Every Christian is a witness and has an evangelistic lifestyle in a world that desperately needs Jesus. Jesus gave us two pictures that describe our lifestyle in relationship to a lost world.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. (Matthew 5:13-15)

The Salt of the Earth 

Like salt, Christians are the ‘salt of the earth’

1) Seasoning – The world is a better place for the presence of Christians

2) Antiseptic – It filters and purifies.

3) Irritates – Christians are not sugar to soothe, but salt to convict.

4) Preservative – Christians are to hold back the decay of this world.

Salt does its work because of its chemical compound – Sodium Chloride. Salt, like character, is a hidden work.

Christians are the ‘salt of the earth’ but sometimes we are ineffective…

  • Saltless Salt? Pure sodium chloride, like Jesus does not change. But rock salt, like Christians, has impurities and the pure salt might leach out. It is often gradual and impossible to reestablish. Saltless Christians are rejected by Christians and the world.
  • Salt has to come in contact with the substance to make effect. It does not work at a distance. The greatest problem in serving Christ is contact with sinners without contamination. But we must connect with the unsaved to reach them for Christ.

The Light of the World

Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12). But now, in His absence, Christians are the Light of the World.

Like the moon, Christians are but the reflection of the ‘real’ light. I found several similarities between the moon and Christians.

  1. The Moon is a dead planet.
  2. The Moon reflects the sun’s rays.
  3. The Moon bears the craters of the past.
  4. An eclipse occurs when the world gets between the sun and the moon.
  5. The Moon is the same size as the sun, from the perspective of Earth.

Light, to be useful, must be seen. If it is kept under a basket, it does little good. I found a few

  • People are confused in the dark. Everything looks distorted. That’s why many people do the things they do. They live in the dark.
  • Only we can hide our light.
  • Our light shines brightest at home. Shine the love of Jesus to your family. 

God’s evangelistic strategy in a nutshell is: He desires to build into you and me the beauty of His own character (salt), and then put us on display (light). We are salt (character – hidden) and light (Jesus – seen).

You can read some of my other articles about reaching people for Jesus: Walk vs. Talk- Balance in Evangelism, 3 Things I Learned about Evangelism from a Time Share Sales Pitch, Miraculous Chile Miners Rescue.

You can read my other Sermon on the Mount articles: Life Redefined: Sermons from The Sermon on the Mount.