Mittelberg, Mark, Lee Strobel, and Bill Hybels. Becoming a Contagious Christian. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001.
Introduction
What does it mean to be a contagious Christian? Being contagious means that we pass on what we have to others. A good example of this is parents with their children. Kids naturally learn from watching their parents and older siblings and begin to imitate what they see. Yet, it’s also necessary for parents to be intentionally contagious by actively communicating with and teaching kids.
Being contagious for Christ is no different. We want our words and actions to witness to what God has done in our lives through Jesus Christ. This is controversial in today’s broken and sinful culture. Our culture doesn’t want to hear the truth of Jesus Christ because we seek out the darkness because our deeds are sinful (Jn. 3:19). Despite this, we share the light because love demands it. Knowing the way to eternal life and not sharing it is unloving.
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Becoming a Contagious Christian
“Becoming a Contagious Christian” is a book written by Mark Mittelberg, Lee Strobel, and Bill Hybels about sharing our Christian faith. They focus on the “salt” and “light” analogy that Jesus used in the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5-7. This blog post is adapted from a sermon I gave on this topic. It will delve into some of the lessons that they teach from this about sharing our Christian faith.
Salt and Light
Why does Jesus compare us to salt and light in Matthew 5:13-16?
Matt. 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under peoples feet.”
“You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.”
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Jesus makes it clear that He expects us to have an impact on the world around us. We can reach the same conclusion by studying the Great Commission in Matt. 28:19-20:
Matt. 28:19-20
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The purpose of Christianity isn’t just to come to church once a week and hang out with our fellow Christians (all though that is wonderful and important). We are the vehicle through which God spreads His loving message to the rest of the world. Yes, our relationship with God is personal, but that relationship isn’t about us…it’s about Him.
He is and always has been at the center of all that we are and do. We were created in God’s image to reflect His glory. We do this by impacting the world around us for Him. This has been God’s purpose for His people from the beginning. God set apart Israel then and His church now to be a beacon of hope to the rest of the world.
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How?
How do we go about having Maximum Impact in the world for Christ? We impact the world by being salt and light. This takes us full circle back to the beginning…why salt and light?
Mark Mittelberg, Lee Strobel, and Bill Hybels help us out using a simple formula:
HP + CP + CC = MI
You may have already figured out that the MI stands for MAXIMUM IMPACT. We have already covered Jesus’ expectation for having maximum impact on those around us but HOW do we achieve this? For that we will look at the rest of the formula and how the authors of “Being a Contagious Christian” relate it to salt and light.
Salt:
What does salt do? It makes us very nervous today because we associate its excess consumption with health issues. However salt is essential to life. We couldn’t survive without it. It has been so significant throughout history that in ancient times in some places it was used as a form of currency. What else does salt do?
- It makes us thirsty. You ever notice they always pair salty snacks with drinks in the grocery store? They use this to get you to buy more drinks.
- When Christians live Spirit filled lives of love, calm, and joy even during time of suffering…we create a spiritual thirst in people around us. It’s during the difficult times that they see the miraculous change God has made in your life and they become thirsty for that change.
- Salt spices thing up. It’s used to enhance flavor and add taste to food.
- When we live a bold and sincere lives for God, we wake people up to a radical way of thinking. Seeing others come to Christ as we share our faith with them is truly exciting.
- Salt preserves. Salt was used to preserve meat and other foods before we had refrigeration.
- When Christians live God-honoring lives and spread our faith, we affect the greater world around us. It’s in this way that we can hold back the moral decay of society.
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2 Conditions
Salt can have the desired affect only under two conditions. It must have HIGH POTENCY (HP) and CLOSE PROXIMITY (CP). The key here is that potency and proximity must BOTH be present.
Proximity
You can have the most potent, industrial strength salt but if it never comes into contact with what it’s supposed to affect than it is of little value. Becky Pippard said that “salt that is never taken out of the shaker is merely a table ornament.”
Potency
At the same time if you dump salt all over the intended target but it’s weak and flavorless than it’s of no value. It has no effect and may as well be thrown out and trampled underfoot. This is the same for us. Christians must be spiritually potent, and we must also come into close contact with those who have not yet found Christ.
This is why they called Jesus “friend of sinners”. He wasn’t just spiritually potent but He practiced close proximity to those who most needed Him. When the Pharisees chastised Him for it Jesus said in Matt. 9:12, “…It is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick.”
One Without the Other
A Christian who has close proximity, but no potency is of little impact on the world. Sometimes we decide we are going to have such close proximity that we are virtually indistinguishable from those we propose to help. Jesus indicates that this kind of Christian is of little use and is discarded (Jn. 15:1-8).
At the same time a Christian who has developed the highest spiritual potency but never gets up out of the pew to meet those who need it also fall short of making maximum impact for Christ. Sitting in corporate worship is only part of how we are salt and light to the world. Jesus’ command wasn’t “Field of Dreams”, “If you build it they will come.” Jesus and the disciples changed the world by becoming spiritually potent and going out in close proximity to meet those who need the good news of Christ.
How Do We Grow Potency
We grow potency through exercising the spiritual disciplines. Coming to church to learn, worship, and fellowship is a necessary discipline that helps grow our spiritual potency. The other necessity for high potency is the discipline of studying God’s word both alone and with others. Bible studies and small groups are a good place to work on this. The disciplines of talking to God in prayer and meditation helps build and nurture the personal relationship with Him which grows our potency.
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So now that we have the High Potency and Close proximity of Salt, lets move to the final piece of our equation.
Light:
So how does light fit into the equation? To understand this we must ask, “What does light do?” The authors point out that light: makes things visible, sheds light on a given situation, helps us see things for what they are, and it reveals the truth.
We are light to the world when we live out our faith; however, that’s not enough. In the Great Commission Jesus didn’t send out his disciples just to live their faith but to also teach and make disciples. In other words, His command was also “Clear Communication” of the gospel message. This is the CC in our equation.
In 2 Cor. 4:5-6 Paul tells us:
2 Cor. 4:5-6
“For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”
Romans 10:14
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
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Speaking Not Limited to Ministers
Many of us believe that speaking God’s word is limited only to ministers and elders of the church. We tend to believe that we aren’t qualified, or we don’t know enough. But we must all be able and willing to communicate the truth of God’s word at a moment’s notice. John Devries states, “Anyone who knows enough to be saved knows enough to tell others how to be saved.” reference
We must become highly potent and intentionally come into close proximity to those who need Christ so that we are prepared to clearly communicate the gospel to them. Without this we leave people guessing as to what the difference is in our lives and whether they can also have that difference in theirs. We can’t just assume that if we live a Godly life that others will see it, want it, and figure out how to get it for themselves. We must be willing to boldly speak up about what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. What we do and what we say matters because eternity is at stake.
Summary of Lesson (HP + CP + CC = MI)
High Potency + Close Proximity (SALT) + Clear Communication (LIGHT)
= Maximum Impact for Christ.
And/Or Vs. And/And
Jesus’ command isn’t an and/or proposition. It’s And/And. We must be both Salt and Light to have maximum impact on the world. Words with no actions are futile while actions with no words can be devoid of meaning. The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple and straight forward. We don’t have to be scholars or minsters to clearly communicate it. We need only challenge ourselves to ask God to make us both salt and light so that we can reach people for Him.
Blessings