May we be a shining light

June 18, 2017
Erlo Stegen
Arise, blessing, Faith, Glorify, God's plan, healing, Jesus, Joy, light
2 Corinthians

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Sunday service, Erlo Stegen, 18 Jun 2017

2Cor 3:2-4
2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God.

A believer is a letter read by everybody. We don’t need to write it, it is written by the Holy Spirit. Every man on earth reads this letter written by God Himself. When people observe us they see what is written by the hand of God in our lives. We who are believers are a letter read by everybody. But on the other hand there are those that aren’t that wonderful letter written by God but an evil letter written by the world. Even in Paul’s time there were ministers that were bad letters. But we need to ensure that we are good letters written by the Lord Jesus. Do you grasp that people look at your life? They look at young men and girls to see if they are a good letter or not and we need to be a good letter written by God Himself.

When Peter and John went to the temple and they saw a cripple, they said, “Look at us.” When he looked at them, God did something amazing and raised him to his feet and in the same way we need to be an example especially to the believers. Paul wrote to Timothy and said, “See that no-one despises your youth so that you are an example in speech, conduct, faith and purity. (1Tim 4:12)” And so we ought to be an example to everyone through our speech, words and actions. If we are not that bright light then we should keep our mouths shut. This is a letter not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. Even at home you need to be that letter. Often people don’t read the Bible but they read you and me. We need to be a letter written by the living God. The word says flee evil lusts of youth and hold onto what is good (2Tim 2:22). Hold on so that you will be that bright shining lamp so that there is no darkness where you are.

What kind of person are you – to your wife and children? Louis Harms that man of God said, “Keep your mouth shut if your light doesn’t shine.” There is a lot of corruption in this world because of believers that don’t live a bright, shining life. If we would live according to the Bible it would be bright like the sun. If a snake would come like a mamba, you would run from it as far as you could. If there is anything with the appearance of evil we must flee from it. We who are believers should shine and the glory of the gospel should be in our lives.

We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 that God’s word says we should avoid every kind of evil. When you get home, everyone should see the light of God in you and they should say it is wonderful where you come from. Avoid and flee from evil and do good. After Jesus was born the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and said he must flee to Egypt because Herod wanted to destroy Him. When you follow the Lord, Satan is out to destroy you. Joseph got up in the night and he took Mary and Jesus and fled to Egypt and so we should flee from evil and run to God and seek the truth and live for God.

You should be able to say to people, “Look at me and see how God has changed me.” Not just from what you say but your light should shine because of your love for God, your faithfulness and your purity. That as believers we would set a good example to all people and they will say they want to be like us. It should be like a letter of recommendation.