Christians are to make life better for those who do not believe. Jesus told us that we are to be the salt of the earth. God wants us to be very valuable and almost indispensable within secular situations. We are to make life better for those outside of the faith. And, we are empowered by God to do this.

It is tragic for secular culture to be without Christian influence. Together, Christians are to impact society for the overall good. Those outside of the faith may live for themselves, but we are to live for God.

We prepare to experience significance and satisfaction in the trouble-free heaven that awaits us by allowing the Holy Spirit to change us now into the salt of the world. Heaven will not need us to be salt. Everything will already be wonderful there. But by learning to automatically be salt in the hard environment in which we now live, we prepare our spirits to help one another in heaven. We will still have never-ending opportunities to help. What makes us think that we won’t need each others’ help in heaven to launch a huge yacht on a beautiful lake or to learn how to play the piano?

So, let’s evaluate our readiness to serve a hurting society, even a rejecting society. Let’s help each other in our Christian friendships, Christian families and Christian marriages to get over any resistance to lending a hand to those outside of the faith. Let’s get over thinking that they created their own problems and don’t deserve our help. Of course, they don’t deserve our help. That’s the whole point of grace!

Whenever we treat others better than they deserve, we insert God’s grace into relationships, organizations and situations. In the end, they will glorify God, even if they do not appreciate our loving efforts. In fact, our Lord instructs us through the Apostle Peter, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” That is 1 Peter 2:12.

When we get to heaven, we will be helped to enjoy it. Someone will likely explain the ways of doing things there. Why, even beds may be made up differently.

Those helping us will be those who can do it joyfully. If before death they were salt in a mean-spirited family, for example, they will be ecstatic to help the sinless people in heaven. What a joy it will be for them.

And we can experience that kind of joy in heaven if we now help others, especially unbelievers, who do not treat us right, or are not thankful, or take advantage of us, or are unpleasant or mean in some other way.

So in heaven we can have great joy in helping and also in being helped. Receiving help from those who really enjoy helping us will be tremendous. And, helping others who appreciate our help will be very satisfying.

In heaven when we commune with God, there can be a special bond with Him to the extent that we made life better for those who were outside of the faith. God will have done the same. We both will have shared generosity with those who did not deserve it, but just needed it. There will be a common understanding of what it took to help those who did not approve of us, did not like us, or outright rejected us.

It is by being useful to those outside of the faith that Christians earn the right to evangelize. If we do not prove ourselves useful on the turf of our non-Christian counterparts, why would they listen to our witness or think that we have anything to offer them? We have to at least outdistance nonbelievers in loving actions to gain their consideration. Two or more Christians loving and serving in the Lord’s name by the power of the Holy Spirit can get some really good things done and catch the attention of those who do not yet believe.

Being salt is different from being “the light of the world”. Being light relates to sharing the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ and is another one of the 65 Togethers of Scripture.

However, being the salt of the earth often opens up the opportunity for us to be the light of the world. Whenever and wherever we find ourselves the only Christian around, we are to be salt. One salt crystal can have quite an impact on a very small portion of food. If one of us is the only Christian on a team at work, we are to make life better for the others. As a single grain of salt, we each can be the one who cares the most for the welfare of others at our places of employment, goes for coffee when all the others are too tired to do so, always compliments rather than discourages others – and the list could go on and on.

However, the Lord’s wish is that we be salt together. Two Christians on a work team, of, say, eight people, can make team life and production much better than can a lone Christian. The synergy between two or three Christians on a team makes them capable of truly improving the team environment, if not the product.

Jesus with us and the Holy Spirit empowering us gives us all we need to see opportunities to be salt to a world that needs different values, different solutions, and biblical directions. The Apostle Paul said this of Christians, found in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Wherever we are, and especially in secular situations, we are the ones who have been created in Christ Jesus to not be selfishly competitive, stingy, gossipy, exclusive, slanderous, untruthful, self-focused, overly private (sneaky), vengeful – and the list could go on and on. Instead, we are to be the peacemakers, the ones who stay calm when attacked because of our security in God, the ones who return curses with blessings, the ones quick to forgive and start over with those who have hurt us, the ones who live for non-worldly values – and this list could also go on and on.

When a small group of Christian friends, a Christian family or Christian marriage goes out of its way to make the life of an unbeliever or an unbelieving family or some aspect of secular society better, and they do it consistently, they will be powerful seasoning for a hurting and destructive culture.

We can do loving things for people and be glad that we did, even if they are not appreciative. And, even if we cannot do miracles like Jesus did, we can reflect His heart and actions in helping others.

Everywhere we go, especially when we are with a few other Christians, we should be looking for opportunities to help other people and make their lives better.

Being the salt of the earth involves constantly doing battle with the devil. We are to be defeating evil wherever we go and whenever we can.

This is a difficult world to live in. Non-Christians do not have the power of God within them to face the problems of our wayward society. We, on the other hand, have God’s help to give them. We can serve them and pray on their behalf.

Christian friendship groups, Christian families and Christian marriages that want to be obedient to this command to be salt should design a way they can be mobilized for the needs of non-Christians whenever they are discovered. They should be watching out for friends at work or neighbors, as well as non-Christian relatives, who need some sort of help. Then, they should help in groups of at least two Christians whenever possible.

Most situations require quick action and church bureaucracy is usually too slow. Spontaneity is more possible in Christian friendship groups, Christian families and Christian couples than in organizations. Often help can be mobilized at a moment’s notice. The need of an individual or a community leader who has to find help for someone right away can be responded to in a more timely manner. Also, Christian friendships, families, and married coupes with Jesus can be on call at their church for when the pastor needs someone to respond right away.

Every Christian should care deeply about a number of non-Christians with whom they have some sort of relationship. While we do not see ourselves the same as non-believing friends and relatives, we are still to love them, denying ourselves for God’s will in each and every needful situation. Their needs can be addressed and their lives made better. Christian friendship groups, Christian families and Christian marriages are the perfect size for being the salt of the earth for most needs of individuals and families.

Remember, life in heaven will be enhanced for those who are more active in being the salt of the earth and making life better for unbelievers and secular society. Everyone in heaven will help others, but these will be more capable and experience greater joy.

Make life better for those who do not believe. Go to secular society with God’s demonstration of mercy. Alleviate human misery in God’s power.

Matt 5:13; Luke 6:35; John 17:18; Heb 13:13-16; 1 Peter 2:12

Prayer to Embrace this Together

Dear Lord who makes our lives so much better than we deserve, I and those in my Christian Inner Circle will need Your help to grow our spirits to enrich lives and the world we inhabit. Help us to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit for all of us to give You more glory in the way we are Your salt in a hurting world and make life better for those outside of the faith.
Please help us all to become more like Jesus and insert God’s grace into the world around us. Just as Jesus has changed the world for the good of outsiders, just as His teachings have generated many good and humanitarian efforts by those who are not Christians, help us to promote Your good in our communities and not avoid secular situations. Just as Jesus did not fail when he healed ten lepers and only one responded spiritually, so let us do good and not judge ourselves if not many people come to belief in You by our efforts to improve their lives. Empower us to be salt for You and exclusively for your glory and joy.
May our lives worship You more because we, like You, Father, are gracious to those who do not believe. Let us find joy in treating people better than they deserve from worldly standards because they are Your creations and You want them to feel Your love.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Since every day the devil has made many things difficult, hurtful or evil, make us strong in Your power to defeat him and make some situation better daily. And, to distinguish ourselves from outsiders who also do good, let make things better in Your name and for Your joy. We want to and will with the help of the Holy Spirit show the devil that his evil intentions have actually led to You being more glorified, what is the very thing Satan does not want.
Help us all to prepare for heaven by growing more completely to be salt in this sin-contaminated earth as practice for enriching the lives of others in heaven where it will be so much easier and we will not have to eliminate sin. This, in turn, will enlarge our spirits to experience the joy of being salt in heaven.

Your Spirit is most easily transformed in community. The tools below can facilitate your growth as you meet together with those you are in close Christian relationship with.

These are some of the possible benefits in heaven we will be seeking today by opening our minds to the Holy Spirit regarding being salt together in a bland, tasteless world.
We will be prepared when we get to heaven to add good things to one another’s lives.

In heaven, we will have a special connection with God to the extent that we made life better for those who were outside of the faith, as God has done since the Creation. We will be able to empathize with Him regarding how people without faith responded to His goodness, whether they appreciated it, rejected Him as the source, or paid no attention to how He made their lives better.

We will have great joy in heaven helping those without sin and who always appreciate what we add to their lives. And, we will be very receptive to others who spice up our lives throughout eternity.

Sanctification Booster #1:

List some biblical values we can bring into our contact with unbelievers, not just with words, but with actions.

Sanctification Booster #2:

List some of the problems nonbelievers face where we can share the salt of biblically-oriented solutions.

Sanctification Booster #3:

How can those things listed in Sanctification Boosters #1 and #2 be done by teams of more than one person, as by Christian marriages, families, and friendship groups.

Sanctification Booster #4:

What are some things Christians should not do that might negate the good things they do with unbelievers?