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Doctrine: Not A Matter of Personal Preference
I’m sure that the title of this article brings to mind the statement Christ made about Christians being the light of the world: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5.14-16). Obviously, that applies to every Christian, whether young or old. Therefore, wherever we are in this world, we need to be sure that our light switch is always in the “on” position. OUr light shines to our family, to our neighbors, got strangers, and obviously to our schoolmates.
Through the years I have been aware of the effect that the light of young people has had on others. I have known of an 11-year-old inviting one of his schoolmates to visit the church he attended. This resulted in her and her mother being baptized. I was in a gospel meeting where a 15-year-old member invited two of her classmates to attend the meeting, and both were baptized. There was a family that had a morning devotional at breakfast before the teenagers left for school. Some neighborhood friends were invited, and two became Christians out of those meetings. One of the members of the church where I was preaching went back to his home for a class reunion several years after graduation. One of his classmates spoke to him and said, “I always knew there was something different about you.” What was different? His life as a Christian was clearly seen.
Young readers — and older ones too — always remember that you are a lamp that leads those in the darkness of sin to the light of the gospel. Remember what Christ said: “You are the light of the world!” So let your speech, your dress, and your behavior be such that your light is always turned on. Start a discussion with your friends. Invite them to go to church with you. You never know whose heart is open to the gospel until you bring the subject up. Don’t let one of your friends stand beside you at the Day of Judgment who will hear the words, “Depart from me,” and who will then turn to you and ask, “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” What would your answer be?
