Reflecting The Glory of God and Christ:
"You
are the light of the world. A city set on a hill
cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put
it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and
it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let
your light shine before men in such a way that they
may see your good works, and glorify your Father who
is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16 (NAS)
Jesus, speaking to his
disciples, right before He ascended to heaven --
"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on
earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with
you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew
28:18-20 (NAS)
Jesus, speaking to his
disciples, right before He ascended to heaven --
"And He said to them, "Go into all the world and
preach the gospel to all creation. "He who has
believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but
he who has disbelieved shall be condemned." Mark
16:15-16 (NAS)
"Now no one after lighting a
lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it
under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, in order
that those who come in may see the light."
Luke 8:16 (NAS)
"Do not be bound together with
unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness
and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with
darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14 (NAS)
"Therefore be imitators of God,
as beloved children; and walk in love, just as
Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us,
an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant
aroma. But do not let immorality or any impurity or
greed even be named among you, as is proper among
saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly
talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but
rather giving of thanks. For this you know with
certainty, that no immoral or impure person or
covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance
in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive
you with empty words, for because of these things
the wrath of God comes upon the sons of
disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with
them; for 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), trying to learn what
is pleasing to the Lord. And do not participate in
the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even
expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of
the things which are done by them in secret. But all
things become visible when they are exposed by the
light, for everything that becomes visible is light.
For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, and arise
from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise
men, but as wise, making the most of your time,
because the days are evil. So then do not be
foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord
is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is
dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking
to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody with your heart to
the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the
Father; Ephesians 5:1-20 (NAS)
"giving thanks to the Father,
who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of
the saints in light. For He delivered us from the
domain of darkness, and transferred us to the
kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And He is the
image of the invisible God, the first-born of all
creation. Colossians 1:12-15 (NAS)
"But you, brethren, are not in
darkness, that the day should overtake you like a
thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of
day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then
let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert
and sober. For those who sleep do their
sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk
at night. But since we are of the day, let us be
sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and
love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For
God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining
salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died
for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may
live together with Him." 1 Thessalonians 5:4-10 (NAS)
"I charge you in the presence
of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ
Jesus, who testified the good confession before
Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment
without stain or reproach until the appearing of our
Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the
proper time-- He who is the blessed and only
Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who
alone possesses immortality and dwells in
unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can
see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. 1
Timothy 6:13-16 (NAS)
"But you are a chosen race, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's
own possession, that you may proclaim the
excellencies of Him who has called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were
not a people, but now you are the people of God; you
had not received mercy, but now you have received
mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NAS)
"And this is the message we
have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is
light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we
say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in
the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If
we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a
liar, and His word is not in us." 1 John 1:5-10 (NAS)
"This testimony is true. For
this cause reprove them severely that they may be
sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish
myths and commandments of men who turn away from the
truth." Titus 1:13-14 (NAS)
"And He said to them, "Rightly
did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is
written, 'This people honors Me with their lips, but
their heart is far away from me. 'But in vain do
they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts
of men.' "Neglecting the commandment of God, you
hold to the tradition of men." He was also saying to
them, "You nicely set aside the commandment of God
in order to keep your tradition." Mark 7:6-9 (NAS)
Question:
According to the scriptures above, what should
followers of Christ do to reflect or share the glory
of God and Christ?
- Be a light to the world by telling others of
the gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of
Jesus and his disciples...and by doing good
works, as we walk in the light.
- Be quiet about the good things that Jesus
has done in our lives.
- Teach man-made doctrines or opinions; rather
than helping people to see what the Bible
teaches.
- Walk in sin and darkness...continue in
sinful acts and the dark things of this world.
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