Has your light been put under a basket?
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 5:13-16
Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night when all the lights are out in your house? The darkness is so severe you can not even see your hands when they are held inches from your eyes. Blindly, you begin reaching and feeling around on your night stand, hoping that your finger tips will find that small flashlight you always keep next to you. Eventually, you pick up the flashlight, and click it on. What happens? You almost flinch back from the brilliance of the light. When used in the pitch black, the light shines so brightly you have a view of almost everything in the room.
Considering this scenario, what an excellent analogy Christ gives us in this passage of scripture. He said that we are the 'light of the world'. Think about that. In a world which is as dark and sinful as ours, followers of Christ are the light of the world. If you do not believe that our world is really that dark, consider these statistics:
- Every day, approximately 126,000 abortions are performed worldwide
- Approximately 46 million abortions are performed every year
- 80%-90% of women who are pregnant with a child who has some sort of mental illness (such as Down Syndrome) decide to have an abortion, even though these women, prior to knowledge of the illness, intended on having the baby
- About 12% of all websites are pornographic
- 73% of web searches are for pornography
- 18% of web searches are for child pornography
- 40 million American adults view pornography on a regular basis
- 1 out or 3 men who attend Promise Keepers 'struggle' with pornography
- 80% of teenagers (ages 15-17) have had multiple exposures to hardcore pornography
- Adult bookstores outnumber McDonald's in the U.S. nearly 3 to 1
- Three out of four teenagers who graduate from highshcool are not virgins when they graduate (compared to 1950 when it was only 20%)
- 1 out of every 4 kids in the U.S. are sexually abused before their 18 birthday.
Statistics like these go on and on in America. As if they are not disturbing enough, now consider these:
- 69 million adults hope to get to heaven through faith in Jesus Christ
- 124 million people believe Jesus Christ is divine
- 100 million adults are members of churches or synagogues
- 40 million adults attend church weekly
- 132 million (82% of the population) adults believe that the Ten Commandments are valid today.
When you look at these statistics, it appears that Christianity is very much alive and well in our country. If so, why is sin so rampant? Why does it seem that we are continuously moving further and further away from God?
According to pollster George Barna, "Although most Americans believe they know the fundamental truths of the Scriptures, our research has discovered that fewer than 10% of American Christians actually possess a biblical worldview." He continued to say, "In short, the spirituality of Americans is Christian in name only. We desire experience more than knowledge. We seek comfort rather than growth. Faith must come on our terms or we reject it. We have enthroned ourselves as the final arbitraries of righteousness, the ultimate rulers of our own experience and destiny. We are the Pharisees of the new millennium." Barna also said that:
- The average Christian spends more time watching television in one evening than he or she spends reading the Bible during the entire week.
- Only 4 out of 10 people who claim to be Christian also claim they are "absolutely committed" to their faith
- 2 out of 3 born-again believers assert that there is no such thing as absolute moral truth.
The American church today has fallen victim to exactly what Jesus warned us of. We have allowed our 'lights' to be placed under a basket, and we have allowed our 'salt' to become tasteless. Notice that Jesus did not say, "You are my followers, therefore you have to do nothing else." He told us to 'shine' so that men might see the glory of God in us. Are we, as representatives of Christ, doing that?
How can a lost and dying world ever be healed if those with truth do not stand up for it? Look again at the number of Christians in the United States today. Can you imagine if each of those men and women dedicated themselves to witness to at least one person a week? Or to hand out at least five tracts a week? We represent Almighty God, and if we would stand for Him with the passion he deserves, I believe our country would be brought back to its Christian morals.
As you go throughout your weekly schedule, try to make a conscious effort to do something to stand up for Christ. Park a little bit further away from your place of work and slip tracts in the cars as you walk by. Place a tract in your electric bill. If you see someone who is not in a rush, try to strike up a conversation and share the gospel. We are led by the God of this universe, let's stand up for Him.