Are you too salty?

Thanks to you all who prayed for me today. I've come to the conclusion that Kgosi is probably a distraction for me and that I am merely to pray for him. Too many things didn't match up and he is now in a relationship with Karissa, again. A mate should bring you closer to Christ and not farther away, and my mind was drifting so this is a good thing. A little hurtful, but good nonetheless and I know that the one God has for me has got to be so much better that he's McPerfect, lol.

Anyhoo, I have an awesome revelation to share with you. I was listening to a sermon by Paul Washer on faith this evening and he had a comment that sparked my brain. He said that you have the cross before you and the world behind you, don't look back and become salt like Lot's wife. His reference was to meaning to look to God and not to the world, but I got something different. So here's a quick outline of where I'm coming from:

Genesis 19:1-11: Sodom was depraved and fallen (our world today)
Genesis 19:12-29: God sends salvation to Lot and his family, the only righteous found in the city, but there is a command to receive salvation: Flee Sodom (the world) and don't look back (Genesis 19: 17)
Genesis 19:26: Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt

When we come into Christ's salvation, we are to look only to Him and not to the world. Too often when we, Christians, become saved, we look back to the world and become like it again, lukewarm, and/or too salty. We die when we become like it again because then we weren't truly saved. Just because you say a prayer doesn't mean that you're saved. You can say you are all you want, but the reality of your salvation will be seen in your lifestyle; you'll be known by your fruits . Paul says that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and that God the Father raised him from the dead, then you will be saved (Romans 10:9). You have to believe in your heart to be made right with God and confess to be saved; meaning that your heart has to change and you have to attest to it. This is how we are reconciled to God and if we are sincere about it and truly reconciled, you can't help but change your life and become a different person following God. You know a tree by its fruit (Matthew 12:33). If your fruit (actions & lifestyle) doesn't change, then you haven't been truly saved and changed.

Now then, if we become lukewarm, meaning following the parts of God that are comfortable while still doing what we want to do, we aren't truly saved. There is no gray area with God. You're either saved or not because if you're lukewarm, God will spit you out (Revelation 3:16). If He spits you out, you aren't going to heaven and the only other place left is hell. If you are lukewarm, you are going to hell. Sorry to say it and you're probably mad at me right now, but I'll say it again, if you are lukewarm, you are going to go to hell unless you shape up and serve the Lord as He has commanded: uncompromisingly, shiftlessly, and zealously (Revelation 3:19).

If you are still reading :) the last thing I mentioned in my previous list is becoming too salty. Christians are called to be the salt of the world (Matthew 5:13) and have salt in us (Mark 9:50). So, first off, what is the purpose of salt? It can be used to preserve food, season food, purify water (http://www.saltinstitute.org/), and in the Jewish Law, it was used to season burnt offerings (Leviticus 2:13; Ezekiel 43:24, 25-27). Salt is necessary for all types of body functions (http://www.curezone.com/foods/salt/vital_functions_of_salt_in_the_b.htm), but we also know that too much salt can be a bad thing leading to such things as high blood pressure which can lead to more serious things like strokes, heart disease and kidney disease. Since we are called to be the salt of the earth, we need to be the right amount because we don't want to cause these types of complications in the spirit of a person either.

Ok, so how can we be too salty? Well, from personal experience, I know that a church become too salty for me when too many rules are put upon me to the point I felt restricted in my praise because I was more concerned with what type of clothing I had on, my presentation, address of the church and other rules that have nothing to do with salvation and getting you to heaven but are there as tradition and make others comfortable. The people were looking back on me, a babe in Christ at the time, judging by what their standards were and they were more occupied with me than with their own salvation. I was trying to look forward and up to the cross while they were causing me to look down and be ashamed by not knowing or following all of the rules. I was hurt and I fled.

If you are too salty, you can cause someone a lot of pain. Think of it this way: if you have a cut and you put salt in it, it's going to hurt. Some salt is good to help clean a wound, but too much salt can cause extra unnecessary hurt. If a person comes hurt to the church and is broken knowing they need Christ and that they have been sinful, they do not need someone to critique them on if their skirt it to the knee or below the knee. It may be all they can do to simply make it to church. Your over-saltiness can push them from church, Christ, and even their salvation. If this happens, then they miss out on the comfort, joy, peace, forgiveness, and blessings God has for them. If they are pushed hard enough, they can even be pushed to death: back into the world or if they are unsaved, your extra salt can push them from accepting Christ, and who knows, they could be hit by a car and die after speaking with you and spend an eternity in hell because you were too salty. Salvation is simple, you don't need to add to it. Christ died on the cross. Anything extra is extra salt.

Now suppose, someone encountered an over-salty person, but later became saved anyway by the grace of God. Then they have the hurt and misperception to be plucked out of them by God. You, if you are a Christian who's been saved for some time, know what it feels like when God plucks a problem out of you. It hurts! It sucks! It does not feel good! Why would you ever want to inflict that upon anyone else? The solution, don't be too salty.

Christ already has the perfect amount of salt in his plan to draw people to want a drink of his eternal water (John 4). If you sow salt into the life of a person, when they come to Christ, that salt will have to be dug out somehow. Salt only comes out of water one way: by evaporating the water by heat (boiling) and scraping the water out of the pot and putting fresh water back in. If you put too much salt on a person, you subject them to more painful purifying.

Imitate how Jesus interacted with the Samaritan woman in John 4. He didn't throw a bunch of rules and judgements (salt) at her. He just presented her living water. The people who are lost are asking for living water, not salt water (John 4:15)! If what you speak to people is not the salvation of Jesus Christ on the cross, then you might as well be speaking cursing upon people and James makes it clear you can't have salt water and fresh water come from the same source (3:12).

Look to the cross, as Jesus did, and you will draw others. When you become truly saved, you submit yourself to God and agree to do as He commanded. When you submit, you can cause others to become saved. Esther submitted to the king and to her uncle Mordecai and because of this, the Jews were saved. Jesus submitted to God and now millions of people have been saved.

The message is simple: Christ submitted to God, died, rose again and all you need to do is believe in your heart, confess with your mouth and serve the Lord with all your heart. Everything else is extra seasoning to a perfect meal.