Be Bold With Your Light

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

- Matthew 5:14-16

 

Christians have been given a mission, and that mission is to shine.

Jesus has lit a light inside of us. A flame, burning with our love for him. And the brighter that flame burns, the better—because more people will see the light, and the light will spread. 

In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, Jesus makes the comparison between his followers and light. He calls us "the light of the world," comparing us with a lamp that someone lights to illuminate the house.

As Christians, we all want to shine out like the lamp Jesus calls us. 

But it's hard to show our true love for Christ when it feels like the world is against us. 

Why don't we shine out? What prevents us from doing what Jesus made us for, and spreading the light of the Gospel? 

Here are three things that prevent us from shining out our light before the eyes of the world. 

 

Light hurts peoples' eyes

When you go from a dark place into a light one, you're momentarily blinded by the sudden transition. 

Your eyes adjust to whatever you're shown. If you're in a dark room, your pupils expand to catch every bit of light so you can see, but if you're outside in the broad sunlight, your pupils shrink so you aren't blinded. 

And if your eyes are used to the darkness, a sudden flood of light can be quite painful. 

Christians love people. It's the second greatest commandment: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:31) And it doesn't feel very loving to intentionally hurt people.

For people who are used to darkness, seeing the light of the world will hurt. Since we love them (and don't want to hurt them) it's tempting to stay in our comfort zone—to hide our light under a basket—to ensure that you don't hurt their eyes. 

At least, that way, you'll keep the relationship with them. 

Maybe you'll let some light out of the chinks in the basket at some point. Ease into it. 

But even though it hurts at first, you can't stop yourself from living as a witness to Christ. 

People's eyes will adjust. There will always be some discomfort when you're spreading the Gospel—lean into it! Don't hide your light, because hiding it is far more hurtful than any discomfort the light will cause them.

In the end, keeping people in the dark will cause them far greater injury than anything witnessing to them will do. 

Be bold. Speak out, and shine your light. 

 

Light is unpopular 

John 3:19 says, "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil."

All Christians have faced or will face persecution for their faith. 

By persecution I don't only mean martyrdom and imprisonment. That is a sad reality, but it's not the only type of persecution we experience.

Social disapproval is a type of persecution too. If you've lost friends from speaking about Jesus, if you've thrown away your chance at being one of the "cool kids"—that can sting. 

But the approval of this world is not what we're after.

Paul writes in Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." 

Always seeking after popularity, and repressing any public mention of the name of Christ, is not what we're called to do. 

We do not conform to the expectations of the world. 

Shine your light! People won't like it—they never have. 

But you don't aim for people's approval. 

And God uses that. 

 

My light isn't perfect

Matthew 5:16: "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Sometimes, that phrase is the hardest of all. 

Because I don't have all that many good works. Sometimes, I don't act like I should. I snap at people, I say something cruel, or I gossip. I'm a sinner. 

How am I supposed to shine my light if I know how fake it really is? 

How sinful I really am? 

Here's the thing—Jesus knows what is in man. (John 2:25) And Jesus knows you, and knows me. And he gives us this command anyway. 

Maybe, shining our light doesn't mean we have to be perfect. 

Maybe it means that we show the world how reliant we are on God. How even in our weakness, God has redeemed us, and that means that we can move past our sin and our guilt and our failures, and make something good. 

God lit your flame, not you. He's going to keep it going, even if sometimes it flickers. 

Because we're going to mess up. It's unrealistic to assume we won't. And if the picture we're presenting of what a Christian is "that perfect girl in English class who always does everything right," then something is seriously wrong. 

Christianity is not a religion of rigid rule-following and discipline. Christianity is a religion of mercy.

That's the beauty of the Gospel. 

That's what we need to shine out. 

 

Shine your light, friends.

It'll make people uncomfortable. They won't like it. It's hard. 

But Jesus saved you. 

Why should you hide?