Recovering our Saltiness (Matthew 5:13-16)

Big Idea: Christians are Jesus' plan to reach the world by living as salt and light that transforms and attracts people to God.

Executives over at Sears were facing a marketing challenge. Many women were shopping at Sears for hardware, tools, and plumbing fixtures, but they were avoiding the women's department. Sears executives believed that if women discovered their new clothing line, they would shop in that department as well. But how could they promote the clothing in such a way that it would connect with these customers?

Marketing experts studied the situation, and they hammered out a marketing strategy. They developed an advertising campaign called "Come see the softer side of Sears." They developed a two-page magazine ad. One side of the page showed an automotive battery. The other side showed a woman wearing a very dramatic evening dress. The headline quotes the woman as saying, "I came in for a Die Hard, and left with something Drop Dead."

Sears analyzed demographic data, placed ads in specific publications, and reviewed the viewing habits of their target age group of women. They decided to place 30- and 60-second TV commercials on the annual Emmy award show, as a very high female viewership. In all, Sears spent $40 million U.S. on this marketing campaign. It's working. Sales of women's apparel at Sears have gone up.

Okay, so why am I giving Sears a free 60-second commercial? This is not part of their $40 marketing plan. The reason I've been doing it is because of a passage of Scripture. When Jesus walked this earth, he taught that citizenship in God's kingdom is open to anybody who sincerely seeks it. This was an incredible message to people. He was saying that even those who believed they weren't good enough to enter heaven can do so, not based on their own goodness, but on his goodness.

Jesus intended for his life-changing message to spread far beyond the hill near Capernaum 2,000 years ago. He wanted people all over the globe to find out about it. Because surely when people find out that God has flung open the doors of his kingdom, they're going to respond in droves. So he needed, to put it crassly, a marketing strategy. How is he going to have his message communicated?

Here are the words Jesus used to describe his strategy in Matthew 5:

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all 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 who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)

What Jesus was saying to that crowd—and to us today—is that we are his marketing plan. There’s no backup strategy, no ad campaigns in the Toronto Star, Maclean’s Magazine, or on television. You’re it. My plan is for you to share my message with your families and neighborhoods by being salt and light. That's the plan.

Now, you might wonder, “Salt and light? That doesn’t sound like much of a plan to change the world!” Jesus deliberately chose these metaphors. Both salt and light have a profound, transformative impact on whatever they touch. They don’t just exist—they influence, preserve, illuminate, and change their surroundings in radical ways.

Think about salt for a moment. What does salt do? Salt makes people thirsty, it spices things up, it's a preservative, and it enhances flavor. He says, live the kind of life that is going to make people thirst for the truth about God. The kind of life that will spice things up by stimulating people to think about me. The kind of life that will retard the rate of moral decay in society. The kind of life that shows people that following me will enhance their life, not detract from it.

Consider light. It illuminates, it exposes, it draws people toward something, like those search lights that promoters use. Jesus was saying, live the kind of life that will illuminate the truth for people. That will shine the light of my compassion to the dark places where there is despair. And live the kind of life that will attract people to me, because ultimately, he said, I am the light of life.

This is an incredible vote of confidence that Jesus gives to me and to you. To say that we are going to be the main purveyors and communicators of God's message to the entire globe. What an incredible responsibility.

So, how do we move forward? What does it truly mean, in today’s context, to be salt and light? While Jesus used these as positive metaphors, they can also carry negative implications. Salt can sting when applied to a wound, is unpleasant in excess in food, and can be harmful to health if consumed too much. Salt isn't always good in every situation. Similarly, light can be overwhelming when it’s too harsh or blinding, causing people to turn away rather than draw near. These examples remind us that being salt and light requires wisdom and balance. It's not just about being present; it's about how we engage. We should aim to bring healing, flavor, and light in ways that attract and transform instead of repel.

Some citizens of the kingdom, despite their good intentions, unintentionally drive people away from Christianity instead of attracting them. As one person observed:

The best argument for Christianity is Christians — their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians, when they are somber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths.

Isn’t that true? I've witnessed it myself. Some Christians have actions and attitudes that make faith seem unappealing, while others live in a way that attracts people to God. For an adventurous faith and to make a lasting impact, there are many ways to be salt and light in your community.

But Jesus is also clear that there is a real possibility that Christians can lose their saltiness or influence. He says, "But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

How Individuals Lose Their Influence

I've been thinking of some ways that we lose our influence for God. The church ceases to be a powerful witness for Christ. Let me describe some things I've been thinking about, and ask yourselves which ones might apply to you or this church.

A lack of a Christlike vision

Listen to what one author writes:

I backed the car out of the driveway as I do every morning at 5:45. I switched the radio from a program on ethics to the Tokyo stock closing. While I drove through the neighboring subdivision, I mentally critiqued architectural design. I bought coffee at the twenty-four hour coffee shop and successfully avoided the talkative cashier. As I turned into [work], I formulated a convincing defense for a…plan I hoped the staff would adopt. I climbed to my third-floor office, wondering about the productivity of the nighttime maintenance crew. I shuffled through a mountain of mail on my desk and wished someone else would answer it…

Now listen to this:

I spun around my chair and looked out the window… In that quiet moment I saw the previous quarter hour for what it had been – an hour tainted by purely human perspective. Not once during that hour had I seen the world through godly eyes. I had been more interested in international finances than in the moral demise of our nation. I had thought more about houses than the people inside them. I had considered the tasks awaiting me more important than the woman who served my coffee. I had been more intent on logically supporting my plans than sincerely seeking God's. I'd thought more about staff members' productivity than their walk with the Lord or their family life. I'd viewed correspondence as a drudgery rather than a way to offer encouragement, counsel, or help.

> It was 6:00 a.m. and I needed a renewed heart and mind.

Have you had this experience? So often we go through our days seeing the world through human eyes, never thinking of Christ's perspective. Listen to Luke 19:41: "And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it..." Jesus was seeing Jerusalem from a divine perspective. In another passage, Jesus cried:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! (Matthew 23:37)

As we see our cities through God's eyes, they look very different. But many of us lose our saltiness because we are consumed with a human perspective. How about you?

We can lose our influence because we lack of a Christlike vision. Here's a second reason we may lose our influence:

Fear

Many Christians are afraid to be bold about their faith, fearing rejection by others. They are so shy that they can work with others for years without anyone realizing they are followers of Jesus Christ. And yet Jesus said:

Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all 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 who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:15-16)

For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:38)

Paul said, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16).

We can lose our influence because we lack of a Christlike vision, or because of fear. There's a third reason we may lose our influence:

A diluted view of Christianity

Anglican Bishop Michael Marshall observes that "the problem with contemporary Christianity…is that many have embraced a counterfeit version of Christian freedom: living as they please while claiming to follow Christ." He goes on to describe this as a "decaffeinated Christianity—one that makes no demands and won’t disturb your comfort."

A Christianity that requires nothing and doesn’t challenge our comfort is unlikely to help others realize their need for redemption through Christ.

These are the three reasons why many Christians lose their saltiness. Absence of a Christlike viewpoint. Fear or timidity. And a costless, decaffeinated Christianity.

How Churches Lose Their Influence

But I also thought of two reasons why churches lose their saltiness.

A hired hand mentality

Here is how most churches operate. The congregation's job is to show up and to give enough money so that the church can hire a pastor. The pastor's job is to do ministry. It's like the one pastor who said to his congregation, "I'm paid to be good, but you guys are good for nothing."

Whoever thought of this arrangement is dead wrong. Because as a result of hiring someone to do the ministry, churches have been crippled. The majority of churches operating under this scheme only have one person in the church engaged in recognized ministry.

Here's how it should work biblically:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ... (Ephesians 4:11-12)

In other words, the pastor's job is not to do ministry, it is to prepare you to do ministry. How many of you have ministries? There's something wrong if you call yourself a Christian and yet you have no recognizable ministry. It's dead wrong. And churches are losing their saltiness because of it.

But there's one more problem with churches.

Mistaking a church for a building

If you ask the average person where a church is, they'll point to a building. Casually we might say to someone, "We're going to church," when we mean we're going to a particular building. Or we might say, "Our church is located at 276 Park Lawn Road."

But that introduces a subtle problem. Friends, this building is not a church. Our church is not located at 276 Park Lawn Road. You are the church.

Church buildings offer many advantages, but they also come with inherent risks. When churches began owning buildings, a subtle but significant shift occurred: the church often became confined within those walls. "The fortress mentality" implies a message: "You must come to us; we won't go to you." You must break through our walls before you can belong.”

This mindset has made many churches focus more on maintaining their buildings than on their mission to reach people for Christ. But let me remind you: this building is not the church. You are the church. The church is most effective not when it's just in a building, but when it's active in the community, representing God in daily life.

We’ve identified the challenges: a lack of Christlike vision, fear, a diluted Christianity, misplaced priorities, and a fortress mentality. But the gospel doesn’t leave us in despair. It offers hope and a way forward.

Jesus reminds us that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. This isn’t just a command, it’s a declaration of who we already are in him. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has made us new. He has given us His Spirit, empowering us to live distinctively, courageously, and purposefully. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in us, enabling us to be his ambassadors in a broken world.

So, what’s the call to action? It’s simple, but it’s not easy.

First, renew your vision. Ask God to help you view your community as he does—recognizing the pain, injustice, and lostness, as well as the need for redemption.

Second, step out in faith. Don’t let fear hold you back from sharing the hope you’ve found in Christ. Remember, even a dim light shines brightly in deep darkness. Third, embrace the cost of true discipleship. Reject a comfortable, decaffeinated Christianity and live a life that reflects the radical love and grace of Jesus.

Finally, let’s remember that the church is not a building or a program—it’s a people. You are the church. And the church is most powerful when it’s scattered throughout the community, living as salt and light in everyday life. Imagine what could happen if we all took this seriously. Imagine the lives that could be changed, the communities transformed, and the glory given to God.

So, let’s go. Let’s live as salt and light, trusting that God will use our ordinary faithfulness to make an eternal difference. And let’s do it together, for his glory and the good of the world. Amen.