YOUNG PEOPLE continued preserve. Salt is sprinkled liberally on meats and other foods in order to protect them from decay. In the same manner God’s people are like salt in the midst of this world; they are to preserve society from decay and corruption as much as possible. Some people say that the churchy has failed in this respect, but this is not true. In all probability there would be no civilization as we now know it were it not for the testimony of the gospel through the lives and lips of believers. Salt also seasons. Christian people, and by this term I mean not just church- members, but those people who have had a personal experience with Jesus Christ so that they are “ new creations in Christ Jesus” (2 Cor. 5:17),-—these people keep the thought of God ever before the com munity in which they live. It is this steady seasoning influence that has made our country and other nations like it the finest nations in the world. Decency and order cannot long exist in a society where the principles of the Christian faith are not vitally lived. The Church is the Light of the World Matt. 5:14-16; 1 Thess. 5:5 Every believer is an individual light in the world. The Lord Jesus Christ is the true light (John 1:9; 8:12). But Christ live? in each believer (Gal. 2:20), and thus each believer becomes a light-bearer, a manifestation of Christ to the world. One of the functions of light is to guide. This is what the Saviour means in Mat thew 5:14, “ A city . . . set on an hill cannot be hid.” A city on a hill, sending out multitudes of lights in the darkness becomes a great landmark guiding pil grims home. So the church. When the church is really the Church, by this I mean when it is filled with the Holy Spirit and living in obedience to the Word, it glows as a great light in the midst of world darkness. Millions of souls have been guided to Jesus Christ through the faithful witness of God’s people. Another function of light is to illumi nate. W e use lights at night to read by or to travel by. So it is with the believer. He is the light of Christ to illuminate the truth to others so that they may come to the Saviour. Again, light reveals danger spots. When traveling along the highway in your auto mobile ‘ at night the headlights flood the area ahead and warn of danger when such arrives. The church today is called to warn men and women of the approach ing judgment. The church today is to be crying out against sin and against the evils of our time in an effort to warn men and women of the error and the danger of their way. \ Once more, light does not call attention to itself, but to the objects which it il luminates. The Saviour points this out in Matthew 5:16, “ Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” The witness of the Christian is not to call attention to himself, but rather to the Lord Himself. In your society discuss other functions of light and apply this to the Christian life and the Christian church. It is always well to bring each truth down to the in dividual life and to discuss it in relation ship to personal experience rather than in broad and general terms. Nov. 15, 1953 The Task of the Church Around the World Acts 16:25 34; 17:1-4 Last week we discussed together the life of the church around the world. This week it is our design to think about the task of the church around the world. The Scrip tures given above have been selected by the committee on International Christian Endeavor and depict some of the labors of Paul in preaching the gospel in Philippi and Thessalonica in the area of Mace donia. To these Scriptures I should like to add Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15, 16; Acts 1:8; Second Corinthians 5:14-21. The Word of God thus commands us to see to it that the good news of the gospel is taken throughout the entire earth. The Mission There are more people unreached with the gospel today than at any time in the world’s history. This is an urgent task. Time is rapidly slipping away. Day by day thousands of souls pass into eternity without Christ. Day by day we move closer to the coming of ‘Christ and the winding up of this dispensation. If men are to hear they must be told immediately or it will be too late. This is an impos sible task—unless you will help. It may be that the young people in your society have not been challenged for some time to dedicate their lives to the getting out of the gospel. Perhaps there are those in your society whom God would have give themselves to missionary service. Give an opportunity for these to surrender them selves to Christ for His will. Urge the young people to take an active interest in missions—to get missionaries to come and speak to the organizations of the church, to give systematically to missions, to pray for missions. The Message The Saviour has not only told us what our task is, He has also given us the mes sage. The church is to “ go into all the world” and it is to “ preach the gospel.” The church has only one message and that is the gospel, the good news that Christ died for our sins, that He rose again from the dead, that He ascended into heaven, and that He is coming again ( 1 Cor. 15:1-6). This message is not our own to do with
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