JRM Sison Chapter - September 6, 2009

     When light is the subject, Thomas Edison comes to my mind. If I see an electric bulb, I remember his name. The light bulb was one of his inventions. It is fascinating to note that a simple invention would have such a lasting effect.

     Thomas Edison had a motto in life; “Be courageous! Whatever setbacks America has encountered, it has always emerged as a stronger and more prosperous nation.... Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith and go forward”. His life wasn’t a completely prosperous life that he had enjoyed. There was a time in his life before his inventions that his parents were bankrupt and their house was to be foreclosed by the bank. His first invention was a success but wasn’t patented. He never got the credit and wasn’t paid for that invention. He tried again to earn some money by working with Western Union and moonlighting with some of his inventions. It was a time of hardship for him. His next invention was made and patented but the masses especially the politicians didn’t approve it (electric-vote-registering-machine). He was ridiculed for it. His life began to crumble and he lived a life of poverty and hunger. Then, he was given a break. In New York, while staying in a certain building, a certain equipment bogged down and he was there to repair it. He was hired on the spot and was paid twice the salary of a professional electrician. Thus, this turned the tide to his favor. He began to be successful and his inventions were accepted by the society. Slowly yet surely he made his way to a path of success. He didn’t quit but continued even if the odds were against him.

The Light of the World

     According to the Encarta Dictionary light means the energy producing a sensation of brightness that makes seeing possible. From the meaning alone, light creates brightness that illuminates one’s vision.

     In John 8:12, Jesus had said that He is the Light of the world. The Greek translation of light is "foos" which means to shine or make manifest, especially by rays. Another interesting fact is that the same Greek word was used in Matthew 5:14 (“Ye are the light of the world”). The light of the world is not only reserve for Jesus Christ but also given unto those who were made disciples of Him. Christians become the light of the world only when Jesus Christ resides in their hearts.

The Angel of light

                         And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 2 Cor 11:14.

     But there is one shocking discovery that I had made, Satan himself is called an angel of light! And the Greek word for “light” that was used is the same Greek word for “light” that is ascribed to Jesus Christ and to every Christian! How could this be? Is it really possible that Satan can masquerade as an angel of light? 2 Cor 11:13 states, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.” The angel of light isn’t reserve for Satan alone but also given to his disciples who have transformed themselves as apostles of Jesus Christ! Therefore, they are also Christians! How could this happen? If such were the case, how could we differentiate the light of the world from the angel of light?

The Fluorescent and the Incandescent Light

     There are two kinds of light that are available for sale in every hardware store; the incandescent and the fluorescent light. What is the difference? It is their luminance. Fluorescent light emits a cool and white brightness while an incandescent light emits a warmer and darker brightness. The best way to illustrate the difference is having two objects of different color; one is white while the other is yellow. It is very easy to distinguish one from the other when you are using a fluorescent light. Incandescent light makes it harder to differentiate the two. In short, it is the effect of their brightness that differentiates one from the other.

     The same thing applies between the light of the world and the angel of light. Jesus had clearly stated in Matt 7:20, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Further investigation of 2 Cor. 11:13 will tell us that angels of light are false apostles. How false are these kinds of apostles? They are deceitful workers. Jesus pinpointed these kinds of Christians. He said in Matt 7:21-23, ²¹ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. They are workers of iniquity. Jesus stated in Matt 7:16-18, ¹⁶ Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? ¹⁷ Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

How’s Your Light?

     When Jesus said “by their fruit”, He meant two kinds of fruit. The first is the fruit of the Spirit (or fruit of the flesh) and the last is the fruit of works. The fruit of works is the result of the fruit of the Spirit. Thus, the fruit of the Spirit must be made manifest first. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23). How could this fruit of the Spirit be made manifest? Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven”. Our light must shine first before men! Just as we will know if a bulb is an incandescent or a fluorescent one when we turn on the light, Christians must also turn on their light to know whether they are walking in the Spirit or in the flesh (for further reading, read Galatians 5). Another worth noting is when Jesus said in Luke 11:34-36 “³⁴ The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. ³⁶ If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.”

The Light of the Body is the Eye

     When Jesus had said this, He had in mind of the things that He sees. He meant that one’s light will be known on the basis of one’s outlook in life; how does he see things? Do things create negative thoughts in his mind? Can he see the things within as when he sees the things without? The basis is on one’s dealing with oneself. He must have the three G’s when dealing with himself.
          ·     Gain - A Christian must see the lesson(s) behind anything he encounters or experience. He doesn’t go to one corner and grumble on what is happening to his life. Problems are there to teach us and to humble us. They are our building blocks in life. Without problems we can never know what to gain or to whom are we gaining them for.
          ·     Great - The things that we see must create a feeling of greatness in us. If you survive a holocaust, don’t feel gloomy but feel the greatness of the Lord’s presence because it was through Him you survived. Whatever experiences and problems a Christian encounters, he must feel the greatness of the Lord our God.
          ·     Gratitude - Are we thankful when we have problems? Do you thank God when you are persecuted? Do you want to praise God and worship Him when problems come along? If you do, then don’t grope around; praise God and give Him thanks.

Good Works

     When I say good works, I meant the works that were made in reference to one’s faith. Thus, good works are the result of one’s faith. “Good works” is one of the fruit that Jesus was telling us in Matthew 5:16. It is in relation to one’s light. Good works must also have a positive effect to those who can see them. These are the effects of good works.
          ·     Worship - People are led to know God and worship him. One’s good works glorify God and not the person.
          ·     Obedience - Good works lead people to obedience. They will follow that example because it brings glory to God. If a Christian invites a friend or relative to church, the person invited will surely come along because of what he sees in you. But the person may not come along because of what he sees in you. Good works has a contagious effect of bringing people to God.
          ·     Reaching out - Good works lead people to go and reach out to others. Good works plus faith create a magnetic effect that make the people lead. They will not know it but they are already doing it. For example, if an unbeliever is blessed when he attended a Sunday worship service, he will invite his friends to come and be blessed also.
          ·     Kindness - Good works create kindness not only to the doer but also to the people who have seen the works. They will be kind not only to you but also to one another. They will see a different perspective in handling life’s daily situations.
          ·    Security - Good works create a feeling of security. People are secured when they see you. People are blessed when they come near you.

Be the Light of the World

     Brethren, though it’s hard to walk the life of Christian faith, try to make a step. A journey of a thousand steps will be lesser if you make a step now. You can never swallow a roasted chicken, but can eat it all up piece by piece. Don’t give up on your walk of faith. Carry on. And the people around you will see a different you. They will not see the old you but a new you. They will see a person who has Jesus Christ in his life.