Living Sent
(I can’t claim this idea as completely original. Many thanks to L. Reynolds for the concept that goes hand in hand with the ideas already posted about Salt and Light.)
People who have given their lives to God by trusting in Him and His grace and in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ are like letters. In 2 Corinthians 3:1-3, Paul calls believers his letters of recommendation. Just as Paul needed no documentation to prove his worth since he had people who were living letters, so Jesus has all His followers acting as letters sent out into the world, proclaiming His truth.
In the same way that salt is not meant to stay in the shaker and light is only light when it is shining out, letters are designed to be sent. Churches all too often act as mailboxes that have been overlooked. There is no collection date posted on the outside. As soon as people are saved, they are pulled into the church never to be seen among the lost again.
The problem is, the address written on the outside of every Christian’s envelope is that of lost people. If a Christian lives his or her life in such a way as to never come into contact with lost people, they are like lost letters. They have failed in their purpose.
The other interesting aspect of the “living sent” concept is the difference between declared and appraised worth. All packages sent overseas have to have a declared worth written on the outside. It does not matter what the actual worth of the items inside is. All that matters is what value the sender declares them to have. The world and people around us can appraise us and our message all day long. None of that matters, because our worth as individuals is declared by the God who made us and then sent His Son to die for us so that we might live for Him.
People who have given their lives to God by trusting in Him and His grace and in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ are like letters. In 2 Corinthians 3:1-3, Paul calls believers his letters of recommendation. Just as Paul needed no documentation to prove his worth since he had people who were living letters, so Jesus has all His followers acting as letters sent out into the world, proclaiming His truth.
In the same way that salt is not meant to stay in the shaker and light is only light when it is shining out, letters are designed to be sent. Churches all too often act as mailboxes that have been overlooked. There is no collection date posted on the outside. As soon as people are saved, they are pulled into the church never to be seen among the lost again.
The problem is, the address written on the outside of every Christian’s envelope is that of lost people. If a Christian lives his or her life in such a way as to never come into contact with lost people, they are like lost letters. They have failed in their purpose.
The other interesting aspect of the “living sent” concept is the difference between declared and appraised worth. All packages sent overseas have to have a declared worth written on the outside. It does not matter what the actual worth of the items inside is. All that matters is what value the sender declares them to have. The world and people around us can appraise us and our message all day long. None of that matters, because our worth as individuals is declared by the God who made us and then sent His Son to die for us so that we might live for Him.
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