The Church is salt and light for the world. The Church does not need to become more like the world to reach the world.
We change the world when we become more like Christ. His truth still saves, His love and grace still transforms, and His way is still the only way to the Father!
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
The greatest danger to the Gospel is not that the world rejects the Church, it is that the Church embraces the world! When the Church begins to look more like the world than like Christ, the Church has lost its flavor, its distinction. It is like pouring water from a pitcher into a glass and then pouring the water back into the pitcher and expecting it to have a different flavor.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 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 basket. Instead, they set it on a 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 glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mat 5:13-16)
The Church is meant to be different, not distant—to be holy and humble, not haughty.
“One reason the church has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the church.” —Charles Spurgeon
