The Salt-Lick of the Earth!

I was sitting in the board meeting of Church of the Hills in Austin TX with some good friends yesterday. We were speaking about the importance of believers being a gracious and dynamic “presence” sent by God into the seven “mind molding” arenas of our cultures: government, education, business, family, church, media, and arts/entertainment. We were lamenting about how the church has too often insulated itself from our Father’s world and the people within it that He so desperately loves and for whom Jesus has offered his life.

Church leaders have called people out of the world and into the church but we have subconsciously (and sometimes consciously) resisted “sending” our fellow-members back out into the world bearing the life-transforming Life of Christ within, a life-style that is aligned and integrated with that Life and then simply shining for Christ in those obvious realms in which God has gifted and called them to serve. This problem seems so fear-based to me and fear is antithetical to the Spirit of Jesus and his love.

I have heard about the powerful witness through many years of the people of the Presbyterian church in D.C. that was once pastored by Richard Halverson. This was a church home to many influential believers strategically placed by God in government, business, education and media. He apparently taught them that salt does its job best when it is scattered, melts into the food it flavors and becomes a powerful, but often “invisible” influence. He spoke to them about the importance of many “good works” being done through them that had no apparent connection to their church name. It’s amazing what good can happen when no one cares who gets the credit!

This is, of course, not the only analogy to describe our witness. Jesus also said that we are to be a city set on a hill—and that is impossible to hide. But, Jesus did not say to us: “You are the 'salt-lick' of the earth”!