Today I was blessed with an opportunity to preach and sing at an Armada Spasy (Salvation Army) Church near where we live. A Christian brother who serves there, Ales M, invited me to come and share with them. They have a nice facility to do this and Dawn and I really enjoyed visiting with them. I sang 3 old Southern Gospel songs to them first. The songs were: I Sing Because, I Call it Home, and the Lighthouse. Later I led into a message about how Jesus is the lighthouse of the world and he desires to reflect his love through us into the lost world. At the end I shared my testimony with them and encouraged them to do the same and reflect the light of Christ to their friends and families. Below are a few of the main thoughts of my message:
A lighthouse works by focusing a single source of light through a special lens to magnify its power so that it can be seen from far away. The single light source is Jesus who is the light of the world (John 8:12) and the lens is the Bible which is used to help us (Matthew 5:14-16) reflect the power of His light out into a dark, lost world.
A lighthouse always serves a valuable purpose but it is even more important when there are storms and the weather is bad. Especially in the days before modern technology was developed, sailors depended on lighthouses to keep them safe when storms were raging around them. A lighthouse helped them to understand where the dangerous waters were so they would not get too close to the rocks or other obstacles. The Bible also helps us to stay safe when we face dark stormy times in our lives. For the Christian, we can use the power of its wisdom to help us stay out of trouble, to avoid sin, to see clearly how to live a life that is pleasing to God. For the lost world, it is a bright shining light of truth that holds the answer to eternal life and peace with God.
So, for those of us who are believers, those of us who have seen and accepted the Light, we have an obligation to reflect that light into a dark world. This is not just a job for preachers or missionaries. It is our reasonable act of service… all of us, as Christians. This is something that Jesus asked us to do so; we should do it with joy and grace.
Amen.
