A Night of Violence as Morsi Supporters Fight for His Return

By Ben Hubbard, NY Times, July 6, 2013

CAIRO—Egyptian officials were assessing the damage Saturday from a night of deadly street fighting as a bitter split over who should be ruling the country led to overnight battles between demonstrators celebrating the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi and crowds of Islamists who wanted him reinstated.

Combatants used rocks, sticks, fireworks and Molotov cocktails in a battle lasting hours that raged Friday night near Tahrir Square and across a bridge spanning the Nile, part of the most widespread street violence in Egypt since the early days of the 2011 revolution.

The mayhem capped a day full of massive and defiant protests by Islamists demanding that Mr. Morsi be returned to power. At least four people were killed and many were wounded when security forces fired into a protest near the officers’ club of the powerful Republican Guard, where many believed Mr. Morsi was detained.

With clashes breaking out late into the night, it was impossible to estimate the full extent of casualties and damage. But early Saturday, security officials said at least 30 people had been killed nationwide and hundreds wounded, many of them in Cairo.

Islamists in other cities across the country also demanded Mr. Morsi’s reinstatement, breaking into government offices in several provinces and temporarily evicting military officials. Fifteen people died in Alexandria, and a curfew was declared in the Sinai Peninsula, where six soldiers and police officers were killed in at least four attacks on security posts.

The new violence suggested that the military’s removal of Mr. Morsi, the country’s first freely elected president, after protests by millions of Egyptians angry with his rule, had worsened the deep polarization between Islamists who call his ouster a military coup and their opponents who say his removal was the result of an urgent need to fix Egypt’s myriad problems.

By turning out in the tens of thousands, the pro-Morsi crowds underlined the organizational might of the Muslim Brotherhood, which emerged as the major political force and dominated rounds of elections after the country’s revolution two years ago. At that time, it gained power that many in the group had dreamed of for decades. The military’s intervention in politics this week entirely removed it from the government.

In a further affront to the Islamists, the Egyptian news media have marginalized their message in the two days since Mr. Morsi was deposed. Despite the interim government’s pledge of inclusiveness, Islamist television broadcasters were shuttered, and the state television barely covered the breadth of the pro-Morsi demonstrations on Friday.

The Obama administration, which provides $1.5 billion in annual aid to Egypt and has watched the crisis unfold with increased concern, called for calm. “We condemn the violence that has taken place today in Egypt," Jennifer R. Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman, said in a statement. “We call on all Egyptian leaders to condemn the use of force and to prevent further violence among their supporters."

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3 Things I Wish I Knew Before We Got Married

By Tyler Ward, Relevant, January 23, 2013

I used to think I had my stuff together. Then I got married.

Marriage is great—but it rocked everything I knew. I quickly realized my basic goal in life, prior to getting married, was to simply remain undisturbed.

This “disruption" came suddenly and was disguised as a 5-foot-nothing Swedish-Filipino woman. When I decided I’d rather not live without her, I proceeded to ask her to marry me—that is, to officially invite someone who wasn’t me to be in my personal space for the rest of my life.

This decision introduced my most significant experiences and most challenging experiences—none of which I would trade for the world.

However, I wish I’d had a bit more insight on the front end of our marriage to help me navigate it all.

According to most research, more than 50 percent of people who say “I do" will not be sleeping in the same bed eight years from now. And though Scripture alludes to the fact that adultery and abuse may be reasons individuals might end a marriage, I’d be willing to bet that most challenges experienced in marriage are the result of unawareness. Most people—myself included—jump into marriage with suitcases full of misconceptions and bad theology, entirely unaware of the unique beauty and paradoxical intentions of marriage.

The following are three thoughts on marriage that friends and mentors have shared with me. I remind myself of them often in hopes of keeping this anomaly called marriage both enjoyable and healthy.

1. Marriage is not about living happily ever after. Here’s the truth: I get annoyed at my wife. But this is more a reflection of me than her.

I’m intensely certain that nothing in life has ever made me more angry, frustrated or annoyed than my wife. Inevitably, just when I think I’ve given all I can possibly give, she somehow finds a way to ask for more.

The worst part of it all is that her demands aren’t unreasonable. One day she expects me to stay emotionally engaged. The next, she’s looking for me to validate the way that she feels. The list goes on—but never ventures far from things she perfectly well deserves as a wife.

Unfortunately for her, deserving or not, her needs often compete with my self-focus. I know it shouldn’t be this way, but I am selfish and stubborn and, overall, human.

I once read a book that alluded to the idea that marriage is the fire of life—that somehow it’s designed to refine all our dysfunction and spur us into progressive wholeness. In this light, contrary to popular opinion, the goal of marriage is not happiness. And although happiness is often a very real byproduct of a healthy relationship, marriage has a far more significant purpose in sight. It is designed to pull dysfunction to the surface of our lives, set it on fire and help us grow.

When we’re willing to see it this way, then the points of friction in our marriages quickly become gifts that consistently invite us into a more whole and fulfilling experience of life.

2. The more you give to marriage, the more it gives back. Over the past year, a few friends and I have had an open conversation about the highs and lows of marriage—specifically how to make the most of the high times and avoid the low ones. Along the way, we happened upon a derailing hypothesis that goes something like this: If one makes their husband or wife priority number one, all other areas of life benefit.

When we return marriage to its rightful place in our priorities, it can quickly turn into the greatest asset to every other layer of our lives.

It’s a disorienting claim. Disorienting, because it protests my deeper persuasion that success as an entrepreneur, or any professional, requires that career takes the throne of my priorities and remain there for, at the very least, a couple of years.

However, seeing that my recent pattern of caring about work over marriage had produced little more than paying bills and a miserable wife, I figured giving the philosophy a test drive couldn’t hurt.

For 31 days, I intentionally put my wife first over everything else, and then I tracked how it worked. I created a metric for these purposes, to mark our relationship as priority, and then my effectiveness in all other areas of my life on the same scale, including career productivity and general quality of life.

To my surprise, a month later, I had a chart of data and a handful of ironic experiences to prove that the more you give to marriage, the more it gives back.

Notably, on the days my wife genuinely felt valued, I observed her advocating for me to invest deeply in to my work. She no longer saw our relationship and my career pursuits as competitors for my attention, and as she partnered with me in my career, I have experienced the benefits of having the closest person in my life champion me.

Of course, marriage requires sacrifice. And sometimes it will feel as if it takes and takes. However, when we return marriage to its rightful place in our priorities, it can quickly turn from something we have to maintain and sacrifice for into the greatest asset to every other layer of our lives.

3. Marriage can change the world. John Medina, the author of Brain Rules and a Christian biologist, is often approached by men looking for the silver bullet of fathering. In one way or another, they all come around to asking, “What’s the most important thing I can do as a father?"

Medina’s answer alludes to a surprising truth.

In my previously mentioned experiment, I measured the effect that making my marriage priority number one had on different areas of my life. One of those areas was my 16-month-old son’s behavior.

What I found in simply charting my observations was that the majority of the time, my child’s behavior was directly affected by the level of intention I invested in my marriage.

Re-enter John Medina, the Christian biologist. After years of biological research and several books on parenting conclusions, what is his answer to the question, “What’s the most important thing I can do as a father"?

"Go home and love your wife."

Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam, the authors of Babywise, say it this way: “A healthy marriage creates an infused stability within the family and a haven of security for a child in their development process." They go on to sum up their years of research by saying, “In the end, great marriages produce great parents."

The point is that marriage has a higher goal than to make two people happy or even whole. Yes, the investment we make into our marriage pays dividends for us. But, concluded by Medina and his colleagues, the same investment also has significant implications for our family, our community and eventually our culture.

So men, women, the next time you find yourself dreaming about living significantly or succeeding in your career or being a better parent than yours were to you, do the world a favor: Go home and love your wife. Go home and love your husband.

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Should Christians oppose the "surveillance state"?

Jonathan Merritt, Religion News Service, Jul 4, 2013

Apparently anything goes in the “war on terror"—even spying on your own citizens.

That’s the message Americans have gotten from their government over the last decade, and it has only been reinforced by the brewing National Security Administration (NSA) surveillance scandal. Thanks to information leaked by NSA contractor Edward Snowden, we now know details of massive telephone and Internet surveillance programs enacted by America against its own citizens. According to this information, your recent Google searches, cell phone conversations, and even personal emails may have been viewed or recorded by government intelligence agencies.

No wonder the Obama Administration is getting fileted and served up with a side of tartar sauce.

But the President is not solely to blame for the Orwellian reality we’re now facing. It is, in part, the Bush Administration’s policies come to roost. Legal cover for these actions has been provided by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which President Bush expanded with an “Authorization" to allow NSA to intercept Americans’ communications, and the Patriot Act of 2001. The super-secret $1.7 billion NSA data collection center in Utah, where much of this intelligence gathering has occurred, is the “realization of the ‘total information awareness’ program created during the first term of the Bush administration."

Of course, few people argue that surveillance should never be allowed in a world as dangerous as ours. But what we’re seeing now is a government with carte blanche power to infringe on individual freedoms with almost no restraint. Out of some 8,600 invasive search requests submitted to the FISA court, only two have been denied.

Americans are justified to be outraged as such power run amok. And the Christians among them, even more so.

Growing up, Americans are taught that we live in the cradle of liberty and democracy. But according to NSA documents, it turns out that America may be one of the most surveilled countries in the world. This rightfully offends our American sensibilities because the impulse of our republic is to provide the most freedom possible for those who call our country home. It is difficult to engage in “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" when you’re always looking over your shoulder to see if Big Brother is spying on you.

American Christians have even more reasons to oppose the surveillance state. At the core of Christian theology is an affirmation of human dignity. Every human—regardless of race, gender, country of origin, religion, or anything other marker—is made in the image of God and is the object of that God’s love. Human dignity is a permanent and ineradicable endowment of God to every person.

As Timothy George, Dean of Beeson Divinity, argues, “Persons of faith should be deeply concerned about the current surveillance flap not because privacy is an absolute end in itself but rather because it points to and safeguards something else even more basic and fundamental, namely, human dignity."

His view is echoed by the Roman Catholic Declaration on Religious Freedom, which rightly states that human dignity requires that people “should act on their own judgment, enjoying and making use of a responsible freedom, not driven by coercion but motivated by sense of duty."

Infringing on someone’s privacy without just cause robs them of divinely-bestowed dignity.

Additionally, the surveillance state trusts government too much. Christians believe that humans are utterly depraved and especially dangerous when in possession of unchecked power. Therefore, justice can increase only when power is held in check. As Gary Haugen, President of International Justice Mission writes, "[governmental] power must be limited by clear boundaries, and individuals exercising such power must be transparently accountable."

Christians know that nothing can ultimately be hidden. In one sense, there is no ultimate privacy if an all-knowing God exists. As Paul Tillich says, “We are always held and comprehended by something that is greater than we are, that has a claim upon us." But for Christians, only one entity should have and can be trusted with unlimited surveillance: God, not government.

"Only God is omniscient. To God alone are we to be a completely open book," George writes, “To God, and only to God, should we say—or need to say—‘You know when I leave and when I get back; I am never out of your sight. I look behind me and you are there, then up ahead and you are there, too…is there any place I can go to be out of your sight?’"

Christians should desire and help create a society where the tendency of citizens is to look up, not over their shoulders.

Read More

How to approach people in non-adversarial ways with the Gospel. Ravi Zacharias

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Why Christianity is the truth!- Ravi Zacharias

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Are all non-Christians going to hell?- Ravi Zacharias

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Oxford University Q & A: Ravi Zacharias & Alistair McGrath

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O Pão da Vida

Compilação

Eu sou o pão vivo que desceu do céu. Se alguém comer deste pão, viverá para sempre. Este pão é a minha carne, que eu darei pela vida do mundo. —João 6:51[1]

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Então Jesus declarou: "Eu sou o pão da vida. Aquele que vem a mim nunca terá fome; aquele que crê em mim nunca terá sede.”—João 6:35[2]

*

Cristo compara as necessidades do ser humano à sensação de fome e sede. A sensação de fome é real. Os que já passaram por isso sabem que é uma sensação física e dolorosa. A sede também não é algo sentimental; é uma necessidade real. Que sofrimento maior pode existir neste mundo do que passar sede?

Jesus veio para suprir as necessidades profundas, reais, vitais e prementes da natureza humana. O nosso medo do inferno e da morte, a sensação que temos de pecado, Jesus veio para resolver tudo isso, e, como podem comprovar todos que tiveram uma experiência com Ele, Ele supre o que precisamos se a Ele recorremos. Jesus Cristo supre a necessidade dos que têm peso na consciência, que sentem necessidade de um alívio. Toda pessoa em sã consciência sente que Deus deve puni-la por seus pecados, mas assim que entende que o Filho de Deus foi punido em seu lugar, fica completamente em paz e essa necessidade, essa fome, desaparece. Até a pessoa conhecer a verdade da Substituição, você pode pregar o quanto quiser e ela pode cumprir todos os sacramentos e fazer todos os sacrifícios físicos, e ainda sentirá que falta algo, sentirá fome no seu íntimo.

O coração sente fome e clama, até inconscientemente: “Quem me dera ser amado e amar alguém cujo amor me preenchesse até transbordar.” Quando se trata de amor o coração do ser humano é esfomeado. Ele, assim como a morte e o túmulo, não se farta. As pessoas procuram aqui e ali, mas ficam extremamente desapontadas, pois não existe na terra nada digno de todo o amor de um ser humano. Mas quando a pessoa ouve que Jesus Cristo a amou antes da fundação do mundo, e que morreu por ela, os seus sentimentos deixam de vagar. Assim como Rute encontrou repouso junto a um marido, também nós passamos a sentir paz em Jesus. O amor de Jesus sacia a nossa fome por outros amores e preenche a nossa alma! Jesus Se torna o nosso Noivo querido, o nosso Amado, e deixamos de nos importar com as outras coisas [mais comuns].—Charles Spurgeon

*

“Eu sou o Pão da Vida”[3] é uma das sete declarações “Eu Sou” de Jesus.

O pão é considerado um item básico da alimentação. É possível viver bastante tempo alimentando-se apenas d e pão e água. O pão é um alimento tão básico que é sinônimo de alimento em geral. Até se usa “ganhar o pão”, para indicar o sustento, o “pão nosso de cada dia”. O pão é uma parte indispensável da refeição de páscoa do povo judeu. Os judeus foram instruídos a comer pão sem fermento durante a Páscoa e por sete dias depois da celebração da sua fuga do Egito. E depois, quando os judeus ficaram 40 anos vagando no deserto, Deus jogou “pão do céu” para sustentar o povo.[4]

Tudo isso faz parte do que está descrito em João 6. Jesus queria Se afastar da multidão mas não conseguia. Ele atravessou o Mar da Galileia e a multidão foi atrás. Depois de um tempo Jesus pergunta a Felipe como iam alimentar o povo. A resposta de Felipe denota a sua “pequena fé”, pois ele diz que não tinham dinheiro suficiente para comprar o mínimo de alimento que fosse para cada pessoa ali presente. Por fim, André leva até Jesus um rapazinho que tinha consigo cinco pãezinhos e dois peixes. E com essa quantidade mínima, Jesus alimentou milagrosamente a multidão... e até sobrou comida.

Depois disso, Jesus e os discípulos voltaram para o outro lado da Galileia. Quando a multidão percebeu que Jesus tinha ido embora, seguiram atrás dEle. Ele censura o povo por ignorar Seus sinais milagrosos e O seguir apenas para “comerem de graça”. Jesus diz em João 6:27, “Não trabalhem pela comida que se estraga, mas pela comida que permanece para a vida eterna, a qual o Filho do homem lhes dará. Deus, o Pai, nele colocou o seu selo de aprovação". Em outras palavras, as pessoas estavam tão absortas na questão da comida que nem percebiam que diante delas estava o Messias. Por isso os judeus pediram a Jesus um sinal de que Ele fora enviado por Deus, mencionando que Deus lhes dera o maná enquanto vagavam no deserto. E Jesus respondeu dizendo que eles precisavam pedir o verdadeiro pão dos céus, o pão que dá vida. Quando então Lhe pediram esse pão, Jesus os surpreendeu respondendo: “Eu sou o pão da vida. Aquele que vem a mim nunca terá fome, e aquele que crê em mim nunca terá sede.”

É uma declaração fenomenal! Primeiro, ao Se comparar com o pão, Jesus esta dizendo que Ele é essencial para a vida. segundo, a vida a que Jesus Se refere não é física, mas eterna. Ele mostra o contraste entre o que Ele oferece, como Messias, e o pão que criou milagrosamente na véspera. Aquele foi um pão físico, que perecia. Mas Ele é o pão espiritual que dá a vida eterna.

Vemos novamente as palavras “fome e sede”, e devemos observar que Jesus não Se refere a saciar a fome e a sede físicas. A chave se encontra em outra declaração Sua, deste vez no Sermão do Monte. Em Mateus 5:6, Jesus diz: “Bem-aventurados os que têm fome e sede de justiça, pois serão satisfeitos.” Quando Jesus diz que aqueles que vêm a Ele nunca terão fome e os que nEle creem nunca terão sede, está dizendo que vai saciar a nossa fome e a nossa sede para nos tornarmos justos diante de Deus.

Algo que a história da religião nos revela inequivocamente é que as pessoas procuram ganhar a salvação da alma. É um desejo básico do ser humano, porque Deus nos criou pensando na eternidade. A Bíblia diz que Deus colocou em nossos corações o anseio pela eternidade.[5] A Bíblia também nos diz que nada podemos fazer para ganhar o Céu, porque todos pecamos[6] e a morte é a única coisa que ganhamos pelo nosso pecado.[7] Quando Cristo morreu na cruz, Ele levou os pecados da humanidade sobre Si e foi a nossa expiação. Quando depositamos nEle a nossa fé, nossos pecados são imputados a Jesus, e a Sua justiça nos é imputada. Jesus sacia a nossa fome e sede de justiça. Ele é o nosso Pão da Vida. — do site Got Questions[8]

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Se fôssemos enumerar todas as nossas “fomes”, ou necessidades, ficaríamos surpresos com a quantidade das que são justificadas. Existe a fome da verdade, a fome de amor, a fome por conhecimento, a necessidade de pertencer, a necessidade de se expressar, a fome de justiça, a fome da imaginação, a fome da mente, e a fome do sentido. Poderíamos mencionar outros tipos, pois no campo da Psicologia surgiram muitas teorias relativas a essas fomes ou necessidades do ser humano.

Algumas das nossas buscas pessoais podem saciar algumas dessas fomes. A educação traz conhecimento; o romance supre a necessidade de pertencer a alguém. Realizações podem dar sentido à vida. A riqueza nos oferece condições de adquirir certas coisas. A mensagem de Jesus afirma que nada jamais suprirá todas essas fomes ou necessidades. Além de que, até comermos do pão da vida que Jesus nos oferece, não será possível confirmamos se tudo isso é válido ou não. A maneira como somos alimentados é que confirma a autenticidade de tudo o mais.

Quando buscamos saciar esse tipo de fome, não só continua nos faltando o sentimento de realização, mas essa busca nos traz certa confusão que nos desvia da fonte da verdadeira satisfação. E é muito, muito importante saber disso.

Assim como o oxigênio é para o corpo, o Pão da Vida é para a alma. Sem esse pão, todas as outras fomes ou necessidades podem ser mal interpretadas. E a falta desse pão por um período prolongado pode nos dar a impressão de que o pão nada vale. A vida deve ser vivida tendo sido suprida a necessidade representativa de tudo pode ser suprido e o amor representativo de todos os outros tipos de amor.—Ravi Zacharias[9]

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Jesus é a Palavra. Ele é o espírito e a vida, e você deveria ter uma dose dEle todos os dias, se alimentar bem, se banquetear e absorver Jesus. Assim como precisamos comer para termos força física, também devemos comer e beber a Palavra para termos força espiritual.

A Palavra é Jesus, a Palavra é Deus, a Palavra é espírito, a Palavra é vida!

O segredo do poder, da vitória, da produtividade, da superação, do fogo, da vida, do calor, da luz, da capacidade de liderança, o segredo de tudo é a Palavra! — E a falta da Palavra é o segredo do fracasso, da frieza, das trevas, da debilidade, e da morte espiritual.—David Brandt Berg

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Nem só de pão viverá o homem, mas de toda palavra que procede da boca de Deus.—Mateus 4:4[10]

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Quando as tuas palavras foram encontradas eu as comi; elas são a minha alegria e o meu júbilo.—Jeremias 15:16[11]

Publicado no Âncora em junho de 2013. Tradução Hebe Rondon Flandoli.


[1] NVI.

[2] NVI.

[3] João 6:35.

[4] Êxodo 16:4.

[5] Eclesiastes 3:11.

[6] Romanos 3:23.

[7] Romanos 6:23.

[8] http://www.gotquestions.org/bread-of-life.html.

[9] Jesus Among Other Gods (W Publishing Group, 2000).

[10] NVI.

[11] NVI.

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Force for Good: Salt of the Earth

By Peter Amsterdam

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The Family International at its heart has been a witnessing and soul-winning movement for 45 years. We have witnessed to millions, led millions of souls to Christ, and distributed millions upon millions of pieces of Gospel-based literature in scores of languages. We have worked hard to fulfill the commission the Lord gave us to be faithful witnesses. Despite the fact that our numbers haven’t exceeded 10,000 adults, we have overcome enormous challenges, traveled the world, and preached the Gospel in over 150 countries.

Passing the hope that is in us along to others is one of our greatest gifts and joys in life. Lifting downcast spirits through our love, joy, and confidence in God’s Word is a key to what makes us who we are. When people see the hope that is in you, they are drawn to it as one is to light in a dark place. Jesus compared that special spark of life that sets us apart from the children of this world to salt. He said, “You are the salt of the earth.”—Maria Fontaine1

Maria and I are thankful to be part of a movement that, despite our growing pains, mistakes, and failings along the way, has been used of the Lord to bring the Gospel message to so many.


Seasoned with salt

As Christians, we strive to be agents of change in the lives of others, and ultimately in society. That can mean making waves or going against the flow. Not everything you do and value will be in harmony with the status quo.

Nearly a decade ago, Pope John Paul II was reported as speaking to university students about overcoming the temptation of mediocrity and conformity. He said, “Following Christ, the crucified King, believers learn that to reign is to serve, seeking the good of others, and they discover that the real meaning of love is expressed in the sincere gift of self.” He stated that when life is lived with this spirit, the Christian becomes the “salt of the earth.” He went on to say, “It is not an easy way; it is often contrary to the mentality of your contemporaries. It means, of course, to go against the current, with respect to the prevailing conduct and fashions. … The mystery of the cross teaches a way of being and acting that is not in accord with the spirit of this world.”2

As Christians, we are called to spice things up with the seasoning of faith we bring. We must also realize that not everyone will like the flavor or be amenable to having the world around them seasoned with beliefs and values that are different from the ones they have been accustomed to. Some things—including challenges to our faith and opposition—are part of the Christian walk.

In Colossians, Paul said, “Live wisely among those who are not believers and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive, seasoned with salt, so that you will have the right response for everyone.”3 This seems to present a good balance of “making the most of every opportunity” in our witness to those who are unbelievers while ensuring that our speech is both gracious and attractive, and seasoned with the salt of our faith and Christian example. That is what Paul concludes will enable us to have the right response to everyone, or as Peter said, to “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”4

It has been said that “God scattered [the early Christians] throughout the world to salt the whole earth and enlighten all mankind.”5 Ultimately, salt is embraced by many people as a needed ingredient that will bring out the best in food. When Jesus compared His followers to salt and light, it seems a reasonable assumption that He expected Christians to be embraced by many and for the Christian faith to become as essential as salt and light to many people’s lives. That’s quite a commission and quite a privilege that He empowers us to have an impact on others and be a force for good in their lives.




Salt in the Bible

Salt played a major role in Old Testament sacrifices and offerings. For this reason, Jesus’ use of this metaphor was familiar to His followers. In biblical times, salt was used for several purposes:
Seasoning: Just as it does today, salt served an important gustatory purpose. People would use salt to bring out the inherent flavor of foods. By comparing His followers to salt, Jesus indicated that they were to add flavor, or seasoning, to society.
Preservative: Since primitive times, salt has been used to preserve meat and other foods. Salt prevents decay and degradation of food products. In the same way, Jesus taught His followers to point others to the way of life, to show how they might be preserved from death and destruction.
Melting Ice: Salt has always been useful for thawing and melting ice. By serving as salt, Jesus’ followers might thaw people’s hearts with their kindness, making them open to friendship, relationships, and to God’s truth. 6

Salt is a necessity of life and is a mineral that was used since ancient times in many cultures as a seasoning, a preservative, a disinfectant, a component of ceremonial offerings, and as a unit of exchange. The Bible contains numerous references to salt. In various contexts, it is used metaphorically to signify permanence, loyalty, durability, fidelity, usefulness, value, and purification.7

Pliny, the first-century Roman naturalist and writer, and contemporary of Jesus, wrote in one of his encyclopedias, “Nothing is more useful than salt and sunshine.”

In the ancient biblical world, salt was a precious commodity. It gave flavor and zest to food; it served as an important preservative; salt also made people thirst for something more. Jesus wanted His disciples to give flavor and zest to the world through His teaching; to preserve the truth as He proclaimed it to the world; to make the world thirst for more. … If we do this as His disciples, we, too, will also be “light of the world.” Being the light of the world means, for Christians, spreading everywhere the light that comes from on high. It means fighting darkness due to evil and sin and often caused by ignorance, prejudice, and selfishness. The more we look on the face of Jesus, like an impressionist painting, the more light we see and the more we are transfigured by it. By their deeds the disciples are to influence the world for good.8

As salt seasons food by being lightly scattered upon it, so too Christians season the earth by being scattered throughout the various nations of the earth. By living in accordance with God’s way of life, Christians also preserve the earth by slowing the decay of morals in the society around them.9


Preserving the saltiness

Jesus said, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?” His answer: “Have salt in yourselves.”10

It’s up to each of us to carry those qualities of salt within us, so that we can season the world around us with His flavoring. The goal of having an alive, deep, and meaningful relationship with Jesus, of manifesting a Christian example and following Jesus’ teachings, of living and working in unity with others, has always been to be able to be “the salt of the earth,” part of “the light of the world, a city set on a hill,” that attracts others to the Lord, so that they too can come to know and love Him, and, if they’re willing, to help others to do the same.11

Being a force for good rests within each of us, as we do our part to love God, to stay true to His Word, and to share His love and Word with others whenever and wherever possible. As we strive to live and hold true to our Christian values, we can fulfill His commission to be the spice of life of this world; to give its full flavor and meaning to others, to be preservers of the good, and to share our faith—the true currency of the world—with others.

May the Lord bless your life and strengthen your witness and mission works so that they can serve as the salt of the earth and a lamp to light the paths of many. There is a world before us to reach and there are countless ways of spreading the good news and being a positive influence in the lives of others—a force for good.



PS: Four additional posts in the "Force for Good" series have been posted on Anchor, making a total of nine. You can find the full series by selecting the "Force for Good" tag.

Originally published March 2011. Excerpted and republished July 2013.
Read by Simon Peterson.


1 Maria Fontaine. Originally published March 2002.

2 Address to UNIV 2002 Congress in Rome, as reported by Zenit news service, March 25, 2002.

3 Colossians 4:5–6 NLT.

4 1 Peter 3:15 NIV.

5 David Berg. Originally published March 1971.

6 Linda Ann Nickerson, “Origin and Meaning of ‘Salt of the Earth,’” http://www.helium.com/items/414322-origin-and-meaning-of-salt-of-the-earth.

7 John L. McKenzie.

8 Father Thomas Rosica, CSB, Zenit news service, February 1, 2011.

9 Wiki Answers.com.

10 Mark 9:50 NIV.

11 Matthew 5:13–14.

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Preparing For The Third Temple

By Daniel Ben Simon, Al-Monitor Israel Pulse, June 7, 2013

I went to visit the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem to see how the preparations for the establishment of the new temple were getting on. For hundreds of Israelis, the task of renewing the temple has become the job of their lives.

It is about time, so they believe, to establish the Third Temple in its proper place—right on the site where the First Temple and the Second Temple were once standing before being destroyed.

Yehuda Glick is one of the “elite soldiers of the temple" who dedicate their lives to the mission. Since moving to Israel, he has been preparing for the great day, waiting to see the construction of the edifice that is to become the holiest place on earth for the Jewish people. A black skullcap adorning his head, his Hebrew flavored by an Anglo-Saxon accent, Glick spends his time as a tourist guide, escorting visitors to the Temple Mount.

I met Yehuda at the entrance gate to the Temple Mount. There is no greater thrill in his life than to walk on the soil of the Temple Mount. While he has visited the place hundreds or even thousands of times„ his heart still beats with excitement on each visit.

"As far as I see it, an amazing divine move is manifested here," he explained while we were waiting in line at the gate. “The state of Israel is a part of this divine move, which will culminate in the establishment of the Third Temple."

"When I started visiting the Temple Mount 15 years ago, you could hardly gather a minyan—the quorum—for prayer. These days, hundreds of thousands of Jews are coming to pray on the Temple Mount. They expect us to rebuild the temple, and God willing, it will be built."

Hundreds of tourists, most of them Christians, were standing in line under the scorching sun, waiting for the security check that every visitor seeking entry to the Temple Mount is required to pass. Jews are not allowed to bring in scrolls of the Torah, prayer books, copies of the Book of Psalms or any other article of worship that could be used to establish a mystical association between the Temple Mount and the holy Jewish Scriptures.

Under the current arrangements agreed on between Israel and the Kingdom of Jordan, Jews visiting the Temple Mount are banned from openly praying on the premises or swaying in worship. One single event of deviation from the set rules could be enough to spark an international incident.

In fact, precisely such an incident occurred while I was waiting at the entrance gate to the Temple Mount. All of a sudden, shouts were heard from inside the enclosure. The policemen standing on guard at the gate went on alert and hurried to lock it.

It turned out that a Muslim worshipper accused an Israeli policeman of knocking down a Quran she was holding in her hands.

The Temple Mount was closed to visitors right away and the incident was promptly brought to the attention of the top echelons in Israel, the Palestinian leaders in the territories and the Jordanian king’s palace.

The commanding officer in charge of the Temple Mount site told me that incidents of that kind were an everyday matter. “The policeman on duty reported that the worshipper had thrown down the book on purpose, to stir up a provocation and, needless to say, I believe him," he said, adding: “Even a minor event is liable to trigger an international incident."

As the gates to the Temple Mount were closed, Yehuda and I headed for the Jewish Quarter, where the Temple Institute is located. Hundreds of tourists visit the Temple Institute store daily to see at close hand the preparations for the establishment of the temple.

"Fifty percent of the visitors are not Jewish," recounted Reuven Cohen, the store manager, who immigrated to Israel from England 34 years ago. “The Jews are coming here to look for the roots of the temple, whereas the visiting evangelists are deeply involved in the establishment of the temple. They are well aware that their process of redemption is closely interwoven with ours. They actually believe that the path of return of Jesus Christ to this earth passes through our temple."

The articles of worship intended for use in the new temple, once it is erected, are on display in the store. Kits that include guidelines for proper conduct in the holy site are offered for sale alongside a variety of jigsaw puzzles of the temple—some comprising 24 pieces, for 3-year-old children, and others of 100 pieces and even 1,000 pieces—for the older. Hundreds of books, neatly arranged on the shelves, tell the history of the temples—those that were destroyed and the one that is to be built.

There are books on the sacred golden candelabrums, books on the houses that served the Jewish priests who performed their duties at the temple, and others on the ritual sacrifices and prayers, as well as on the way of life that will prevail in Israel after the temple is established.

"Last year we had 50,000 visitors," David Schwartz, who heads the Temple Institute, proudly stated. “The ever-growing interest shown by tourists reflects the feeling that the days of the Messiah are around the corner. You can sense it in the air—in schools, in synagogues, even in the homes of the secular. Everyone feels it coming up."

While we were talking, hundreds of visiting school students were wandering around the Institute, impressed by the sights. “Yes, that’s true," Schwartz added. “As you can see, people are looking for meaning to life. They want to achieve something. We are currently at the stage of preparing people for the construction of the temple."

On display, next to the architectural building plans, are models showing pilgrims getting down from the light rail at the temple gate station. Others are seen parking their cars in an underground garage to be built beneath the temple. Sophisticated elevators would transport the worshippers right into the temple.

Schwartz, Cohen and Glick are all confident that once the Third Temple is erected, the world will become a fundamentally different place. The Lord would then bestow on Earth great abundance and there would no longer be anyone in need of charity.

"Those who do not feel what is going to happen are either blind or stupid, or ungrateful," Glick noted, clearly annoyed with me, having noticed the skeptical expression on my face. “There has never been anything like that in the history of the human race; the return of an exiled people to its homeland is unique in human annals. It is all written in the Torah. And the last, supreme stage will be the construction of the temple."

However, there is one far from marginal factor left out. In all those plans and photographs and illustrations and puzzles and books put forward by the Jewish believers, the Third Temple is seen at the center of the Temple Mount, rising high up above it.

But there is no trace there of the Dome of the Rock, as if the earth had swallowed it up.

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