If salt loses it's flavor it is good for nothing..." We are the salt of this world. This is what Scripture teaches us. Jesus describes the world as a wicked place but God has placed us in this world to keep it from deterioration. We are to preserve it until the day it is "inspected" It's like the holiday ham hanging in the barn. Without the salt it rots, but with the salt it is kept until it's time comes. But if we lose our flavor then for what are here? We can do no good apart from Christ and Christ living in us is the very flavor to which this world finds preservation. There is an idea that Christians can be Christians but only in their homes and in their churches.
The rest of the time they have to be quiet and don't "push their religion" on anyone else.
Well, I suppose, if life were a masquerade party I could understand the on-again off-again wearing of masks, but being a Christian goes much deeper than such. See, if you are truly a Christian, it will permeate out of you from deep inside right on to the outside. It will be seen and heard in every single thing you do. You may not be preaching to every person who walks by but living and celebrating your life as Christ compels us to will be seen and will be heard, and frankly, will be hated. He told us as much in Scripture. The world hated Him first so count yourself in good company. Our job as Christians in this world is not to see how many friends we can make but to bring as many to Christ before the Day of the Lord as possible. Do we truly love people if we let them perish for the sake of making friends? No, we bring them to Christ even if it is unpopular. We do this by being REAL. We do this by allowing the Jesus who lives on the inside of us to be seen on the outside so, unfortunately for a prodigal world, that means we act like Christians Monday-Saturday (not only on Sunday morning) and we do it at home and at church and at the grocery store and at work and when we are driving on the road and with our children and with our neighbors, in our hearts, in our minds, in our bodies, in our politics and IN THIS WORLD. No part of you should be left over or reserved when you give your life to Christ. We are to be what God has made us to be full time, in every place. Not only when it is liked or is convenient but full time. And it should not be some mask we wear, but rather a life that has been obviously changed and is set apart. I honestly believe that where the church today suffers is in being completely genuine and bold in this world primarily because many in the church continue to straddle the fence between being born again and being a little lost still too. If there is one message I could share with the believers today in this world, it is that God requires you to be hot or cold (valuable) and not lukewarm in this world and He is calling His people in to work. Be sure that if you have given your life to Jesus, you have given it all to Him. Scripture says it like this; "Examine yourselves daily to be sure you are in the body." He doesn't see it any other way. #AllOrNothing