Making A Difference In The World

Making a Difference in the World (Matt. 5:13-16; 1 Cor. 1:26-31; 2 Cor. 6:4-7:1) God can use ordinary people (like us) to do extraordinary things Through are weakness He can show His strength (1 Cor. 1:27-29) Our good works give glory to God (1 Cor. 5:16) We (collectively) are a “sanctuary” of the living God (1 Cor 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16; 1 Pe. 2:5) naos {nah-os'}Gk. = the gathering place of the priests/saints, the inner temple or holiest of holies, the place where the Spirit of God dwells, where man meets God for the purpose of sacrifice, prayer and worship. We should make our sanctification complete Our “old person” was corrupted by deceitful desires, deceitful in the sense that they promise joy and fulfillment but deliver pain and emptiness by enticing us into sin. Which includes avoiding relationships that are likely to turn our hearts away from God’s calling. (2 Cor. 6:14) Separation is essential to consecration (2 Cor. 6:17; Rom 12:2) George Barna’s, the church statistician, says that research shows that, “… the average Christian in the average church is almost indistinguishable from the rest of society. The fundamental moral and ethical difference that Christ can make in how we live, is missing. When our teens we claim to be saved, get pregnant and do drugs at the same rate as the general teenage population - when the marriages of Christians end in divorce at the same rate as the rest of society - when Christians cheat in business, or lie, steal, and cheat on their spouses at the same statistical level as those who say they are not Christians - something is horribly wrong.” Our values are not compatible with the world’s values Values: guiding constructs or ideas, representing deeply held generalized behaviors, which are considered by the holder, to be of great significance. Navigating the complexities of a situation ... requires a reliable compass. We can plot that "north" by determining clearly our own core values. We have to identify - and articulate - what we believe is important to us and to our companies. Our core values drive our behaviors, and our behaviors tell the world who we are and

what we stand for. ...Identifying and adhering to a core-values compass point provides a standard that will make decisions easier, consistent and justified.” Parkinson, J. Robert, “Thinking clearly, remembering values key to making the call”, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 22, 2004. Integrity is demonstrated by not merely by espousing your values, but by living according to them. Likewise, our God is not like our gods and should not be put on the same plane as them We are the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13; Mar. 9:50; Luke 14:34) to: Season - when applied, enhances the flavor, makes more appealing (Lev. 2:13; Col. 4:6) In Titus 2:9 the Apostle Paul tells Christian servants that they must act in such a way “that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.” “adorn” is the Greek word that we get the word cosmetics from and is used to describe the arrangements of jewels in a manner to set off their full beauty – the idea is here is that Christian servants (any Christian for that matter) have the power through their exemplary behavior to make the Christian life and faith beautiful to those outside. Preserve - life, slows decay, preserves from destruction According to Scripture, one day prior to our Lord’s return the Church will be removed from this world, and when Christians are finally removed from the world scene, all Hell literally breaks loose. In 2 Thess. 2:7 we read, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.” Heal/Purify – Purifying agent Elisha used salt to purify the water of Jericho (2 Kings 2:20).

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Often in the Bible the land of a defeated enemy was salted. This prevented agricultural regeneration for a time, often as a symbolic representation of the purification of the land in connection with its separation from corrupt past. Cause to thirst - after God’s Kingdom Melt – Melts that which is hard, frozen Provides traction – a salted path helps to prevent us from slipping and falling

Symbolize a Friendship/Covenant Relationship – “It is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you.” (Numbers 18:19) There is an Arab saying “There is salt between us”. Note also that salt was considered something of great value and worth! The word “salary” comes from the Latin word salarium which referred to the practice of paying wages of Roman soldiers in salt. We still use the phrase that someone is, or is not, “worth their salt.” Can salt lose it’s saltiness? Technically speaking, salt cannot lose its saltiness; sodium chloride is a stable compound. But in the part of the world where Jesus lived, salt was collected from around the Dead Sea where the crystals were often contaminated with other minerals. These crystallized formations were full of impurities, and since the actual salt was more soluble than the impurities, the rain could wash out the salt, which made what was left of little worth since it lost its saltiness. When this happened, the salt was thrown out, since it was no longer of any value either as a preservative or for flavoring. When the salt was leeched out it still looked like salt, but it lost its taste.

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When Mahatma Gandhi was the spiritual leader of India, he was asked by some missionaries, “What is the greatest hindrance to Christianity India?” His reply was, “Christians.” Martin Luther once said "A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing."

We are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14) Light exposed darkness We must boldly stand up for the truth Light helps us to clearly see the path before us and thus to avoid traps and stumbling blocks

John. 8:12 Jesus says, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." (see also Psalm 27:1) We are not the source of the light, we merely reflect/or bear witness to the light of Christ (John 1:6-9) The Light is Not to be Hidden (Phil. 2:15) With acts of kindness & compassion. Give Light to Everyone in the House = Good Deeds Attributed to Our Father (Eph. 5:8-9; James 1:27) The light is radiated through our example, or our good works. People want to see a sermon before they listen to one. Almost every one of the first 123 colleges and universities in the United States had a Christian origin, founded by Christians for Christian purposes. The same could be said of orphanages, adoption agencies, humane treatment of the insane, the list goes on and on of dramatic impact of Christianity in our world. [D. James Kennedy. “What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?” (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pub., 1994) pp. 3- 4] With demonstrations of integrity. Courageously shining the light of truth draws those seeking after “something more” and “something real” to the Christ (Isa. 60:1-3)