Matthew 5:14-16 NIV
"You are the
light of the world. A city 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 men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your
Father in heaven.
How Are You Impacting Your World?
The other day I was in a second grade classroom
surrounded by children who were asking me questions and wanting help. Suddenly a little boy next to me asked, “Why
do you smell so good?” I ignored him and
kept talking with other children and he asked me again, “Mr. Walkup, why do you
smell so good?” I was so flummoxed by
his question that I could give no response to the boy and was a bit dumbfounded
for a few moments. How come he noticed
me? What made him say that I smelled
good? How was I supposed to
respond? Of course you should never be
surprised by what little children say whether it is good or bad. They speak their mind and they are super
sensitive to what is going on about them.
Their environment matters profoundly to them and although many of us
have grown desensitized, it does to too us also.
Have you given much thought to what impact you make
on others? Not just close family members
and friends but but anyone who comes in contact with you? What part do you play in creating an
environment for others? You can ignore
this question and many do. Unless you
are attracted to someone or in trouble or wanting to get something from
someone, you may not think about the impact you make on those around you. Other than pop psychologists who make lots of
money teaching people how to influence others, rarely is much thought given to
our impact on those about us. There is
however reason to ponder this question and take it seriously. How do you impact the environment of others?
You have seen this phenomenon. A strong personality alters the climate of a
room and changes the culture of a workplace.
One child can completely change a classroom and one person influences
how a worship service goes. Yet you
don’t have to be charismatic or loud or funny or pushy to be felt and
impactful. All you need is Christ living
in you to change the world.
The Lord used interesting metaphors to talk about
your influence. "You are the light of the world. A city 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 men, that they may see your good deeds and
praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 NIV) The light of the world, a city on a hill;
that is what He says you are. Of course
for most, that is a preposterous statement.
Who is like that? Maybe Beyoncé
or Tom Cruise or Stephen Curry! Do you
feel like when you enter a room all eyes are on you, everyone turns to hear
what you have to say? Yet you have to
take seriously Jesus’ statements like this because He gives the actual
situation rather than what mere appearances seem to indicate.
Now I realize we are talking about the Apostle
Peter, the majestic disciple who stood above all the rest until Paul came along
but it is pertinent what is discovered in Acts 5: 12 and following. The
apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all
the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they
were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women
believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the
streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might
fall on some of them as he passed by. (Acts 5: 12-15 NIV) Even the
shadow of Peter impacted crowds. He did
not have to say anything or do anything to have a dramatic effect on
others. What if this was the case with
you? Can you imagine your shadow being
such a powerful influence?
Remember that Jesus declares that you are a city
upon a hill, that you are the light of the world. This is not just speaking of some great
church leader or someone long gone. He
is speaking of you, that you are influential, that you change the way others
see things, that when you are present, people are impacted by you being there
in profound ways. What if your shadow
was just as influential as Peter’s? What
if your presence was dramatically life altering? Could you imagine being such a person?
Paul said something that I cannot easily shake and
it should make you pause But
thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and
through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among
those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the
other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? (2 Corinthians
2:14-16 NIV) Everywhere you go, the
knowledge of Christ permeates those who come in contact with you. This is not a natural work but supernatural
and it takes faith to believe it is so.
You bring Christ to your conversations, to your meetings, to each place
that you go. Now this fragrance of
Christ may be faint or it could be strong but it is there nonetheless and you
bring it with you.
Surely we understand at least in theory, if not in
practice, that how we live our lives impacts everyone else. A smile we share, a pat on the back, a warm
handshake, something encouraging or complimentary that we say changes the
climate of a room. If we rant or rage,
if we criticize, make a sarcastic comment, gossip, lie, pout, we alter the room
too. The power of our personality
affects others and we certainly know that is so. We may not live with that in mind but are
aware of it. If Christ is in you, then
His presence, which is supernatural affects everyone who comes in contact with
you and there is a ripple effect; one person impacted changes even slightly the
next person and so on and how far the effect travels we cannot measure. If your personality changes the lives of
those about you, imagine just how powerfully the personality of the Lord of the
Universe living in you impacts those who come in contact with the Christ in
you.
We don’t have time to describe the impact demons
have in our world today. The Apostle
Paul warned that even those who profess to be Christians would be driven from
God by demons and accept the view of life they promote. The Spirit clearly says that in later times
some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by
demons. (1 Timothy 4:1 NIV) We
know what sorts of brokenness the Gospels tell us demons caused and how Jesus
drove demons away from people and they were healed. How much depression, anxiety, anger,
bitterness, and physical suffering is brought on by demons even now? Is it possible that where you work, at the
schools and among your friends, demons are wrecking lives and making people
miserable? Of course it is and if Christ
could bring joy and peace to people in His time before He was crucified, what
great good might He do today through you?
It is not preposterous to think that Christ in you can heal depression,
calm anger, take away anxiety and even make the sick well! Of course He can!
Our Lord said that to be used by the Father like He
was, you must have faith in the Father too.
You must believe that Christ will powerfully work through you if you are
available to God to do with as He wishes.
What might Christ do through you?
We cannot say but why would He not use you to bring peace and joy to those
He has in your life? I think that if you
want Christ to change the world through your life, it starts with prayer. James the brother of Jesus said, “And the prayer offered in faith will make
the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be
forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to
each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a
righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:15-16 NIV) Pray for every person you can. Make sure no sin is strangling your life with
Christ and be available to the Father. You
too can release from demonic bondage those Christ has entrusted to your care!
