Dare ya. Be lit, yes, on fire for Christ.
"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness." ~ Chinese Proverb
it's better to live lit for Jesus Christ! God is the One who lights us on fire for Him.
"The Lord will light my candle so, that it shall shine full bright: the Lord my God will also MAKE MY DARKNESS TO BE LIGHT." Psalm 18:28 #Bible #emphMINE
You've heard this. As a teenager, I used to hear this quoted and thought it was merely a religious quip (given with spooky voice and all), but think about it again. It's true and can well-inform your approach, believer. I mean regarding your own career, relationships at school or work or with some of your relatives, your politics (either evil side), or your social media interactions.
Me thinks, hey let your very life shine bright, Kurt. Can't do this all alone, but preach loudly and add in words of truth as well, like from your own story and God's word when the time is right. When it's fitting and helpful.
The Bible says, "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching." 2 Timothy 4:2 esv
Can one really say what's so in season or out (currently this is out of season, but so what).. I mean in a way that's not all preachy, or spooky, evangelasssstic or disrespectfully-pushy? Sure! Go for it, let the Holy Spirit guide and empower you.
Factoid: Real demons fiercely hate the light of the Lord. Yes, even when light is reflected from His obedient people. Think about how many Martyrs were killed for shining out and saying what's so in this dark world, those being good witnesses and those verbally giving witness of Jesus.
Remember how in Genesis, the creation of light was God’s first creative task (Genesis 1:3). His first move on darkness. When He was at it generating life here, light was God’s initial instrument for illuminating the dark and formless void. It was the inaugural instance of God shining light out into the darkness.
When John spoke of the Incarnation, he was basically echoing the creation account. "God is light" (1 John 1:5, light is a common metaphor in the Bible. See Proverbs 4:18, it symbolizes righteousness as the “morning sun.” And Philippians 2:15 likens God’s children who are “blameless and pure” to shining stars in the sky. Jesus used light as a picture of good works: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds” (Matthew 5:16). Psalm 76:4 says of God, “You are radiant with light.”).
The Bible repeatedly tells us that God is the source of life and light -- in fact Jesus is the way, the truth and the life:
“For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see” (Psalm 36:9, nlt; see also Acts 17:28; Psalm 27:1). “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Jesus Christ is God’s light sent down to earth to pierce through the darkness. That light is God’s life, both physical and eternal. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25; see also John 14:6). The life within Christ is the life of God: “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself” (John 5:26).
The Bible tells us that the life of Christ serves as a light to all people. That life is the light of truth—the message of Christ’s salvation and eternal life with God: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11). The brilliance of Christ’s life and truth shine like a light into the darkness of this world.
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| Pic by Mike Labrum |
What about exposing evil, does God say there is a need for that? (see Bible context):
1. Ephesians 5:11-12 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
2. Psalm 94:16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand for me against those who practice iniquity?
3. John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
A most quoted verse to Christians from people partying away and enjoying their sin: "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" Matthew 7:1-3 kjv
Only one casts the final judgment, and it ain't you or me. Have some religious folk and real Christians been self-righteously, haughty, critical and judgemental? Yes, and sadly you've met some. They confuse people cuz God hates that snooty pride. It gives the gospel a black eyes so to speak.
4. Titus 1:10-13 - For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.
5. 1 Corinthians 6:2 - Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?
6. James 5:20 - let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
7. Galatians 6:1 - Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
8. Matthew 18:15-17 - If your brother sins against you, go and confront him while the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two others with you so that ‘every word may be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If, however, he ignores them, tell it to the congregation. If he also ignores the congregation, regard him as an unbeliever and a tax collector.
Sometimes remaining silent can be a sin. Duh. Bonhoeffer didn't keep quiet and the Nazis killed him.
9. Ezekiel 3:18-19 - If I say to the wicked, “You shall surely die,” and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.
10. Isaiah 5:20 - Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
11. James 4:4 - You adulterers! Don’t you know that friendship with the world means hostility with God? So whoever wants to be a friend of this world is an enemy of God.
12. 1 Corinthians 10:20-21 - No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
13. 1 John 2:15 - Stop loving the world and the things that are in the world. If anyone persists in loving the world, the Father’s love is not in him.
14. John 3:20 - Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
15. John 4: 1 - Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
16. Matthew 7:21-23 - Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
17. Matthew 12:34 - You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
18. Matthew 3:7 - But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
19. Acts 13:9-10 - Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?”
20. 1 Corinthians 3:1 - Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly–mere infants in Christ.
21. 1 Corinthians 5:1-2 - It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
22. Galatians 2:11-14 - But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
