Be The Light

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Greetings,

We are living in an opportune time to be the light of Christ. Yesterday Pastor Jonathan challenged us all at ALife community to be the church deployed in this time of seeming isolation. It is not time for judgments, it is time to be the light and life of Christ to our world! Today I feel to continue on the topic of being light to our world with some similar words that I presented to us in 2017. These words are even more true today than they were a few years ago.

Are we are waiting for people in darkness to speak as light? They live in darkness! They are not going to speak as the light, nor can we expect them to. They cannot see. They don’t need us to condemn them for their ways of darkness. They need us to demonstrate what it looks like when someone lives in the ways of light. Are we are waiting for people who live in darkness to speak light? They live in darkness and they are not going to speak as light. They don’t need us to condemn their darkness. What if we became competitive with good news, good music, good art and everything that is good in life? I am not talking about old things or old sounds. I am not talking about safe business ideas. I am talking about radical ideas that have never been thought of before. I am talking about life-giving ideas with life-giving expression and life-giving sounds. I believe that we can do this, especially in a time that requires us to be expectant, creative, and purposed in our expressions of life to our world.

Grace always gives to others. It never takes from them. Mercy is given so we can be empowered by grace to give mercy to others. When we experience God’s mercy, we can empower others to come into grace. Grace is working in our lives so we can be merciful to those who are in the law or to those who are bound to promiscuity. Grace doesn’t work in legalism or lawlessness. It works in the hearts and minds of those who have become hungry, willing, and teachable in and for the presence of Christ within their hearts. We don’t condone darkness, nor do we condemn those who live in it. Darkness is already condemned. We simply look for a way to help people out of darkness, but we must first demonstrate light.

Isaiah 60:3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

People who do not understand God will be attracted to people of grace. People who don’t understand covenant will come and say, Wow! What is this? How can I get this? Even kings will come to the brightness of their rising. Wow! How does it work? How does this wellbeing for others thing happen? Where did this revolution come from? What are your ideas? I need some ideas! What are your ideas?

A dog barks like a dog, that is how we know it is a dog. If an animal sounds with a meow, it is likely a cat. If it clucks, it may be a chicken. If it moos, it might be a cow. We identify animals by their sounds. When a cow sounds like a cow we don’t say, why don’t you act like a lion? We don’t condemn a cow for being a cow. We don’t put a saddle on a lion and expect it to behave like a horse. In the same way, we cannot expect people who do not know God to act as though they do. We live in the world, but we are not of the world. We are to shine in the world, not to condemn the world for being darkness. What do we expect? People of grace don’t measure people in the world by law. They measure them by love!

Can we be the people of God? Can we become people of grace with one another? Can we become people of grace who show mercy to those who need mercy? Can we arise and shine and live for the wellbeing of others? The world is a mess, but now what is not a mess can manifest.

Isaiah 60:3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 “Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. 5 Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.

When God’s people shine, the abundance of the world, the abundance of sinners, will be turned to the brightness of their rising. The wealth of the gentiles is not just their money. It is their uniqueness. It is each and every one of them as they find the life of Christ. They are precious to God, even though they don’t understand that God is precious to them. God knows them, even though they don’t know Him. He wants them, even though they don’t yet desire Him. I don’t want the rich man’s money. I want the rich man; he knows how to make money. We must teach the rich man how to be a son of God. This can only be demonstrated for him to see. Being a son or daughter of God is more expensive than being able to make money, but as a son or a daughter of God you should also learn how to make money. We need the uniqueness of sinners as they are transformed by the internal kingdom of life! This is a testimony of grace. Living a grace empowered life empowers us to shine like light into the darkness!

Blessings,

Ted J. Hanson