Christian (4) – Preserve and Shine

Welcome to part four our series Christian and I think by now you are ready to call yourself a disciple, or not?! But whatever you want to call yourself you probably realized that if you want to know what Jesus meant, watch what Jesus did. Being a follower of Jesus really is about living a life like Jesus lived, not simply about believing in some things. Last week we talked about insiders and outsiders, do you still remember our motto? That’s right, Judge in Not out. I certainly hope that we live it out in our church.

Today if you travel to Rome you will see lots of crosses. But if you could go back in time and tell first century Christians living in Rome that their city would one day be full of crosses celebrating Jesus, they wouldn’t believe you. They lived in an environment that was hostile to their faith. People around them even considered them members of a strange cult. The emperor Nero falsely accused them of setting the Great Roman Fire of 64 AD and punished them by crucifying them and feeding them to dogs. The apostles Peter and Paul were martyred during Nero’s persecution.

Yet by the third century, Christianity had grown into the official religion of Rome. How did such a hated, powerless people become so influential?

Moving Forward

If you’re a Christian, it’s because someone was salt and light in your life. You’ve had providential relationships. When you look back on your life, those people were “towns on a hill,” showing you the way to God’s grace. Their persistence may have been a little irritating, but their love changed your life.

Be salt. Be light.

Salt always preserves. Light always shows the way.

Discussion Questions

1. If you’re a Christian, talk about the people who influenced your faith by being salt and light in your life. What did you learn from their example? If you’re not a Christian, talk about followers of Jesus who left you with a good impression of Christianity. What was it about them you liked? How were they different from other Christians you’d met?

2. Read Matthew 5:3–12. Is what Jesus describes realistic? In what practical ways could you live as he describes at home or at work?

3. Read Matthew 5:13-16. Why is it so rare for Christians to be salt and light in the world? Why is it difficult to live as Jesus describes?

4. In this series we talked about Jesus’ command to love others. How does that command relate to being salt and light in the world?

5. Who is one person for whom you can be salt and light? What is one thing you can do this week to help that person connect the dots between how you live and the God you serve?