Salt and Light

So in youth each Wednesday we are looking in depth at the parables. Each week we are working through the book of Matthew and learning more about the parables that JEsus used to teach the relevance of the Word of God to life itself. What better way to instill in young people the relevance of the Gospel to their daily lives than with the stories JEsus told himself.
Last night we talked about a pre-parable I called it. THe story of being salt and light. This story is the whole basis for how and why I have always done youth ministry the way I do. It is at the heartbeat of my very being as a pastor/youth pastor today. Matthew 5:13-16 says,
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
The part I like to focus on is the salt losing its saltiness. If young people who are believers aren't challenged in their faith, given a chance to put it to work and use it regularly they will lose their saltiness. And if that happens then what does it say? THat they will no longer be good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
You see in those days and in the Old Testament when armies wanted to completely destroy a village they would rob them, kill anyone that resisted with violence and then dump salt and trample it into the ground to ensure that there would be no vegetation any time soon growing back. So there is an example of salt being used negatively which is exactly what happens the moment a young person gets uninterested in being involved in church. That teenager will then have a negative impact, people will see that church is no longer important to them, that their personal relationship with Christ is no longer evident and they will literally no longer be fruitful for Christ.
Think about it this way. Several years ago a young man by the name of Lebron James was in highschool. The NBA and David Stern watched him closely, soon his highschool games were televised and he was a nationally recognized name. He was constantly referred to on ESPN, and on talk shows and in magazines. THe NBA made him and molded him into exactly what they needed at a time when the NBA was losing a little bit of influence in the U.S. Now, if we don't reach the teenagers, and put them to work the world will. While the NBA is not a bad thing to be representing, there are far better and more fruitful things that a young man can be accomplishing for Christ and for man.
So lets reach out with all we have to impact the lives of young people. Let's see lives changed and Christ shared by them, and let's put them to work in teh church and in the overall evangelism focuses in our churches. If we don't use them, the world will!
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
P.S. I get a little bit fired up talking about this topic so I did my best not to make it too long!