The Power and Purpose of Our Witness to the World

Compromise is a deadly cancer to our witness to the world. When we are seduced by the sirens of materialism, political expediency, irresponsible rhetoric, moral laxity, or foolish actions, the attractiveness and beauty of the Christian life is lost. However, if we maintain our commitments and convictions to Christ with grace and humility, people will inevitably take notice. They will be drawn to us. I have seen this repeatedly on the mission field and here in America by the way a follower of Christ as a husband loves and serves his wife. It stands out because it is so different from the norm. It adds a wonderful flavor. There is a unique quality. It is useful to the kingdom.

As the Savior’s salt we are to infiltrate the earth with the seasoning of godliness, fairness, holiness, justice, and righteousness. God’s people should be known for their courage and convictions but also for their compassion, grace, humility, and love toward others. David Dockery is right: “Salt is only useful when it gives of itself” (Dockery and Garland, Seeking the Kingdom, 36).

Matthew 5:14-16

Amy Carmichael (1867–1951), famous and faithful missionary to India, wrote in her journal after hearing Hudson Taylor describe the massive lostness of the world: “Does it not stir our hearts to go forth and help them, does it not make us long to leave our luxury, our exceeding light, and go to them that sit in darkness?” (“History of Mission”).

Jesus tells his disciples, “You are the light of the world.” There is a rich background to this idea in the Old Testament. It stood for revelation, instruction, hope, joy, righteousness, salvation, and “the radiance of divine presence” (Quarles, doing so point others to him. What a privilege! What a responsibility. I love how Chuck Quarles puts it so clearly: “The shining light is a metaphor of the Messiah and His people fulfilling the missionary purpose of manifesting the glory of God among the nations” (Sermon, 84). Lest we be unsure of what this means for us, Jesus provides two examples for our instruction.

Charles Spurgeon said, “Christ has lighted us that we might enlighten the world. . . . God intends his grace to be as conspicuous as a city built on the mountain’s brow” (Exposition, 41). God did not redeem us and call us into his kingdom to hide us. He did not save us to be silent saints. The pronoun of 5:14 is emphatic: We are—and no one else is—the light of the world. We are to be the bright light for all to see when the clouds obscure the stars and moon and the darkness is so thick you can cut it with a knife and feel it in your bones. This light is to have a global impact among the nations. We manifest and put on display among the nations the goodness, greatness, and glory of God. Such brilliant light against the backdrop of the darkness of sin “is not able to be hidden” (Quarles, Sermon, 88). In what we say and how we live, we will reflect the light of him who is the Light of the World.

Therefore, we must guard our tongues and give attention to our actions. God gives us an influential position, like a light on a hill that guides people safely home. This light is not for a few; it is for the world. It should attract. It should give direction. It should stand out near and far. John Calvin put it like this:

Seeing that God has given us such a treasure and so inestimable a thing as his word we must employ ourselves to it as much as we can that it may be kept safely and sound and not perish. And let every man be sure to lock it securely in his own heart. But it is not enough to have an eye for his own salvation, but the knowledge of God must shine generally through the whole world. (Timmis, Multiplying Churches, 73–74)

My mother, Emma Lou Akin, was such a light. How do I know? When people were hurting where she worked, they asked Emma to pray for them. When they needed advice, they sought Emma’s counsel. Sometimes they made fun of her and her Christian ways, but when they were in trouble, they sought her out. She was a light on a hill for all to see!

David Brainerd, missionary to the American Indians, died at the age of twenty-nine. Reflecting on his life and calling from God, he said,

Here I am, Lord, send me; send me to the ends of the earth; send me to the rough, the savage pagans of the wilderness; send me from all that is called comfort on earth! send me even to death itself, if it be but in thy service, and to promote thy kingdom. (Edwards, Life of David Brainerd, 224)

The word “light” occurs four times in Verses 14-16. In verse 14 it is put on a hill for the whole world to see. In verses 15-16 it is put on a stand in the house to illuminate the entire home. No one would ever think to light an oil lamp and then hide it under “a basket” (NIV, “bowl”), a clay container. That is nonsense, even comical. I can imagine the disciples chuckling at such an idea. No, the purpose of a lamp is to give light. The purpose of a disciple of Jesus is to provide light. By a holy life and a bold witness, you will shine bright and far, impacting more people than you might imagine.

A little light makes a big impact in a dark place. Jesus says that when your light shines before others, they will see your good works (think of the Beatitudes of 5:3-12). A righteous life and bold witness is a powerful combination! You cannot ignore it. Again, some will revile you and persecute you (5:11) just as they did the prophets (5:12). Others, however, will be mesmerized by your witness and “give glory to your Father in heaven.” Significantly, they glorify the Father, not us. They attribute to God what they see in the life of the faithful Christian. Followers of Jesus are not the source or origin of these good works but only the conduit, the channel. God gets the glory through my transformed life. My faithful witness to the work of his grace in my life brings him praise. The spotlight is not on us. The spotlight is where it should be: on him.

As you seek to be a light in a dark place, consider the following questions:

Ion Keith-Falconer (1856–1887) was a Scottish missionary and Arabic scholar who died at the age of thirty-one. He won the world cycling championship in 1878 at the age of twenty-two but would leave all that behind and go to Egypt and later Yemen as a missionary for Jesus. He died from malaria after being married to his missionary wife Gwendolen for only three years. In the preface to his biography, Robert Sinker wrote,

A career of exceptional promise was early closed in the death of Ion Keith-Falconer. The beauty of his character, his ardent missionary zeal, his great learning, form a combination rarely equaled. . . . How noble a life his was. (Memorials, v)

What was it in this man that would cause him to give up all for the glory of King Jesus and the lost among the nations? I suspect it was this conviction buried deep in his heart that settled the issue: “I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.” As was true of Ion Keith-Falconer, may it also be true of us: “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!”