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, Richard J. Foster]
For modern-day disciples letting their light so shine in the face of the last day’s reality … the Master commands for His followers to live a holy life, with the pure conversation, throughout one’s travel. For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life…, Proverbs 6:23
The Master commands that each of His modern-day followers is saved that the world may see our good works. The proper motive to influence us is not simply that we may be seen as important nor religious (compare Matthew 6:1), but it should be that our heavenly Father may be glorified.
The Pharisees of our day acted to be seen of men, in contrast, true faithful followers of the Master act to glorify God and care little what people may think of them, except as by their conduct others may be brought to honor God, yet they should so live that people may see from their conduct what is the proper nature of their transformed and redeemed lives.
Three times in this verse. Our Lord lays stress on personal possession of light, personal action, personal relationship, and origin. Good works; i.e. of your lives generally, not ministerially. “Noble works, works which by their generous and attractive character win the natural admiration of men”. Hebrews 10:24
Jesus commands that His modern-day disciples always Glorify their Father, praise, and honor God in the active intimacy of worshipping Him. Seeing in your lives the spiritual superiority of spiritual regeneration, and the power, purity of the gospel message being lived out in their lives.
The Master, His sense is this for this generation is that the light of the Gospel, which He had communicated to the world, still has power and spiritual knowledge of the mysteries of grace for all souls. Now more than ever is there a need to push back all of the darkness, the soulish religiosity, the hate, oppression, the greed, and violence.
Some Worthwhile Points of Interest
1. The true Light of Christ cannot be concealed.
2. In this world system today, the only worthwhile life is in fellowship with Christ.
3. Any works of the flesh, human will nor intellect bring legalism and death.
4. And that good actions will be seen and will lead people to honor God.
The Call of the Sermon of Mound is to Engage our Culture
In closing, by God’s divine design, He has set in motion, an effective strategy for modern-day disciples to effectively spiritually co-fellowship with our culture. Throughout our era there has been less than desirable methods in bringing honor to God in heaven by some of the ways the Body of Christ has attempted to be “Salt and Light” in the earth.
The Master’s initial instructions for His faithful followers were to not spiritually engage our culture by maintaining a mindset of our Faith against the culture. This view sees the Church as a bomb shelter, a place of refuge for those seeking shelter from the spiritual warfare “outside!” The Church is a “safety bubble,” a form of isolationism.
To become Christ-like in a post Christian culture as is ours’s, we are not called of the Lord to become the “Reflection” of the very culture that we are challenged to engage. The Church [and the believers] is not to conform to the cultural trends, beliefs, and ideologies by operating in gray areas of evangelism and or Church growth methodologies. Such a decision will effectively silence the “Prophetic calling” of the Gospel message.
The most effective means of spiritually engaging our culture is one that views human beings as representatives of Christ who live their lives in the midst of and for the good of their cultural context, and whose cultural lives are characterized by obedience and witness. As Christ’s ambassadors, Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20
As the Master’s disciples, we live out before this culture, another world. As the Lord’s ambassadors, we are fully immersed in the culture, but everything about us points back to the one we serve.
This doesn’t mean we agree with everything culture does, but we learn to understand it and speak its language, identify its true desires—all with the intention of showing how Christ is the only one who can correctly fulfill those well-meaning (though often misplaced) desires. [The discussion about engaging the culture for the believer was glean from the article: Three Views on the Relationship between Christianity and Culture, by Ryan Nelson] Amen
Grace and Peace
Brother Alonzo