Dear Salt and Light,

Where are you?

Where’s the salt? Where’s the light?

‘You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. ‘You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16

Those aren’t easy words: “It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”

The truth of the matter is, this world is getting darker and darker. And, the other truth of the matter is, a lot of us just put our hands in our pockets and don’t do anything about it.

Or, if we do actually do anything about it, it’s usually not much more than a social media post, or wearing a “controversial” T-shirt, or talking about it.

We often seem to be a people way more of words than of actions. We speak but don’t do. We talk about the issues but don’t fix them. We say this life is a war but we don’t really go out and fight. We simply make battle plans instead, battle plans that hardly ever get carried out.

I’m gonna discuss some stuff happening around me, locally, that displays this. Stuff happening in my community, in my small town of Eaton. I’m going to be vague on some stuff, but I also want to be blunt.

One fairly recent development in my town is my school district’s recent decision to allow a “transgender” individual, who is a biological male, to use the girl’s bathroom at the middle school. We’ll call this individual John.

Initially, parents were in an uproar, and after a day of over 200 girls not wanting to use their own gender-designated bathroom because of John, the school backed down on its decision.

But, right now, based on the last I heard, the decision was remade again after the school was threatened with a lawsuit. They reversed their decision and are, from what I’ve heard, once again allowing John to use whatever bathroom he’d like to.

Now, John is a sinful human being, just like me and everyone else. He’s confused and broken.

But, the community wants to sit back and do nothing. Parents don’t wanna make the first move. They don’t wanna sacrifice. They let it happen. We let it happen. Where’s our saltiness? Because I can tell you, probably the majority of the people that live in my small town profess to be Christians.

You see, the issue is with us. With us who profess to be followers of Christ. And I don’t mean the world is dark and sinful because of us. What I mean is this: we are responsible to be salt and light. We are responsible to be a flavoring agent, a beacon of hope, and illuminator in the darkness. People who are of the world will act like those in the world, so we can’t hold them responsible and point the finger at them while we sit back and be pious religious individuals, or those who love Jesus and isolate themselves from the world with hands in pockets.

If you are a Christian, prove it. Act like it. Try to change things. Make the sacrifice. Follow Christ. Obey His call, because if you don’t, you ought to be in holy and awesome fear of the Living God. And the same goes for me.

How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 10:29-31

Another example of this need for salt and light: a group I’m involved in at school. I won’t go into detail, but the practices of this group are rather disturbing and grotesque. Some of the traditions it holds are far from biblical and godly.

So what am I and the other Christians in that group supposed to do? Just sit back and do nothing? Not judge? Sit out in the hallway and wait for the group to finish, as I did last year at one point? No. Not merely do these things at least. Show me where God commands us to do such things.

I have failed, to be sure, but change isn’t going to start with the unbeliever, at least it seems very unlikely.

We are to be salt and light. We are not called to agree with people, or tell people their sin is fine. We are not here to simply hide away in our churches while we wait for Christ to come back. We are to fight, we are to spread the Gospel, and we are to try to prevent our society’s decay as much as possible.Why are we so often afraid to act? Unwilling to move? Some lyrics of a song by Sidewalk Prophets go like this:

If I saw You on the street

And You said come and follow me

But I had to give up everything

All I once held dear and all of my dreams

Would I love You enough to let go

Or would my love run dry

When You asked for my life

When did love become unmoving?

When did love become unconsuming?

Forgetting what the world has told me

Father of love, You can have me

-From their song “You Can Have Me”

It starts with us, like I’ve said before. Just like revival does. Revival and change begin when God’s Spirit moves, yes, but, as I’ve been reminded by God through the preacher Paul Washer, we better be working and striving and loving and being salt and light.

Usually God doesn’t simply bring revival and change while His people are being apathetic and doing nothing. Or, at least, He begins that revival and change by moving through us.

Let us move and work and fall into God’s arms for rest, and keep pushing on. Don’t give up. 

And what I write on here is addressed to Christians, yes, but even to false Christians could it be addressed. I realize a lot of what seems like a lack of salt and light is because of the many false converts in our world. The true Church of Christ overall shows many more characteristics of salt and light than those who are unsaved and yet profess to be followers. Christ’s bride is lovely because of Him. I wanted to say that for some clarification.

Much love my brothers and sisters. For the glory of God.

-Everet

All direct verse quotations are taken from the ESV

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