The SSB afternoon session with Virgil Walker (09/12/2021) addressed the question, “Is the church essential?” He argued “Yes!” for three reasons: 1. for the saints, 2. for sanctification, and 3. for society.
His points were excellent and important for us, the church in Gretna, to grasp as we navigate these days with more and more people and the government saying the church is NOT essential. What do we believe and where do we draw the line in submission to the state?
I think the church is essential because Jesus referred to His people as light.
Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
What was Jesus saying to His followers and the world when He said His people are light? He was telling His that they are essential! Society may not realize it – but the light of the Christian is needed. Is light essential? Yes! Are the people of Jesus essential? Yes!
So, just how are God’s people light and therefore essential for society?
1. God’s true people point to, live for, and speak for God. The world knows there is a God who created it all, sustains it all (Colossians 1:16-17) and rules over all (Psalm 103:19) through the witness of His people. The world needs a focal point beyond themselves and a counter-balance to man.
2. God dwells in light which means God dwells in love, joy, peace, beauty and purpose – giving God glory – which is why man was created (Isaiah 43:7). God is the source for all that mankind clamors!
3. The sunlight is essential for life – for photosynthesis, for warmth, and for Vitamin D. So too are God’s people essential for life. Romans 10:17 and 14 – faith comes by hearing and hearing via a preacher. God’s “light” gives life and growth to a culture. Just look at any culture that has allowed God’s light to shine.
4. Light shows the way. God’s people are stewards of the Bible which is a lamp and light for direction, Psalm 119:105. Light gives direction. The Bible gives instructions on humanness.
5. Light gives hope – a light at the end of the tunnel. Psalm 130:6, My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning— Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. Psalm 33:19, To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
6. Light exposes dangers, traps, holes, evil, and bad. Proverbs 6:23-24. Ephesians 5:7, 11, Walk as children of light…and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but expose them.
7. Light is doing good works. Touching people and serving people point to Jesus, the Light, who went about going good and healing (Acts 10:38).
GotQuestions: The presence of light in darkness is something that is unmistakable. The presence of Christians in the world must be like a light in the darkness, not only in the sense that the truth of God’s Word brings light to the darkened hearts of sinful man, but also in the sense that our good deeds must be evident for all to see. And indeed, our deeds will be evident if they are performed in accordance with the other principles that Jesus mentions in this passage, such as the Beatitudes…The concern is not that Christians would stand out for their own sake, but that those who looked on might “glorify your Father who is in heaven”
It is charged of the Christian to let their light shine and not cover it. The difference between the Christian and the world must be preserved; therefore, any choice on our part that blurs the distinction between us and the rest of the world is a step in the wrong direction. This can happen either through a choice to accept the ways of the world for the sake of comfort or convenience or to contravene the law of obedience to Christ.
The church is essential – it is essential for society!
a PK Musing 
Leave a comment