Light & Salt in a dark, unseasoned world?

[God'sElectSaint]

"Mat 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."
I love these verses. I would really love to gain some insight from my more experienced brethren in the Lord, in terms of what it means to be Light and Salt in this world? How can I shine forth and not lose my savour?

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

Ed, I have discipled quite a few people through the years who have in turn discipled others. A number of them are in the ministry now. In the early 90's I wrote a 40 page work on Grace. It is the teaching I used to train others with. It is on the definition of Grace and the means of Grace. Maybe you can glean a few things from it. I honestly believe an underdeveloped view of Grace has stunted the growth of the Church.

You can download it from a link on this page. https://rpcnacovenanter.wordpress.com/2013/04/13/knowing-god-by-his-majestic-grace/

 

[Huckleberrylane]

My dad and the other elder just preached through this! They shared some things I'd never thought about... it was soooo good!

 

[Branson]

I have always enjoyed Martyn Lloyd-Jones exposition of salt and light in his book 'Sermon on the Mount'. Here is a snippet from that section:
"It is interesting to observe that, according to our Lord, this is the second great result of our being the kind of Christian man He has already described in the Beatitudes. We should consider also the order in which these statements are made. The first thing our Lord said of us was, "Ye are the salt of the earth"; and it is only after this that He says, "Ye are the light of the world". Why does He put it in that order instead of the reverse? This is a very interesting and important practical point. The first effect of the Christian on the world is a general one; in other words, it is more or less negative. Here is a man who has become a Christian; he lives in society, in his office or workshop. Because he is a Christian he immediately has a certain effect, a controlling effect, which we considered together earlier. It is only after that, that he has this specific and particular function of acting as light. In other words Scripture, in dealing with the Christian, always emphasizes first what he is, before it begins to speak of what he does. As a Christian, I should always have this general effect upon men before I have this specific effect. Wherever I may find myself, immediately that "something different" about me should have its effect; and that in turn ought to lead men and women to look at me and to say, "There is something unusual about that man." Then, as they watch my conduct and behaviour, they begin to ask me questions. Here, the element of "light" comes out; I am able to speak and to teach them. Far too often we Christians tend to reverse the order. We have spoken in a very enlightened manner, but we have not always lived as the salt of the earth. Whether we like it or not, our lives should always be the first thing to speak; and if our lips speak more than our lives it will avail very little. So often the tragedy has been that people proclaim the gospel in words, but their whole life and demeanour has been a denial of it. The world does not pay much attention to them. Let us never forget this order deliberately chosen by our Lord; "the salt of the earth" before "the light of the world". We are something before we begin to act as something. The two things should always go together, but the order and sequence should be the one which He sets down here."

The rest of the section can be found at this link:
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/lightworld.html