Marketing Jesus Christ. God, Testimony, Faith, Love, Mission, Church, Blessings, Owners Manual. Bob Conklin, Dr. Baltes, Arlene Work, Jim Work,YouTube.com

Matthew 5:13-16; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
Related Sunday School Lesson, Family Bible Series, August 20

Irrelevant. It’s a dreadful word, really. I’ll confess it is a word that haunts my thoughts in the dark and quiet of the middle of the night. Whether the sphere is personal, professional, or spiritual, the one thing I never want to be is, irrelevant.

Appropriate humility notwithstanding, God has seen to it that we need never be deemed irrelevant. We can make a difference in this world.

“Make a difference” is a phrase that is used so much, so glibly, about so many unimportant things, that it has lost some of its punch. I entered “making a difference” in Google and got 431 million hits. I assure you, that kind of “difference” will be a mile wide and an inch deep. When we remember, though, that the difference we’re to make, the impact we’re to have, is to bring glory to God, then the bar is raised in a meaningful way.

How can we make a difference in the world?

Stay near the world, but distinct from it 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

As believers, there is always the risk that we’ll get so near the world that we’ll blend in to irrelevance. With that concern in mind, Paul said, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Cor. 6:14). This verse is often applied to the marriage relationship, but it is really about all of our relationships. Now, taken to its extreme, this verse might cause the believer to isolate himself completely from the world. In a prior writing, Paul balances his warning with the reminder that we can’t completely remove ourselves from the presence of fallen people. “In that case you would have to leave this world” (1Cor. 5:10).

Paul’s warning to us is a caution against forming any relationship that will silence our witness or cause us to compromise our faith. He uses a series of contrasts (vv. 14-16) to ask the rhetorical question, “How could you even consider it?” The implied answer should be obvious to any believer.

Why?

Because “we are the temple of the living God” (6:16b). As the Temple was holy and dedicated to the purposes of honoring God, so our dwelling place must be holy and dedicated to the purposes of honoring God.

Paul follows this promise with a command (7:1). The first part of the verse gives us the requirement, the second, the result.

The requirement is to “purify” ourselves. “Purify” means to put away deliberately. “Contaminates,” means that which stains and can include moral, mental, physical and ceremonial stains. In other words, we are to remove anything in our lives which would stain our personality and diminish our reflection of Jesus.

When we do that, the result is “perfecting holiness,” becoming more like Jesus.

A little girl fell out of bed one night. The next morning she explained it like this to her mother. “I guess I fell asleep too close to where I got in.”

To prevent that from happening in our walk with the Lord, to be sure we are continually becoming more and more like Jesus, we must stay near the world, but distinct from it.

Let God use you 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

To make a difference in the world, let God use you.

God’s economy is counter-intuitive. It seems to work in a way that is contrary to common sense. God chose (chooses) ordinary people to do extraordinary things. What he takes away from you and me: “not many of you were … wise … influential … of noble birth” (1:26), he gives back to God: “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus” (1:30). So, if there’s any bragging to take place, it will be about Him.

Where we are inadequate, he makes us adequate. Jesus then becomes in us, everything we are not, our “wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and redemption” (1:30).

Our value is realized in a relationship with God, not through personal accomplishment. Our value is at its greatest when we let God compensate for our weaknesses and use us as he sees fit.

Be salt and light Matthew 5:13-16

To make a difference in the world, decide to be salt and light. The natural conclusion of “come apart from them” and “being in Christ,” is to have an impact on the world for God’s glory. So, Jesus purposely uses the analogies of salt and light to describe our calling. If His desire for us was to learn how to win arguments, He might have used an analogy that emphasized us being clever or forceful. Instead, he calls us to influence our world and calls on us to consider the characteristics of salt and light.

Salt

• Purifies. Salt was considered the purist of things because it came from the purest of things, the sun and sea. We imitate the purity of salt when our thoughts, words and deeds are motivated by love. That’s what Paul meant when he said that we must “purify ourselves from everything that contaminates” (2 Cor. 7:1).

• Preserves. Plutarch said that meat is a dead body, and, left to itself, will go bad. But salt preserves it. When you die to yourself and take the spirit of Jesus into your life, you will preserve your life. We are to present and commend the life-preserving spirit of Jesus to a sick and dying world.

• Gives flavor. Salt adds zest to dull food. Your life is like salt when it is flavored with the joy of victory.

Light

Light dispels darkness! Wherever it is introduced, darkness flees. Our calling is to introduce light into every dark corner of a dark world.

That’s because, the end of “coming apart from them,” and “being in Christ,” is to influence our world for Christ.

Romans 10:9-10 (New International Version)

Dr. John M. Cimbala

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Testimony

Contents

Legal testimony

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Religion

Make a Difference

The People Who Make a Difference

Making a difference in the world
By Steve Kimmel, Pastor, First Baptist Smyrna