The Influence Of Salt And Light

Acts 2:1-6

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. (Acts 2:1)

PERHAPS THE FIRST VERSE OF Acts 2 makes us think of an intimate worship service or a loving fellowship of like-minded people. There’s something comforting in the unity we see in this gathering. But there’s also something remarkably sobering: All the believers—the only followers of Jesus the world yet knew—could fit into one place. Maybe others who had followed Jesus for a time were scattered throughout Judea and Galilee, but this was the core. The movement would begin here. And it wasn’t a very big start at all.

That’s the nature of salt and light. A pinch of salt can season an entire dish. A glow from a single candle or a ray from a cell phone’s tiny bulb can brighten a room. Jesus never told his disciples that they could only influence their world from a position of strength. They did not begin as a majority. They began small, and eventually they turned their world upside down. Today, nearly one out of every three people in the world self-identifies as a Christian. That’s quite a change from one room in Jerusalem.

Far too many Christians complain about being a minority in their culture, even when they aren’t. But even when their perspective is true—even in places where believers in Jesus are vastly outnumbered—the complaint rings hollow. A minority of influential people can transform the way a culture sees, for good or for bad. We have experienced such movements in our own generation, and other generations have too. The key is not to gain a majority and vote God’s will into law. It’s to live as people who are radically transformed by the Spirit and change hearts and minds with our lives. Anyone can do that, even when vastly outnumbered.

God reduced Gideon’s army to almost nothing before sending it into battle (Judges 7). He is always the majority; his people never need to fear a loss of influence. Like salt from the shaker or a single ray of light, we can make a huge difference. Live with that attitude, and you will change your world.

{Lord, make me contagious with the beauty of your Kingdom, and let my influence spread. Quiet the complaints of your people, and make us catalysts for change. May we fill the world with the savor and brilliance of your ways. Amen.