Page 3 - October 2024 - Truth & Tidings

s the culture is declining, the of our comfort zones to reach others with
Church is detaching. It’s easy for the gospel while maintaining a good tes-
Athis to happen. We feel helpless to timony.
stop the slide of society away from bibli- Are assemblies having a salty influence
cal values, and because this reality is so in our day? Are we engaged with the issues
discouraging, we prefer to spend our time of our time because we are involved with
with likeminded believers. To be sure, such people? While some of our assemblies are
fellowship is needed and encouraged (Heb shrinking numerically, we should be fair
10:25), but we must balance this with a re- enough to acknowledge that some congre-
minder that our calling is to influence the gations outside of our circles are growing
culture, not avoid it. This, then, begs the for good reasons. Men are boldly preach-
question. What are we supposed to do? The ing truth, and people in their localities are
answer is found in remembering what we intrigued by it, even impressed. They are
are supposed to be, something we see on standing up for biblical values in relation
the kitchen table every day – salt. to marriage, gender, the sanctity of life,
The Lord Jesus said, “You are the salt of male leadership in the church, etc. And
the earth” (Mat 5:13). The scope is wide people know that they are! Do people in our
1
(“the earth”), meaning that believers in communities know what we stand for? Yes,
Christ are a potential influence for good we must declare the unchanging gospel
on everyone everywhere. Like salt, our im- and teach assembly principles. But we
pact is intended to be a preservative from must not let other biblical subjects fall by
moral corruption. First, we must model the wayside. Is our preaching connecting
purity, keeping ourselves “unstained from to the culture? Is it relevant? If so, are we
the world” (Jas 1:27). Then we can preach salty enough to let our voices be heard? Are
against impurity, declaring both sin’s we bold enough to preach against sin and
penalty and provision. But staying salty is how Scripture defines it? Are we bypassing
a real challenge. Rather than influencing particular subjects so as not to offend? Are
culture, we tend to be influenced by it.
When this happens, this type of salt, Jesus we censoring some of our online sermons
to avoid drawing attention? Would protests
said, “is no longer good for anything ex- in front of our buildings be too much to
cept to be thrown out and trampled under
people’s feet” (Mat 5:13). When we lose our endure because we stood for the Word of
saltiness, we lose respect, and the value of God? Would we prefer our communities
our influence is treated as worthless. to know less about what we truly believe
But we must be involved in people’s so that we can enjoy our relatively hassle-
lives. Salt has to be on things and in things free lives?
to have an impact. We must have meaning- These are challenging questions, but if
ful engagement with lost people around us. we are losing our influence, it’s because we
This means spilling out of the saltshaker have lost our saltiness. And if we lose that,
the world will take our whole message with
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the ESV a grain of salt.

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