"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. "
Romans 12:21
OUT OF THE SALT SHAKER
Read It: Matthew 5:13
AIDS is a devastating disease because it destroys the body's immune system, leaving viruses free to attack the body. For an AIDS sufferer, a virus that would ordinarily cause only a -cold produces pneumonia. Just as God has given the human body an immune system, He has given one to society as well. It's called the church. We are God's "disease fighters" to keep the viruses of sin from penetrating the culture, to keep cultural colds from becoming cultural pneumonia. It is our task as God's representatives on earth to reflect His interests in such a way that evil can't do its full damage because of the presence of righteousness in the culture. ture. When you see a culture deteriorate, you are probably also seeing an anemic people of God. We as the people of God have been so withdrawn from culture that we have turned our society over to the unrighteous to rule. When Christians pulled out of public education, politics, and the media, then righteous decisions left with them. We have been called to penetrate society. Of course our first calling is to win people to Christ. I dealt with that last Thursday. Having given a man Christ for his eternity, we must also give him Christ for his culture.
We must give people hope in history. The absence of righteousness in our culture has everything to do-with-the absence of God's people in our culture. That's why one of my favorite words is alternative. It embodies what the people of God ought to be-divine options in history. We are to represent resent the interests of God's kingdom in the marketplace, not only in the excellency of our work but also in the testimony of our character. But far too many of us are like the Susan B. Anthony dollar, which looked like a quarter. People got confused, so Sue's coin fell into disuse. It was worth a dollar, but it looked like "chump change." Sadly, that describes a lot of Christians when it comes to making a difference for Christ. We don't spend well in the marketplace where people need to hear, see, and feel the reality of Christ. Jesus called it being "salty." Have you made anyone thirsty for Him lately? Think About It The whole point of salt is to leave the shaker and hit the meat, right?
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