Being the light! It’s a term used a lot in Christian linguistics, whether it’s a preschooler singing, “This Little Light of Mine,” to having a bookmark displaying, “Shine your light in the darkness.” It is understood what the church is talking about. Christians are to be the light for Jesus. BUT is it understood what that may look like? In “5 Plumb Lines for Guest Service,” Danny Franks writes:
Let’s face it: if – like me – you’ve been in a church any amount of time, you’ll admit that Church People tend to live in a Christian bubble. We only listen to K-Love, we only watch reality TV that features Christian-ish people (being careful to fast forward through the icky commercials), we only eat at Chick-fil-A on Tuesdays from 10:00-11:30 AM, because that’s when we’ve determined that most sinners aren’t there and thereby risk infecting our kids with sinner cooties.
In this short article Danny Franks, Connections Pastor at Summit Church, uses humor to share how we tend to create our own subculture. Don’t get me wrong. None of these things are bad but are they really being the light?
God’s directive to be a light to the lost is not just found in the New Testament but also mentioned in the Old Testament. In Genesis 17:4, God is talking to Abraham, creating a covenant through him to be a light of all nations. “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.” Israel was never considered a sole recipient of God’s blessing, rather a channel for God’s blessings to all mankind. However, in the Old Testament we discover that Israel isolated themselves from other nations.
To be a light means Christians are to step into darkness. If Christians are all gathered in the same place 24/7 then they are only shining their light among other Christians. Saying this, I want to remind you that Christians should gather and be a light among each other; however, they should not forget to be a light among the darkness as well. If the Church’s light is hidden, it cannot be seen by those who need it. Christians are to be a light to the world, not to the Church. We are to live out the Christian faith through our cultures, not create a subculture.
We would like to challenge Bethany Place to live out our light among the lost world. Shine and invite others to some or all of these Easter events:
AWANA Family Night – Friday, March 9, 6:30 – 8:30 pm Join us for a covered dish dinner and AWANA games for everyone.
FREE Family Movie Night – Friday, March 23, 6:30 pm Slip into some comfy pajamas and join us for popcorn and a movie fit for the whole family.
ONE – Good Friday Worship Outreach – Friday, March 30, 6:30 pm A team of musicians representing six different churches will join together in worship at Bethany Place to help us focus our hearts and minds on our Savior. Be sure to invite everyone you know to this outreach worship service. This event is called ONE: Together we serve One God, we are One Church, and we share One Worship.
Resurrection Sunday Worship – Sunday, April 1, 11:00 am Bring all your friends back to join us in the morning worship service. Our goal is to have 50 new guests, preferably non-Church members, to celebrate the Resurrection with us! If everyone invites one person, possibly a quarter of them will show up, allowing us to reach our goal. Please pray and ask God for ways you can be a light among the world.
God is at work being a light to the world through His people. God’s mission is His people’s mission: to proclaim the good news of the kingdom to all nations. The Christian community is evidence of the Kingdom of God.
— Jessica