Week 10 - What In The World Do Disciples Do?
“You are the salt… the light of the world…” (Matthew 5:13-14)
Bob is a software engineer. Last year, he befriended Liu who owns and manages a motor vehicle repair shop. In conversation, he came to know of Liu’s dilemma. A customer had refused to pay up. As he knew very little English, Liu was not able to “fight” back and just had to treat it as a bad debt, costing him $4,000 worth of lost income to his already poor business. Bob volunteered to write complaint letters to the authorities and soon brought the culprit to court. The case is still pending but there is a possibility that Liu may recover half of the amount due to him. Bob also shared the gospel with Liu and his wife. They had now accepted Christ and they attend a Chinese church.
Riff begun his testimony by saying, “My testimony is worth about half a million dollars.” He continued, “When I first came to New Zealand five years ago, I invested about half a million dollars in a business. Soon, the company went bankrupt and I lost everything. During those trying times, my church members offered practical help by giving us food, comfort and counsel. Thank God, I slowly accepted the loss and trusted God for my future. I would have gone crazy if not for the support given by the brothers and sisters in my church.”
The good works rendered by Bob and the church friends of Riff remind me of what disciples in the world do. After delivering the Beatitudes, Jesus pronounced a two-fold role for His disciples. He said, “You are the salt… and the light of the world.” They were to fulfil their roles so that others “may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (
As disciples of Christ, we too are to be the salt and the light of the world. We are called to impact the lives of people around us, just like how salt adds flavour to our food and light illuminates our homes.
Notice Jesus’ warning about the tasteless salt and the covered lamp in verses 13-15. When our discipleship is contaminated by “the desires of the flesh” and clouded by “the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions” or of life, we will lose our testimony as witnesses of God (
A Call to Act
Section titled “A Call to Act”Let us put our discipleship into action. Let us “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving (ourselves)” (
“Well,” you say. “Where on earth can I find the strength to be the salt and the light of the world?”
With our own strength, it is impossible. But hear the promise of the Lord: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (
If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be sufficient evidence to convict you in court?
Bob is graduating next month from Bible College. Together with his wife and their young daughter, they will move on to their next phase of ministry. My family is privileged to have known them this past year, living together with them in the campus of the Bible College. Riff and I enrolled in the Bible College at the same time last year. His passion is to minister to the young people in his church.
When a disciple fulfils the role given by the Master, he or she can joyfully announce to the world the words of the psalmist, “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (
May the Lord help us to be the salt and the light of the world!