Shining Our Light

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said,

“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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”(Matthew 5:14-16, NIV 2011)

Yesterday, during the worship service we talked about the importance of being exposed to the truth. It is so important that we gather with fellow believers who will speak the truth to us. We need people who will speak the truth to encourage us, but also to admonish us.

I mentioned that my belief that Scripture is the Word of God means that I look to it as an authority. I realize that even my own thoughts can be misleading. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death” (NIV 2011). I need a higher authority, so I want to know what God has revealed as was confirmed by his Son.

I want for us to be a congregation that is always seeking the Lord’s will and desire for us rather than depending upon the winds of culture. Remember what we saw in last week’s text: “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14, NIV 2011). The Word of God needs to be our foundation, and it should also be the light that we shine to those around us.

Those of you who will be tuning into the Olympics, might find this article from Christianity Today interesting: click here for the article. It’s a series of short profiles of Olympic athletes who are Christians and vocal about their faith. It’s always neat to see some of the back stories of those who are competing. This is an example of fellow Christians who are using the gifts God has given them to shine their light before others.

Remember that the Danvers-Carlock Youth Group will be leading our worship service next Sunday and sharing about their recent mission trip. Let’s have a good turnout to show our support.

Remember also that the following week, August 21st, will be our worship service at Danvers Days. We will not be having morning worship at North Danvers’ building on that day.

Kickoff Sunday will be September 11th. Our Sunday Schools will begin on that day, and we will resume our schedule of 9am Sunday School and 10:10am for our worship service. Remember to invite a friend.

God bless, Brian