Matthew 5:13 “Let me tell you why
you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors
of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?
You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.” (MSG)
In
the past week God has placed on my heart the urgency of the hour.
My readings may reflect that. I know they have been lengthy and I assure
you I will get back to shortening the readings. As children of God we
have to get serious, we
have to surrender all to Him. We have to get about our Father’s business
because we are living in the End Times and it is urgent that we try to
reach
the un-reached for many are lost.
The whole reason we’re here is to be 'salt-seasoning that brings out the
God-flavors of this earth'. But
if the salt never touches anything, how does it change anything? This makes me
think of the evangelism that has so greatly halted in our churches. Oh, we go
to church week-after-week, Sunday School; Sunday worship;
prayer; bible study; meetings; rehearsals; revivals; special services and the
like, and we’re quite comfortable sitting in our sanctuaries (a.k.a. “salt shakers”), well
contained! Problem? Salt is touching salt,
but touching nothing else.
In
order for you to taste salt, it has to
touch something. In order for salt to change something, it has to touch
something. In order for us salty Christians to change something, or
someone,
we’ve got to touch it and them! We can’t remain in the salt-shaker,
where we’re
useless because we’re touch-less and tasteless. Many people believe that
you have to be a pastor/leader to introduce someone to Christ but that
is all of our responsibility. Everyday some of us are somewhere or doing
something where we can witness to others whether it is the gas station,
grocery store, hair salon or some sports activity.
Therefore, we can’t sit
in our churches and complain about the world and the way it is, while we sit in
the salt-shaker sanctuary touching nothing and nobody. But just imagine if we
actually left the salt-shaker sanctuary and went to shake some salt in the
nursing homes, in the hospitals, at chemotherapy, at dialysis, in the prisons,
in the homeless shelters, at the soup kitchens, in the cancer centers. What
change might we bring about if only we’d leave the salt-shaker sanctuary?
What
if we shook some salt while standing in the grocery aisle, in the barbershop,
or at the nail and hair salon? What if we shook some salt at our jobs, in our
families and in our communities? What if we shook some salt in that
drug-infested park, or gang-infested territory? What if we shook some salt as
we walk the streets from day-to-day, passing countless ‘tasteless’ individuals
on the way? I mean after all, the Bible says that’s what we’re here for, right?
Isn’t that our purpose? Isn’t that our charge? Isn’t that our call; to be the
salt of the earth?
Is it possible that
people haven’t tasted God, because we haven’t touched them with Him? With His
unconditional love, His sufficient grace and new mercies. With His forgiveness,
kindness, compassion and encouragement. With His protection, provision, and
presence. With His unspeakable joy and reassuring peace.
I reiterate, is it
possible that people haven’t tasted God, because we haven’t touched them with
Him? Psalm 34:8, “Open your
mouth and taste, open your eyes and see – how good God is. Blessed are you who
run to Him.” (MSG) But, how can people “taste” how good God
is, if we’re His salt, but we never leave the salt-shaker?
I'm sure God would love to hear the sounds of His salt getting out
of the shaker more often! After all, the work salt is supposed to do is not
inside the salt shaker, all clustered together with the other salt. It's
supposed to get out and change the flavor of something!
Matthew 28:18-20,
“Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in
heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of
all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My
words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo,
I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually – regardless of
circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.” (AMP)
Now, how are we to make disciples 'OF ALL NATIONS', if we never
leave the pulpit or the pew?
How is it God said 'GO', but we’ve YIELDED to the point that we’ve
actually STOPPED?
How can we 'MAKE' something without ever touching it?
How are people to 'LEARN' of our God if we’re the TEACHERS who are
never in CLASS with our STUDENTS? How can they 'BELIEVE' Him if we don’t tell them ABOUT Him?
How can they be expected to 'OBEY HIS WORD', when they haven’t HEARD
HIS WORD?
Romans 10:14, “But how will people
call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in Him of
whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher
(messenger)?” (AMP)
Furthermore, how are they to be 'BAPTIZED', without us touching
them?
According to Jesus, "You are the salt of the earth…” not of the sanctuary! But of the entire Earth! This means we
have to leave from within the church walls. We have to operate outside of our
comfort zones, our pulpits and pews. We have to leave the meeting and the
auxiliaries. We have to leave the
Fellowship to go Fellowship, before they all Drown!
Can you imagine the
horror on the face of an individual who’s fighting with all their might,
absolutely terrified that they may die any minute while trying to stay afloat
in the troubling waters of life…and yet, we, the church, Jesus’ Life-Guards,
are standing on the shore, watching…equipped to help…but just watching…knowing
how to save…but choosing to just watch…having the Word that will deliver from
destruction…and yet we remain on the shore, still watching. People are
struggling at sea, because the saints are only concerned with their safety on
shore. This should not be!
Listen, Jesus Left Heaven
To Get To Us, Satan Left Hell To Get To Us, And Yet We Won’t Even Leave The
Church To Get To Them?
As Christians we were never meant to be all clustered together in a
spiritual salt shaker, just salting each other and soaking up more blessings,
miracles and the like for ourselves. The salt's got to be in direct contact
with the meat or the vegetables that need it.
Acts 17:6, “But when
they did not find them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the Lord’s
followers. They took them to the city authorities and shouted, “PAUL AND SILAS
HAVE BEEN UPSETTING THINGS EVERYWHERE. NOW THEY HAVE COME HERE.” (CEV). They
took the gospel message “EVERYWHERE”! And we can’t get folks
“…PAUL AND SILAS HAVE
TURNED THE REST OF THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN, AND NOW THEY ARE HERE DISTURBING OUR
CITY,” THEY SHOUTED.” (TLB) – Now, when is the last time you touched the world,
and unbelievers, in such a way that you disturbed them? Disturbed their sin,
their wickedness, their unbelief, their habits and addictions. When is the last
time you disturbed the devil? When is the last time you turned the city upside
down? When is the last time you gave someone a taste of God by giving them a
touch from God?
When is the last time we’ve made an impact like this on the world,
as the church?! When is the last time we went door-to-door letting them know Jesus is King? When is the
last time we’ve attacked sin, the very thing the unbeliever holds dear? When is
the last time we touched the world in such a manner that they couldn’t deny the
taste of God?!
People of God, we have
to do more than rub shoulders with each other in the salt shaker sanctuary!
Think about it, salt on top of salt is dangerous and deadly to our physical
health…could it be just as dangerous and deadly to our spiritual health as well?
If the last days are
really upon us, what are we doing sitting in salt shakers?
This is what we should be doing in these last and evil days.
Preaching the gospel truth message to the masses as God’s servants! Not to each
other! But to others! If we don’t touch, they don’t taste, they’ll just settle
for tickling! And do you really want to be held responsible for that?
Like it or not, but if your time is
pretty much spent with Christians alone, well you're missing your mission!
We'll do that in heaven! We'll hang out together all the time, for all
eternity! But right now we've got to be involved with some people who aren't
going to heaven yet! It's time for you to take all that you've been storing up
spiritually and start taking it to places and people where it's really needed.
It's time to look
around your community for a place to volunteer so you can be in contact with
some un-reached people with some really deep needs. You need a community
connection, not just a church connection; something that will put the salt of
your life in contact with some of the lives that really need the flavor of
Jesus! Remember: “…if you lose your saltiness, how will people taste
godliness?” They can’t taste godliness without first touching your saltiness.
So, are you within reach? Are you still salty? Are you in use? Are you
available? Are you touchable?
Let today be the day
that you challenge yourself, your family and friends, your community and certainly
your church to come out the salt shaker and touch the world with a taste of
God! 'Many' are waiting, but will you be counted in the number with the 'few',
who are in fact available to proclaim the message of salvation to the masses?
Remember: Salt With No
Touch, Has No Taste! Reach Them Today!
J.P. Olson
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