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The pastor this morning continued his series on the Sermon on the Mount. Here are the passages from the Bible he covered.
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying:
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:1-2; 13-16
He said that Christians are virtually indistinguishable from non-Christians. He further stated that 25% of the US claim to be Christian, yet they have the same divorces rates and teenage pregnancy rates as the general population.
He said that Christians are to be a preserning influence on the world. Salt is a preservative. He related how the rise of Christianity prevented England from going through the same chaos that enveloped France during the French Revolution.
He told a story of two men that worked together for five years. One decided to ask the other to an event his church was holding. Upon his asking the other man responded, “Are you a Christian? So am I.” Here were two men working side-by-side and neither one knew the other was a Christian.
I observe from the Biblical passage that it emphasizes deeds not words. Although the pastor did recommend some things to do, he went a little too fast for me to make notes on my Palm Pilot. Writing on the Palm is a slow process. From memory, I recall the said do not laugh at dirty jokes, do not listen to gossip. In retrospect, I think it would have been good for him give more details on WHAT to do.
Posted by Ted at February 8, 2004 4:04 PM