AGENTS OF POSITIVE IMPACT (1)

“...they may, by your GOOD WORKS which they observe, GLORIFY GOD in the day of visitation” – 1 Peter 2:12b

True Believers in Christ are to be AGENTS of POSITIVE IMPACT on Earth: “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your GOOD WORKS which they observe, GLORIFY GOD in the day of visitation” (1 Pet.2:11-12). We’re encouraged to live as Ambassadors for God, representing His Character and Message to the world. We’re to live a godly life as sojourners under scrutiny and pilgrims on earth, abstaining from sinful desires, behaving honorably, and witnessing to the Gospel in a hostile world.

The ideas of observable “good works” and “glorifying God” echo the Lord’s instructions in Matthew 5:14-16, Let your light so shine before men, that they may SEE your GOOD WORKS and GLORIFY your FATHER in HEAVEN.” In the preceding verses, the Lord had declared: “You are the SALT of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the LIGHT of the world. A CITY that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Mt.5: 13-14). Jesus used these imageries to describe the roles of His followers in the world. Originally, He taught these truths to a Jewish audience who as God's chosen people possessed His Word for the world. These truths are however applicable to all Believers. We must be Agents of Positive Impact.

The imageries of Salt, Light, and a City set on a Hill, strikingly illustrate the place and roles of the Believer in the world. Salt and Light are powerful Agents of Impact in their environments. Both have properties which affect things around them. Equally, the Believer in Christ is called to be an Agent of Positive Influence and God-glorifying Impact in the world around. Earlier, the Lord had assured His disciples that in following Him, He would make them fishers of men (Mt.4:19). Then, in this Sermon on the Mount, He unveiled the Beatitudes – a List of Kingdom Blessings (Mt.5:3-12), followed by these metaphors of salt, light, and a city on a hill.

God needed only His Son to make Eternal Impact: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jh.3:16). Jesus needed only twelve men to pioneer His eternal Agenda. Now, on the platform of His accomplished works, we have been redeemed as persons of Impact, with a mandate to spread the Gospel in word and deed, as Salt and Light. We are to do as much good in His Name as we can, and share the Light of the Gospel with as many as we can.