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Now this message may appear to be out of touch with reality in regards to what's going on and Covid 19, but it is very much in touch with reality if we were actually being the salt of the earth before Covid hit the world, So if your salt stayed in the shaker, this message should help us become more effective with our salt shakers in the near future when Covid is behind us.
Listen, Jesus Left Heaven To Get To Us, Satan Left Hell To Get To Us, And Yet We Will Not Leave The Church To Get To Them. In Order For You To Taste Salt, It Has To Touch Something. In Order For Salt To Change Something, It Has To Touch Something.
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. As children of God we have to get serious, we must surrender all to Him. We must get about our Father’s business because we are living in the End Times and it is urgent that we try to reach the unreached 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. Many will read this and say how can we reach anyone during this Covid? The question is; before Covid 19 were you being the salt of the earth outside of the walls? Today we are forced to be outside, but what are we doing with our salt shakers, have we made calls, since we have social distancing? Some churches have resumed having service in their building, however, we are forced to be outside of the walls, are we being effective inside our shakers?
In Order For You To Taste Salt, It Has To Touch Something. In Order For Salt To Change Something, It Has To Touch Something. For us salty Christians to change something, or someone, we have 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.
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. Now before you read the next few lines, were you doing any of this before Covid? If not read on, because when and if Covid subside in the name of Jesus; we could 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 with our masks on 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 are His salt, but we never leave the saltshaker?
I am sure God would love to hear 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 have YIELDED to the point that we have 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 must leave from within the church walls.
We must operate outside of our comfort zones, our pulpits, and pews. We must leave the meeting and the auxiliaries. We must 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 Will Not 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 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 saltshaker 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 have got to be involved with some people who are not 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 is time to look around your community for a place to volunteer so you can be in contact with some un-reached people with some 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? I know for some of us our defense or maybe excuse is a better word is that Covid has us locked in, but before Covid did we ever leave the saltshaker? Or someone will say, she wants us to catch Covid, talking about touching people, being the salt of the earth is not talking about physically touching people, but feeding people God's Word, the Good News, The Gospel, which is not always inside the sanctuary on Sunday's. Let us mask up and reach someone today or reach them with a word via telephone or text or invite them to a virtual watch party of a church service online if you cannot move around. Remember: Salt With No Touch, Has No Taste! Reach Them Today! It Is A Time Of Urgency.
Blessings
J.P. Olson
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