By: Dale Weckbacher
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in
heaven.
NKJV
Recently I went into my office at work only to discover the
lights were not working. Since my office
at work has no windows, even though it was daylight outside, my office was
pitch black. After checking the obvious
potential causes of the problem such as a tripped circuit breaker, we relegated
ourselves to calling an electrician.
Fortunately, the problem was a defective light switch and after
replacing it, the lights were restored.
Rather than wallowing in the darkness and not accomplishing
anything, my boss and I began looking around the office for some sort of desk
lamp. Thankfully, we were able to find
one and I was able to work until the lights were fixed. This event provides an excellent picture of
how just a little light can illuminate darkness for the desk lamp we found only
had a 60-watt bulb yet I was able to function using this small amount of light
until the lights were fixed.
Unfortunately, many Christians believe evangelism requires
one to have the light of tremendous theological knowledge. This is unfortunate for it means many
Christians fail to engage nonbelievers they work with, family members, or friends because they believe they are unequipped to share the Gospel with
them. However, as the example of my dark
office taught me, it only takes a small amount of light to illuminate a dark
place.
For even the smallest amount of light to shine in the dark
world in which we live we must,
1)
Not be pushy – When we storm in and begin out of
the blue sharing the gospel with others, especially those we work with or
family members, they see it as preaching and build up a wall of defense around
themselves. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus told
us to let our light shine before men.
The light he is talking about is the light of the Holy Spirit, which
takes up residence in us when we accept Christ.
The most effective way to allow this light to shine is not in preaching
the gospel to others but in how we live.
The light of the Holy Spirit in us will cause us to abandon the works of
sin we once engaged in and begin performing good works that bring glory to our
Father in Heaven.
2)
Offer to Pray for Them – Whether we are
Christians or not, we all experience struggles in our lives. However, as Christians we know that our
struggles will end for Jesus has overcome the world and promised us that
believe in Him eternal life (John 16:33, John 3:16). However, those who do not know Christ lack
this hope and often find themselves living in despair not knowing where to
turn. Offering to pray for them at these
times may provide them some comfort and may even open up an opportunity to
share the Gospel with them.
3)
Do not be discouraged – As humans we can easily
become discouraged when we see no results.
My father-in-law was a devout atheist and our relationship got off to a
contentious start when I married his daughter against his wishes. However, as the years progressed I continued
to pray for him and we did develop a friendship. Admittedly at times I did become discouraged
seeing no results but just prior to his death, he did give his heart to the
Lord and I know I will see him again. The
moral to this story, never give up but keep on praying.
4)
Learn the Roman Road to salvation – It does not
require great theological knowledge to lead someone to Christ. Throughout the years many have used the Roman
Road to salvation which consists of,
a.
Every person has sinned (Romans 3:23) – Even
though we may have led a good life keeping out or trouble and even done some
good and charitable works, we inherited a sin nature due to Adam and Eve’s sin
in the Garden and are thus separated from God.
b.
The penalty for the sin in all of us is death
(Romans 6:23a) – This may seem cruel but God is a righteous God and as
descendants of Adam and Eve, sees the mark of sin on everyone’s life.
c.
The good news however is even though humanity
sinned, God did not abandon humanity but instead provided someone to die for
humanity’s sins, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8)
d.
Jesus death for our sins provided the gift of
eternal life for humanity (Romans 6:23b) through the death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10)
e.
However, like any gift, we must open the gift of
salvation to enjoy it. The opening of
this gift is accomplished by believing (John 3:16) and calling upon the name of
the Lord (Romans 10:13)
5)
When all else fails, share what Christ has done
in your life – If you are like me, someone raised in the Church, you may not
have some rags-to-riches story of how Jesus changed your life. However, Jesus did change your life and so do
not be afraid to share what he has done for you. The person you are sharing with may also have
led a good life but if they do now know Jesus as their savior, there is
something missing in their life and they probably know it. Remember, God can use even your 60-watt boring
story of how Jesus saved you to bring light to their lives.
As we witness the degrading or our world and culture it is
evident the world is becoming darker by the minute. We as Christians, therefore, have a duty and
responsibility to heed Jesus words of Matthew 5:16 and let the light of God
within us, even if it is only a 60-watt light, shine knowing that the darker
the world becomes, the brighter even the little amount of light within us will
shine.
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