Go Light Your World!

Read: Acts 28:1-10

The Biblical narrative now takes us to Paul, who was shipwrecked and found himself, along with the survivors, on the island of Malta. While helping the friendly Maltese build a fire, a poisonous snake came out and bit him, generating rumors among the Maltese that Paul was some getaway murderer. But when they noticed that Paul was okay, they changed their minds. Now, we hope that they would change their minds and think that God is the great Healer and Protector.

But no, the Maltese thought he was a god. Not long ago, we read about Paul and Barnabas at Lystra (Acts 14). Paul, by the power of the Holy Spirit, performed a miracle where a lame man finally could walk. Even though Paul and Barnabas tried to convince to Lycaonians that they were not gods, the crowd not only didn’t change their minds, but the priests of Zeus came to bring offerings to them! Don’t the Lycaonians “get it”? Don’t the Maltese “get it”?

But we must realize that even though God works powerfully in very visible ways, the people of this world fundamentally live in darkness. When you’re in a dark room, you certainly will behave like you’re stupid and silly. You can’t see, so you feel the air until your hands (or legs) bump into something, after which you feel around until you arrive at a switch. If you’re not careful, you might break something. So it is with people who are living in spiritual darkness. Until they receive the Light that is Christ, they will be like people feeling around in this world, trying to find that one switch that, when turned on, makes sense of the world around them.

That’s why we see so much brokenness in this world, because people are feeling around for that light. In Singapore, even though the country is extremely wealthy and safe, the people are not all happy. I see lots of young junior highers dating in Singapore, and it seems like a trend in the country. My mom talks about how instead of studying, so many young people in Singapore are now just wasting their days away either on the computer or with their “dates”. Across from my church-away-from-home, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, is an adults-only shop, something that I would never have thought of finding in Singapore. In the Anglican church there is a lot of debate about homosexuality, but psychologists have found that homosexual behavior is not genetic, but often the result of emotional damage. My mom told me of a 24-year old Singaporean who had a stroke. The reason: he (1) smoked, (2) spent his life at an internet cafe playing online games, and (3) ate McDonald’s for all his meals.

So many people in hopeless darkness, and so many people not “getting it”! This darkness causes us to mourn in sadness, kneel in despair and cry in the rain, does it not? But it is in times of darkness that people come to know the truth. That’s exactly why we need to go out and bring the light of Christ to the others, especially in difficult times.

Sure, our prayer meetings might be filled with stories of governments oppressing Christians. And yes, it should weigh heavily upon our souls that some governments like China and Malaysia are actively repressing Christian worship. But at the same time we should be encouraged by stories such as that in the native tribes of Papua New Guinea who converted to Christianity. Among one of their Christian practices is to display the skulls of enemies they had killed prior to their conversion. A missionary once came and asked them why they do that. The tribal chief said, “We display the skulls to show our young children that this is what we were like before Jesus came to our village.”

Shortly after the snake debacle, Paul was invited to the house of the local governor, Publius. After many healing miracles done by the power of the Holy Spirit, the population loved them and got to know the Jesus behind the miracles. By church tradition, Paul then began a church in Malta. The church still exists today, one of the many serving the Christians of Malta. Malta remains one of the most Christianized countries in the world, with 98% of the population going to church regularly! Indeed, the Light of Christ has been burning for almost 2,000 years on this tiny island.

Or maybe this story. Once a Christian high school student was bumped into by a seemingly aloof student. Her books all fell to the ground, to her embarrassment. The Christian student recalled, “I was tempted to tell her, ‘Watch it!’, but something told me otherwise.” She bent down and helped the student pick up her books. Later on, she ate lunch with her aloof friend. The two ladies went on to become great friends. The day they left for college, the Christian student received a note from her friend. Apparently, the day she accidentally bumped into her, she was depressed and was planning to commit suicide that day! But because of the Christian friend’s love, she changed her mind.

I close with a song that’s one of my favorites. As the song plays, reflect on the lyrics. Usually, I’d have an application with a bunch of other questions, but I think we all know what the application is. The only question is: how will YOU take your candle and go light your world?

PRAYER CALENDAR
Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Thank God for giving you friends who are a light to you, and friends who you can be a light to.