Day 57: The Front Lines

Mark 16:15

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Most Christians are not going to be pastors, or worship leaders, we go to church, we volunteer at church, and we serve but our platform is not the church. I hear a lot of Christians implying that we are to live in the church. They tell us that we are to separate ourselves from the secular, and the worldly things. Being secular does not always mean that you are in sin, When we think about the world secular we automatically think of music, and the lifelong debate on whether christians should listen to secular music or not. We automatically think of the artist who thank God in their acceptance speeches, but there music is so far from the message of Christ. We feel the need to respond to celebrities who open up about their faith, as if they need our approval to give their lives to Christ. We think of anything that does not have to do with the church, or religion, which many times it isn’t. However, that does not mean that Christians cannot be in a secular atmosphere, as many of us are everyday. We must use the platform we have been given to spread the gospel, to glorify God and lead others to Him

Matthew 5: 13-15

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Christ tells us that we are the salt and the light of the world, but many Christians have taken that to mean that we are the salt and the light of the church. I think of young people specifically when I think of this subject, we are the generation that has seen the growth of the contemporary church. We have broken traditions, and made the choice that Jesus is more important than religion and rules. Church has become less about what we wear, denominations, or positions and more about experiencing God and having a genuine, intimate relationship with Him. We are the generation that doesn’t worry about the looks of someone but we are concerned with their heart. Beyond that we have learned to glorify God in our field, knowing that we have been called to different places and paths. We know that not all of us will be pastors, or work in a church, but we will occupy the space God has given us.

Jesus told the disciples to go out into all the world and proclaim the gospel, not just to the Christians or the nice people. He told them to go out into all the world. That means they probably had to go into some places that the pharisees and scribes refused to go. They had to get their hands dirty in order to deliver the message of Christ to the people. They had to go outside of their comfort zones, and outside of the circle of religion and christians, they had to go to the non-believers, the pagan nations. If we are here to spread the word of God throughout the world, we cannot do it by staying inside the walls of the church. Church is our place of fellowship, where we can worship with our fellow believers; but there are some people who will never walk into a church, we have to go to them. When Jesus came He did not stay in Nazareth waiting for the people to come to Him, He went out to the people.  Jesus ate at the houses and sat in the presence of many sinners, washing the feet of sinners, and sitting at the table and having dinner with sinners. We make the mistake of thinking that being a good Christian means that we cut ourselves off from the reach of anyone who sins more openly than we do. We think that we have to sit at the table with the Christians and fellowship amongst ourselves like an exclusive club. The problem with that is, no one is coming out saved, because everyone at the table has already given their life to Christ, If you place ten Christians in a room with one hundred nonbelievers, most, if not everyone in that room will have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many will have given their life over to Christ. That’s what it’s about, this is why it is imperative that we have Christians impacting the world outside of Church. We talk about people being famous, and the media, and things that run the world as we know it.

As an actress who is also a Christian I am often asked if I want to stick with doing only Christian movies, and sometimes people are shocked that my answer is no. Besides for the obvious reason that most Christian movies are corny and terrible, there is another reason. I want to be a successful film actress, I am not completely opposed to doing Christian films, but when I think of it, these films are often only for Christians, only for people who know and understand the bible. It is usually separate from the world we are supposed to be bringing the gospel to.  Which brings me to my point that if anyone should be on the front lines of any industry it should be Christians. From doctors, to lawyers, teachers, artists, scientists, the media, military, politics, journalism, math, management, pastoral, music, logistics, etc whatever it may be. We must use whatever platform we have been given to reach God’s people. Showing people that it is about the lifestyle we lead as we dedicate everyday of our lives to Christ.

-Dyamond  

The scripture says that we are the salt of the earth. In that time salt was used to preserve food (most likely a lot of fish) so that it would not go bad, seeing that they had no refrigerators. If that salt lost it’s saltiness, then all the food would go bad. It would start to smell, and everything would be a trainwreck. That is what we are to the world, we are the salt that preserves this world, we as Christians are here to keep the world fresh, and preserved. We are here to share the good news of Christ so that the world does not spoil with sin. We are here to shed a light in the dark places. We have the light of Christ in us, let’s not hide it. We should bring it to all the world, not just the Christians.

Reflection/ Prayer Time

Take the time to think and reflect on the position or place God has you, and what He has called you to. How can you use the gifts you have been given to occupy the space that you are in? Talk to God about what being the salt and the light of the world means. Ask God to help you reach outside of your comfort to send the message of the Gospel to His people. Open your heart and gifts to God and allow Him to use you as a vessel to bring His truth to the nations.

I love you, and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Enjoy your Saturday. Share this with someone and make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 58!