Last night, I was at Christ Corner Church in Henderson, Kentucky for a special service the church had put on in order to fellowship with another church in the area. The other church's (i apologize, I can't remember the name of the other church) pastor preached a message that struck me all the way to my soul.

He drew his text from Matthew, where Jesus told His disciples that they are the light of the world. This young preacher pointed out that light changes everything it touches; by it's very nature light is an instrument of change. He then went on to ask, "How can we - as the light of the world - change anything when we blend in instead of stand out?"

That one line hit me harder than anything else he had to say. I can remember a time when a person could tell who was a Christian by the way they carried themselves and the way they presented themselves. Now, I'm not talking about dress here; that is a subject for another blog. But in the time we live in it seems like the church wants to "blend in" with the world instead of stand out. I can remember when people would feel convicted around Christians. I can remember a time when being a Christian meant more than just being a church member and putting an offering in the plate.

In the last several years, the Church seems to have adopted the latest trends in music, fashion, and even in the way our services are conducted. We don't stand out anymore - we are becoming just one of the many ways, according to Oprah, to get to Heaven.

As we work on our jobs today, as we walk through our lives tomorrow and onward, let's pray that we will be the one candle lit in the darkness that surrounds us. Don't be taken in by every "new" thing that comes along. Don't just accept something as the truth without finding it out for yourself.

Let's be the light God wants us to be.

Well Br. East...Most of the time I could type a huge reply here but today I'm sparse on words. I dont think i could have said it better myself. I totally agree but am also guilty of this. Good blog. Makes ya think about things

Bro. East,

How true this is. Light can bring life but without it it brings death. So many times we think if we can draw them in (sinners) by doing this or that then we can win them to Christ. But as we now o to well that is not true. It just allows them to live the way they have always lived. We need to draw them in by telling them what Jesus can do for them. Just like I told my Sunday school class on Sunday, we don't need to just invite people to church but tell them about Jesus. Tell them He is our Deliverer, our shelter, our strong tower. When we need someone to lean on He is there when noone else is. We go around chanting at times if you will the name of Jesus, but sometimes I think this is out of habit and we truly do not know what the name of Jesus represents. It represents Authority over the enemy. We need to start exerciseing that Authority over the enemy and realize that Jesus is the true light and He is the only one who will disspell the darkness in this ever increasing dark world. The answer as this young preacher put is not being of the world but being a light to the world. Praise God for His word that gives us light and wisdom. I was not there at the service as you know, but I truly feel the blessings and conviction from the word.

God Bless You Brother and The Gospel Sounds and Family

That is exactly the point I was making - if the darkness isn't changed because of the light, then the light wasn't really a light after all. There is no way that darkness can't be changed because of true light. Notice that I didn't say "by the light" because the light isn't responsible for the change... the One who created the light and caused it to be brought to the darkness is responsible for the change... the light is just a tool used by the Lord to bring about change. 

It isn't by our works, but by our faith in God that He uses us to bring about the needed changes in lives. Kepp on glowing, Shall-Burn!!