God brought us into His Kingdom by a strong arm. His love for us caused Him to release the Second Person of the God Head who paid the prize for our redemption. It is very clear from the planning and execution of our redemption that God loves us so much, but hardly do we meditate on what He did for us. If we do, it will come to our hearts that God would not have gone into such an elaborate and costly length to reconcile us to Himself.
Remember that the redemption plan was conceived before the foundation of the earth. Jesus is called the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the earth. Our redemption caused the God Head to sit in conference; they took a decision to make man in God’s image and likeness. Man was to be like God, a tripartite being, having the ability to choose. God was seeking a race of beings called men, who He could fellowship with on the basis of equality.
Occupy:
Jesus Christ commanded us to occupy till He comes, for He is coming back to receive us unto Himself. But while we are still here on earth, we are to make a difference. We are to affect this world positively and thereby give opportunity for others to come to the knowledge of the truth concerning Him
Light and Salt in the World:
The Book of Matthew chapter 5:13-16 gives an account of words spoken by Jesus to His disciples. These words describe the believer’s ordained purpose in the earth.
Mat 5:13 You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and to be trodden underfoot by men.
Mat 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Mat 5:15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the grain-measure, but on a lampstand. And it gives light to all who are in the house.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.
This passage simply reveals that we are saved for a purpose. We were delivered so that we can become agents of change. Here Jesus is telling us WHO WE ARE. Unfortunately majority of believers today do not know who they are. They in turn listen to the lies of the devil and His demons. But it is high time we began to yield to the voice of the Good Shepherd and actively follow in His footsteps.
JESUS DID NOT MINCE WORDS:
On this occasion, Jesus spoke up with authority, telling His disciples and by extension ourselves who we are and what our ordained roles should be
SALT:
Salt primarily was used in the fishing Industry to preserve catches made on the waters. It keeps the fishes caught from deterioration and decay until the fishermen reach the shore. Jesus is saying that by virtue of who we are now, we help to preserve the earth from decay and deterioration. If we don’t take our place, non other will do it and so we stand the chance of allowing decay and corruption to spread uncontrollably.
Jesus was not trying to persuade His disciples here, He told them who they are and what they are supposed to do. If Jesus says we are the salt of the Earth, so are we! Salt is what brings sweetening to food that’s cooked and it makes all the difference in the world when food has a good taste in the mouth of those eating it.
Destined to Preserve and Bring Goodness to others:
It is unfortunate that the majority of Christians living today are unaware of their purpose on earth. Many are too selfish to see the needs of the world around them. But still their lack of awareness is hinged on the fact that they lack a revelation of this truth spoken here from Jesus’ lips. “You are the salt of the earth,” Salt preserves, salt keeps from decay, salt brings sweetness and good taste, so must we be on the earth. SALT is what we are, anything contrary is an abnormality. We need to wake up daily saying to ourselves, “I am salt in the earth, I am destined to preserve and give sweetness. As I go into my world today, I bring change to the lives of men. I turn ugly situations around; I bring goodness into other people’s lives. I am an agent of change in Jesus Name.
Anything Else is a disaster:
Listen, Jesus said, “but if the salt loses its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and to be trodden underfoot by men.”
The next sentence starts with a “but”, this a conjunction used to join two sentences when the second sentence says something different from the first. It emphasises the aberration and abnormality that the second line of thought or situation suggests as to what we are. We cannot be anything but salt, a situation where our salt loses its savour spells only doom and disaster.
Light of the world:
Jesus proceeds to say that we are the light of the world. Again this is what we are, light! When light is brought into a place, it suggests that darkness is present there.
Satan is synonymous to darkness. His kingdom is called the kingdom of darkness,
The power he exercises and by which he captivates people is called the power of darkness.
The Bible says in Colossians 1:13 that God has delivered us from the “authority and dominion of darkness”,
Ephesians 5:11 say not to “…have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them”
2Corinthians 11:14 says Satan has transformed himself into an angel of light, this presupposes that by nature he is an angel of darkness.
On the other hand scripture in many places directly refers to us, believers as light and belonging to the light.
Ephesians 5:8 says “we were sometimes darkness, but now we are light in the Lord”.
In 2Corinthians 6:14 and following, Paul by the Holy Spirit was comparing the “believer” with the “unbeliever”, and then in the latter part of verse 14 he says, “And what communion has light with darkness?” He called the believer light and the unbeliever darkness.
Jesus categorically says that we are the light of the world. Without us, the world will be in utter darkness. Indeed it is in gross darkness. We need to make a conscious effort to shine, lest we be swallowed up in the darkness which already envelopes the earth.
We Are a City Set on a Hill:
We are the prophetic city called Zion. We are SET or established on a platform which God Himself has chosen to exalt. It is our Place of destiny.
Psa 132:13 For the Lord has chosen Zion, He has desired it for His habitation:
Psa 132:14 This is My resting-place forever [says the Lord]; here will I dwell, for I have desired it.
Psa 132:15 I will surely and abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
Psa 132:16 Her priests also will I clothe with salvation, and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
Psa 132:17 There will I make a horn spring forth and bud for David; I have ordained and prepared a lamp for My anointed [fulfilling the promises of old]. [I Kings 11:36; 15:4; II Chron. 21:7; Luke 1:69.]
Psa 132:18 His enemies will I clothe with shame, but upon himself shall his crown flourish.
We are in a prophetically auspicious time in history, a time when God has chosen to release His mercy on the gentile world, a time of great favour. If we recognise this and take advantage of what God has already released upon us, we will shine for the entire world to see. Already, God has said He will favour Zion; all we need to do is ARISE and SHINE. God will do the rest. He will cause an unprecedented flow from all the nations of the world to Zion. The sick, the needy, the maimed and the oppressed; all will come, drawn by our light and God will be glorified.
Individually and Collectively:
We must arise individually; we must hear what God is saying, see through His eyes and see a mighty in gathering into His House which He has purposed for this hour. We must arise in prayer and in praise, arise in service unto the King of kings and the Lord of lords. This is our destiny.
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