DIVINE LIGHTHOUSES (3)

“LET YOUR LIGHT so SHINE before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” – Matthew 5:16

The Church of the Living God is also a collective of DIVINE LIGHTHOUSES: “LET YOUR LIGHT so SHINE before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt.5:16). The Church is often signified as a spiritual Lighthouse. Being the True Light, Jesus went on to describe how the Believers are meant to function like a Lighthouse, both internally and externally: “You are the LIGHT of the WORLD. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Mt.5:14). While verse 14 presents the Identity of Believers and the Church, verse 16 spells out the assignment: “LET YOUR LIGHT so SHINE before men...” – function as My Divine Lighthouse to your world!

Paul consistently applied the Light Metaphor is his writings: “That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom YOU SHINE as LIGHTS in the world” (Phi.2:15). Believers are described as “Lights” – luminaries – in a faithless and willful generation. The same word is used in Genesis 1:14-15: “Then God said, “Let there be LIGHTS in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for LIGHTS in the firmament of the heavens to give LIGHT on the earth”; and it was so....”

The Christian Witness and Church's Role as Divine Lighthouses are two-fold: To Shine and to Share.

Believers are to Shine in a dark World (v.15b). We are to be lighthouses, warning men of the dangers of sin and pointing them to the safe harbour of salvation. We are to be light reflectors, reflecting the light of Jesus to those in darkness. We must light the way for others, just as the way was lit for us by others. We may be the only Bible some folks ever read: “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men” (2Cor.3:2).

Believers are to Share – “holding fast the word of life” (v.16a). The phrase “holding fast” or “holding forth” means “to present, to offer”. We are to share the faith we’ve been given with others. Everyone whose soul has been saved can and should be a light for the Lord (Acts 1:8). We must never underestimate what the Lord can do with our lives, if we will yield to Him and let Him shine through us!

When Believers worship and work together in unity, our Fellowship of Faith provides spiritual light amidst the world’s darkness. We are God’s Lighthouse because Jesus lives in and manifests through us. The Church and Believers provide spiritual direction to all who would hearken. Like the bright shining beam of a lighthouse, God’s love and light reach out, piercing the darkness of the world’s stormy nights.