Relearning Jesus by Matthew Paul Turner

Author:Matthew Paul Turner
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781434703965
Publisher: David C Cook

Pause and Reflect

How do you define the “light” Jesus talks about in Matthew 5?

When you think about your own “light of Christ,” is it more like a candle or a spotlight?

CHRISTIANS NEED LIGHT

I’ve heard a lot of chatter about light over the years. Some of it has interested me. Some of it has not. Theologians and preachers, thinkers and poets, writers and musicians have long spent their energy and talent playing in the sandbox with the concept of light. They ask questions: What is it? How do we show it? Is this way more effective than that? What did Jesus mean when he called us to be light in a dark world?

I don’t have any new theories on light. I don’t really have any regurgitated old theories either. All I have is what I have experienced. Just like you, I look to Scripture, prayer, and the words of all those thinkers who are much wiser than me to help me understand how I can be a more effective light for Jesus. When we are on a journey with Jesus, he teaches about light.

Like salt, light can be good and bad. You can reveal too much. You can shine too little. Sometimes we’re called to be a spotlight. Other times, Jesus simply needs the gentle glow of candlelight. Those of us who have grown up in Christianity have been inundated with thousands of ideas and illustrations about light.

The geography of where we’re supposed to be light often gets debated. I hear the majority of modern Christians talk about the importance of being a light in the world. They believe that Jesus’ goal for us is to take the message to those who do not know him. “We are the light in the dark places; we need to be sharing the salvation message wherever we can,” I heard one man say recently.

And I wholeheartedly agree with all of the people who make this their intent, because I too think it’s obvious that Jesus is referring to evangelism in Matthew 5 when he said that he wanted us to be like a city on a hill. But I don’t think evangelism is all that he’s talking about; I think our light is supposed to shine for anyone who is in need of knowing simple truth, feeling grace, or experiencing generous mercy. I think Jesus intended our light to shine for all to see.

I’ve heard many people unintentionally demean those who feel called to shine light in the church. “You’re preaching to the choir,” the critics will often say. I’m guilty of using that phrase too. And quite frankly, sometimes it’s appropriate. Some people do spend too much of their time inside the safety of the church. But I don’t think it helps the cause of Jesus to spend time criticizing such people.

A few years ago, I had a motto for being light: Pursue shining it out into the world. I went out of my way to pursue relationships only with people who had no concept of Jesus.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.