Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
June 9, 2002 - W0223

The most amazing thing about Jesusí shine was that it was consistent and it never went away. As hard as the darkness of this world tried to overcome Him, it could not because His light was strong and solid. So itís no surprise that Jesus says to us ìI am the light of the worldî and that we respond by joyfully singing, ìShine, Jesus shine!î

Not only did Jesus say, ìI am the light of the world,î but He also said ìYou are the light of the world.î

ìYou are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden...Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heavenî (Mt. 5:14,16).

Jesus didnít say we could be lights in the world one day if we worked hard and humbled ourselves. He said that we are the light of the world. Weíve read this in the Bible and heard this from the pulpit, and now by faith, we need to believe it!

Everyone of us at some point will find ourselves in the midst of darkness in the world. When this happens, weíll need a light to show us the way. The source of light weíll need has to be consistent so that when weíre caught in the darkness where itís frightening and disorienting, His Light will show us the way. Our Father in heaven has placed a light all around us in a form of His Body, Christians. And thatís where Jesus is telling us to let our light shine before people.

There are four different types of lights. Each of us will need to ask ourselves which one we are and which one we would like to be. We know that the Lord will take us from where weíre atÖ but the first step is to determine your shine factor.

Determining Your ìShineî

1) FLASHCUBE CHRISTIAN

Some of us donít remember what a flash cube is because we no longer use them on cameras. But way back in the late 70s it was this little square mechanism affixed to the top of your camera. It would flash instantly upon pressing the button to take a picture and itís light would blind everyone around it. Once this flash was used, it was then worthless. It was a one-shot deal.

Unfortunately, a lot of Christians are like this flashcube, which can cause some problems. First of all, their light is in your face. Have you ever met someone who just became a Christian and become just crazy for Jesus? Theyíre so overpowering and in-your-face, that they become a bit offensive to some people. A second, more serious problem with flashcube Christians is that they have no consistency. Flashcube Christians jump in and sign up for everything but are never around when thereís actual work to be done. Itís all excitement and ìflash in the pan,î but then itís gone.

Jesus said some Christians would be this way: ìAnd others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered awayî (Mt. 13:5-6).

Flashcube Christians have very shallow root systems and little commitment. They also tend to lack enough depth to accept correction. The Lord is looking for consistent light that will shine in the darkness so that the darkness cannot overwhelm your light. We as Christians need to move away from being flashcube Christians. If youíre thinking that you may be a flashcube Christian, itís okay. Just put down some roots and move forward.

Question 1: Have you committed yourself yet by being accountable to a fellow Christian for edification and/or correction? Has this person helped you to be more rooted?

2) WATCH LIGHT CHRISTIAN

Some timepieces, or watches, have little lights to help you see what time it is at night or in a dark theatre. This kind of light gives off just enough light to draw attention to itself. A watch light Christian is like that: although theyíre useful, they only call attention to themselves. You cannot shine it on a path to see the way and it certainly wonít draw anybody else in.

Jesus said this about the Pharisees: ìEverything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear extra long tassels on their robes. And how they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the most prominent seats in the synagogue! They enjoy the attention they get on the streets, and they enjoy being called Rabbiî (Mt. 23:5-7 NLT).

Some of us are watch light Christians, useful but calling attention only to ourselves. For instance, someone says, ìI have cold.î The watch light Christian will say, ìOh thatís nothing. I got the fluÖ And I got gout here in my leg, and my arthritis is acting up, too!î It wonít matter what you bring up because theyíll always have something better to say to draw attention to themselves. Everything they say is about them and so the light is on them. Jesus came into the world as our light and He wants our light to shine in the lives of others.

If youíre thinking that you may be a watch light Christian, itís okay, thereís hope. Simply get the focus off yourself by remembering that itís not about you, itís about Jesus. Jesus didnít put us here today to be focused on ourselves, and if weíre going to get through and endure, we need to make our lives about others and let our light shine everywhere we go and in everything we do.

Question 2: Are there any areas where you might still tend to be a watch light Christian, calling attention to your service, devotions, fasting or prayer?

3) FLASHLIGHT CHRISTIAN

We all use flashlights in the dark for light that can be turn off and on as needed. Flashlight Christians are the same way, they turn themselves off and on as they please or whenever it suits their agenda. Who am I talking about? They can be Christians who cheerfully show someone the way to church and give them a good seat, but when theyíre asked for a prayer or just someone who would listen, they direct them to someone else. Or, they allow their faith to shine during seasons of prosperity, but when faced with poverty their radiance immediately diffuses.

Flashlight Christians put great Christian bumper stickers on their car or little fish emblem saying that they are Christians, but they drive like maniacs. Or, maybe theyíll hear a great weekend message about the grace of God, then go to the supermarket only to silently count how many items over the limit the person in front of them has in the Express Check-out.

Somehow, these flashlight Christians have every appearance of being Christians on the outside, but they donít make any attempt to change their lifestyle. We call them ìflashlight Christians,î but the world has a name for them too: ìHypocrites.î Flashlight Christians never reflect a consistent shine in their lifestyle.

They tend to really look good when the lights are turned on, but when the lights are off, they live a totally different life style. And although flashlights are important items, especially in an emergency kit, what good is it when itís not turned on in the darkness? This can happen to any one of us.

ìThis is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you. God is light. In Him there is no darkness at all. And if we claim to have fellowship with Him and walk in the darkness, we lie and we donít live by the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, His son purifies us from all sinî (1 John 1:5-7).

This is saying that if God is light and there is no darkness when God is around, then our lives will be consistent with that because His light in us stays on. But if we donít have Him living in our lives but we say that He is, then weíre lying about it. When we became Christians we made a choice that others would be able to see the light of Jesus reflecting through our lives.

ìWe donít go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants because of what Jesus has done for us. For God, who said, ëLet there be light in the darkness,í has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christî (2 Cor. 4:5-6 NLT).

Question 3: What characteristics are needed to be consistent and to grow out of the ìflashlight Christianî type of shine?

4) FLOODLIGHT CHRISTIANS

If we take a look at what powers a flash cube, a watch light and a flash light, weíll see that they are all powered by batteries. Batteries have a common problem: the eventually wear out and die. A floodlight, on the other hand, depends on a greater source of energy and provides greater coverage. If weíre going to share the hope in Jesus and bring light to every dark corner, our lives must be floodlights plugged into a continuous source of energyóJesus Christ.

There are people who are in the midst of darkness in need of a light to God. There are those looking for that chance in life and asking where they need to go. Theyíll be those looking for that hope that they just canít seem to find. They need Christians who would allow their lives to be such a reflection of God Himself and will be able to see all that God has created for them.

Weíve been called to be the light of the world and to reflect His Light in every part of our livesóin our actions, words, thoughts and emotions. Weíve been called to reflect the mind of Jesus including the spirit and heart of Jesus. Floodlight Christians will expose the beauty and the hope that only the love of Christ is able to provide. Itís not a matter of what we say that will lead others to Christ, nor a moving or emotional speech, but our lifestyle that consistently and continuously reflects the light of Christ. Our call on life is to let our light shine!

ìFor you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth)î (Eph. 5:8-9).

ìYou are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hiddenî (Mt. 5:14).

Question 4: In your spiritual growth, which light(s) do you reflect? Are you ready to be a floodlight Christian yet? Whatís holding you back?

Question 5: How will you be different by what youíve learned today?

Summarized by Doreen Rabaino. Thanks, Doreen!