Matthew 5: Salt and Light for an Entire City

Introduction

That Sunday at Woodlands Church in Bristol, there was no usual sermon. Nigel and Rachel, the two lead pastors of the church for a little over two years, shared the vision they present every month to newcomers. "We thought it was too good to keep just for the new people."

They also speak to those who have been there a long time: "If you think you've already heard it all, you haven't." Christ leads the church, Jesus is its head, and they describe themselves as his "little hands." The question put to everyone is simple: what is God asking me to do in the next season of this church?

The starting text is Matthew 5:13-16: "You are the salt of the earth" and "You are the light of the world." From there flow the church's reason for being, its story, the way it welcomes people, and a final sending.

Message Outline

1. You Are the Light of the World

Rachel reads Matthew 5:13-16: "You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden."
She believes God has called this church to be a light for the city of Bristol: "Not the only light, not the best, not the biggest, but a light."
God placed it next to the university campus. The church sees this as a mandate to reach students with the love of Jesus, which explains the investment in student ministry.
It is not a neighborhood parish, but a church that shines across the whole city. Its size makes it visible: that morning, someone who had come for the first time said that many people had recommended the church to them.
Jesus does not say that the church is the light. He says: "You are the light of the world." Every believer is called to shine, and together "we shine brightly."
The church's reason for being: to be a place where people outside the church who are seeking God can find their place and believe. Its vision: to see Bristol transformed by the love and power of God.

2. You Are the Salt of the Earth

Salt, Nigel explains, is scattered and it gives flavor. We are called to bring the flavor of Jesus everywhere we are.
The following Wednesday, during the school holidays, most people will not be at church: they will be scattered across the city. Where you live, where you work, among the people you rub shoulders with, that is where God uses you as salt.
Jesus warns against salt that loses its flavor. Nigel remarks that salt, in itself, never stops being salty, but that the presence of Jesus matters enormously: that is why we gather to encourage one another, worship, and welcome the presence of Jesus, and then we head out to be an influence in the city.
The church therefore does not want to build itself only around Sunday, but around its impact in the city. "It is a big calling, a big task, and it does not rest on us alone," but the church has a part to play.
Matthew 5 sums up the two sides of the calling: a visible and attractive light where people can find God, and salt spread throughout the city to make a difference in the name of Jesus.

3. A Story That Begins in Prayer

It all begins in 1983 with a founding couple and a handful of people. Today, the family of churches has more than 2,000 members spread across several sites.
The introductory video sums up the church's desire: that everyone be warmly welcomed, form authentic friendships, and have a real encounter with God, and that every neighborhood in the city be served by a local community of believers, until we see God's will done on earth as it is in heaven.
The founder gave up a promising career because he believed God was calling him to start something in this city. At over 80 years old, he still brought four guests to an Alpha course the Wednesday before.
The current building was acquired in 1995. Nigel insists: "It started in prayer, because that is often where it starts. Prayer is the key to what God does."
Nigel says the video often makes him cry: it shows what Jesus does through ordinary people, "people like you and me, captivated by the love of Jesus."

4. A Church That Plants Churches

The church today has four congregations in its building, and four churches have been planted from it in different parts of the city.
"We are a church that plants churches." The goal is not to build a megachurch or to be the biggest in the city, but to be a church that releases others so they can grow.
When a church is planted in a new place, people come to faith in Jesus. The leaders sense God stirring them to imagine what comes next, perhaps beyond their region.
"God draws people to us, and our role is to help them grow and send them out in the power of the Spirit," whether in the local church, elsewhere in the city, or around the world.

5. Arrived on a Sunday, Never Left

Rachel arrived in 2006 with her husband and their four children. She was looking for a church where she could feel at home, where women could also lead and teach, and where she could bring students so they could find Jesus.
On the first Sunday, the family arrives a little too early, knows no one, sits at the back, and slips out as soon as the service ends. A man from the church whom they had met a few months earlier runs after them in the street, brings them back, and introduces them to another family. "The rest is history."
Nigel arrives in 2000, knowing no one, a brand-new Christian "with no idea." At the end of the service, he is invited to lunch; soon after, he is washing dishes and getting involved. He never left.
Then the question is turned back to the congregation: "We have shared a little of the church's story. But what is your story?"

6. You Join the Church by Taking Part

No formal membership, no interview, no form: "You join the church by joining in." Three things mark it.
Being present: on Sunday and beyond, being with others. "It is a matter of presence": being present to one another, and God meeting people.
Getting involved: serving in the church or, through it, in the city. It is a wonderful way to feel that you belong to the family.
Giving: your time, your gifts, your talents, and your finances.
Sunday is a place of testimony, worship, and welcome. But people leave the church because they did not feel loved, noticed, or encouraged. "If all you do is come on Sunday, that is fine, God bless you. But if you want to be known and grow in the faith, you need to be in relationship with others." Hence the importance of weekday groups.
Training courses also help us grow: "If we are not growing, we stand still, we shrink, or we go backwards." If you feel stuck, sink your roots deeper into Jesus.
Serving is also about the volunteers who arrive at 8 a.m. to set up the chairs. Without them, "it would be chaos." It is not about making people work harder, but about sharing the load. You can also suggest someone in whom you see a gift.
On the financial side, the church bought the building across the road for 1.6 million pounds without making an appeal for donations, thanks to years of saving. Giving is saying: "Yes, Lord, everything is for you. Everything comes from you and everything is for you."

7. Sent to Be Salt and Light

Rachel concludes with a prayer of sending. She thanks God for what he is doing among teenagers, students, and those being baptized, and dares to ask for more: "We are going to be greedy, in a good way."
"Everyone has a part to play. It is not reserved for a few. Everyone is a minister."
Being salt and light does not necessarily mean serving in the church. It could mean serving elsewhere in the city, going abroad, starting something, stopping or setting something down, reviewing your finances, or blessing someone spontaneously because the Holy Spirit put it on your heart.
She prays that no one will say to themselves: "That's for someone else, I'm not good enough, God couldn't use me." God has filled us with his Spirit, "and that means anything is possible."
Her sending: "Go for it. Try something you have never done. Step out of the circle you may have shut yourselves into, and expect God to use you, because he wants to. He loves you. He is for you. And it is meant to be exciting."

Key Takeaways

Jesus does not just say that the church is the light: he says "You are the light of the world." Every believer is called to shine.
Salt is scattered: where you live and where you work, God uses you to bring the flavor of Jesus.
What God does often begins in prayer and in the obedience of a handful of people.
You join the church by taking part: being present, getting involved, giving.
Everyone is a minister. No one is too unqualified for God to use.

Personal Application

Where are you "scattered" this week (work, neighborhood, studies, family), and how can you bring the flavor of Jesus there?
What is your story with your church: what brought you there, and what made you stay?
Is your faith lived only on Sunday, or do you have relationships where you are known, noticed, and encouraged?
Of the three marks (being present, getting involved, giving), which is God inviting you to grow right now?
What "circle" have you set for yourself, and what new thing could you dare to try this week?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to be the light of the world according to Matthew 5?

For the leaders of Woodlands Church, Jesus does not just say that the church is the light: he says "You are the light of the world." Every believer is called to shine. The church is not the only light or the biggest, but it is called to be a visible light, a place where those who are seeking God can find their place and believe.

Why does Jesus speak of the salt of the earth?

Salt is scattered and it gives flavor. On Sunday, the church gathers; the rest of the week, its members are spread across the whole city. Where you live, where you work, among the people you rub shoulders with, God uses you to bring the flavor of Jesus.

How do you join a church according to this message?

Woodlands Church has no formal membership: you join the church by taking part. This comes down to three things: being present, on Sunday and during the week, getting involved by serving in the church or in the city, and giving your time, your gifts, your talents, and your finances.