Salt and Light

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:13-16)

I opened the Discipleship seminar last night with the word "Imagine." I then proceeded to tell the participants to imagine a world in which Christ rules the hearts and lives of every single person on this earth… A time when hypocrisy and pride have been subjugated… A time when deception has vanished and trust has been restored… A time when children can once again be free to walk alone in our cities… And a time when war has been vanquished and all men love their neighbors as themselves…

Then I brought us back to reality recognizing that this vision will never come to pass this side of our Master's return. However, knowing this doesn't free us from our obligation to work towards this vision as set out in the Great Commission — that we would make disciples of all nations and teach them to live lives that are in submission to the King of the Universe and bring glory to His name on this earth. Pirkei Avot 2:21 says:

“It is not incumbent upon you to finish the task. Yet, you are not free to desist from it.”

This is a reminder that although we have been given a task that we in no way can complete, we must continue to strive towards the goal and do our part. Why? Because when we do our part, the Kingdom is advanced and God is sanctified and proclaimed throughout the earth. Someone once said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." How true! This is why the Kingdom of Darkness is advancing while the Kingdom of Light is being trampled upon. I believe this is primarily due to our misunderstanding of the task. Therefore, we have been frantically preoccupied with labors that have kept us busy, but have not produced the results which corresponds to our Commission. It's a problem of making disciples.

You see, discipleship is like economics — everyone recognizes the problem, but no one can agree on how to fix it. But I sincerely believe that if we truly understand discipleship from a first century perspective, we can regain the ground we have lost over the centuries. I firmly believe that every disciple has the ability to change the world and that it begins with me.

Before the seminar began I had the opportunity to talk with a man named Mark. At one point in our conversation he asked me about my credentials. I told him that essentially I had none. At first I was a little intimidated with my response, but then I realized that it was actually an advantage for advancing the message of discipleship. During the seminar I was able to share this interaction and tell them that I had no degree, no seminary training, no ordinations. The only thing I had was my passion to see the in-breaking of the Kingdom into the lives of men and women. I said the reason I feel my inadequacy is good for them is that we are all on the same level. If I can do this, so can they. Many were encouraged by this and mentioned it as a point of inspiration.

One person emailed me the following comments:

"I thoroughly enjoyed your well thought out Power Point and you truly help make the scriptures of our Lord on how they were intended come alive. Thank you. I wish my sons were home from college at the time so they could have joined me on your wonderful and anointed walk through of what it really means to be a follower and a disciple of Christ/Yeshua. Devote, Memorize, Imitate and Replicate, yes, so true and what is needed to “sell out” and be a faithful follower of Jesus."

These are encouraging words and reflect the reason why we are teaching the principles of discipleship from a first century perspective. May each one of us become faithful disciples of our Master, truly living out the principles of His Kingdom so that we are salt and light to a world which is tasteless and dim.

If you would like for the Discipleship From A First Century Perspective to be brought to your church or community, please use our contact form or call us at 501.339.8151 to make arrangements.