Jesus Shined The Light

What Did Jesus Do?

The true light...was coming into the world.
John 1.9

I visited a church a couple of weeks ago and heard the pastor and the choir proclaim in word and in song that the congregation was like a lighthouse. In fact, the pastor challenged the building committee to figure out a way to put a light in the church steeple, the better to resemble a lighthouse. I remember thinking that this was all well and good, but light up in a steeple doesn't do any more good than light that stays in the lighthouse. The important thing for light is to shine out, to go into the midst of deep darkness and bring its illumination. From out of heaven with all its light and majesty, the Father sent the Son, the true light, into the world with all its darkness and sin.

What the church that thought of itself as a lighthouse needs to do, actually, what every church needs to do, is not set up a beacon and wait for people to come, but send out the light to those who dwell in deep darkness, and let it shine! (Isaiah 9.2) And do you know how a church shines the light of Jesus out into the world? It sends its members out to be the light, which is exactly what Jesus charged his followers to do (See Matthew 5.14-16). People walking in darkness, who see a far off light, may very well never make it to the light, after all, there is a lot of dangerous, even deadly, stuff, in all the darkness that lies between those who are lost and the source of the light.

It is not enough to keep your lighthouse all ship shape, the lamp oiled, the light burning. You have to shine the light, send it out, project it over dark, rocky, and stormy seas so that it reaches the sailors. If a church isn't intentional about sending out all of its members in mission, to be the light of Christ in their homes, schools, offices, neighborhood, community, there is little reason to celebrate being a lighthouse, because the dwellers of the dark will never receive the life-saving light.

Think about it. Just how many of us do you think would be saved if the Father had not sent the light of the Son into the world? Come on, just take a guess! That's right—ZERO. Zippidee-do-dah. Not one. All of us would remain lost, dead in our sin, with no hope whatsoever. But, praise God, the True Light has come. And the Holy Spirit has given us eyes to see the True Light. And ears to hear the True Word of God. And new hearts to receive and respond to the Light and the Word. It remains for us to do what we were told to do, be the light, shine the light, bear the light out into the darkness, which might be a son or daughter's room just down the hall, or a neighbor's house across the street, or the desk next to ours in school, or the office water cooler. Sad to say, the darkness is deep and pervasive. But, take heart, the light overcomes. Always. So be bold, turn up your candle-power, and let the light shine! That's what Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4