A sermon by Ps. Zulvy Leon on September 3rd 2017
We are irreplaceable parts of the church that God has ordained. God’s vehicle to fulfill His promises is His church: His Kingdom, family, and ecclesia.
Matthew 5:13-16
The duty of the church is to decipher the culture. We are cultural watchdogs and we need to position ourselves according to the Word of God. God has given us a cultural mandate to work out the land and take dominion. This mandate was first given to Adam and it applies to all of us in our today’s culture. God wants us to be in this world and He wants us to produce and subdue or occupy the earth until He comes. To occupy has both militaristic and economic meanings which are to conquer and multiply what He has given. Therefore, we need to be involved in the culture. We have to be present in the battle of culture/ideology and in the intersection of commerce. God sent us as a sheep into a pack of wolves. Don’t stand in line or retreat. If you feel defeated or insecure, the devil has succeeded in his plan. We are the last hope of humanity that God will use to bring people back to the Lord.
Facebook recently reached a milestone of 2 billion subscribers. Facebook’s leader says that Facebook can fill in the role of the church which is to give a sense of purpose or community. Let’s reflect at where we are nowadays. Is church being replaced by other venue for other people to find a sense of meaning in their life? Are we working to fulfill the purpose that God has given to His church? As God’s tool, we’re supposed to be irreplaceable. But, if we’re losing the reason of why we’re here, we will no longer be relevant or useful and we will be easily replaced (Matthew 5:13). We have a calling. Don’t be absent from the battle of cultures.
If the salt loses its saltiness:
- The loss of QUALITY – IDENTITY
When salt that is fine and granular is left exposed to air, it will become rock solid. We have our own standard of morality, don’t let other standard be mixed into yours. Our quality is directly connected to the purity of our faith and morality which is the Gospel. When we lose our quality, we will no longer have a distinctive effect and we will lose our identity. The loss of identity does not happen overnight but it will happen gradually when we allow contaminant and other agents to start diluting our quality.
- The loss of USAGE – Purpose; Application
How do we taste the effect of salt if it was never actually used or sprinkled? As the church of God, are we staying in our comfort zone instead of going out to help, touch, and show compassion to other lives?
- The loss of SIGNIFICANCE – Role
Each of us has our role given from God. When we live as somebody else, we will lose our significance or usefulness because we no longer perform our role. Every single one of us was born unique, specially gifted and no one can replace you. It doesn’t matter how old you are but God has a unique calling for each of you. We have to find what our calling is and throughout our lives, we have to strive to fulfill that calling. As a church, our role is to allow people to come in, be connected with God’s heart and vision, equip them, encourage them, and send them out to connect other people to the Lord.
We are born as part of what is irreplaceable. Don’t check out of the call of life. The church has been here before Facebook and the church will still be around even after all social media will be long gone – as long as we are fulfilling our purpose that God has given us in this world.
Knowing Our Saltiness
- WHO You Are – the devil will always try to pin you for the sin that you’ve done. Sin is what we do as broken creatures but it’s not who we are, so if we fall into sin today, we don’t have to stay in it. Sin is what you have done but it’s not your identity because God has died in our place so that we are no longer overcome by sin.
- WHAT Is Your Purpose – There must be a purpose of why you are where you are and do what you do. Find your purpose.
- HOW Can We Accomplish – Once we find out our purpose, we need to figure out how we can accomplish it. That’s why it’s important for us to know the Word of God. It will direct and guide in our lives.
- WHY Do We Need to Accomplish It – If we check out from this battle, the body of the church of Christ will not be complete and it will be lopsided. Encourage one another so they will do good things that God has called them to do.
- WHERE Do We Need To Do It
- WHEN Is The Right Time – Your life is connected to His purpose in your generation. Now is the time to find your purpose and fulfill it.
Don’t be an irreplaceable church or individual. We are the ambassador of God’s irreplaceable church. Realize your purpose, identity, and significance because the Kingdom of God is tied to your life.