In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus calls His followers “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” Those verses finish with the instructions: let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

This month we’re praying for churches around the world to be salt and light. You can pray along with the video or use it as a starting point for your own prayer time. You can also download our Salt & Light prayer card.

Not displaying correctly? Watch the full video here: https://vimeo.com/514690905

As we work with churches around the Majority World, we see Matthew 5:13-16 brought to life again and again. Seeing the impact of “salt and light” churches encourages us to pray for more! In case you missed them, here are a few stories we’ve shared recently on social media: 

From Côte d’Ivoire:

In a village in Côte d’Ivoire, an old man sat outside his hut in a rainstorm—soaked and shivering, but not bothering to take shelter. The mud hut was so bad, he would get just as wet inside as out. The pastor of the local church hurried past to get out of the storm. He’d seen the old man many times, but never paid much attention to him and his terrible living conditions. But today he noticed, and decided to act.

It was late 2019, and the pastor and his church had just studied TCT Module 1. It was the first time they had ever learned that God wants the church to show love by meeting physical needs. Before, they had spent years faithfully evangelizing, only to meet with contempt from their neighbors. They were ready to try this new idea.

The pastor went to the church and reminded them of the old man. They all agreed that they should show him God’s love by helping him have a stable home, and they made a plan to build him a new house.  

And then Covid hit. 

Sunday services were cancelled, large groups could not gather, and many aspects of life were restricted. Yet the church wanted to follow through and help the old man. In small groups, they donated money, made their own clay bricks, purchased cement, and worked to construct the house. They put on a solid roof, installed electricity, and finished the inside with plaster and paint. Everyone in the church participated in the project—young and old, men and women.

The community saw the church’s sacrificial love and were drawn to its Source. Those who used to have contempt for the church began to speak well of the Christians. During construction, seven people gave their lives to Christ. When the church held a ceremony to hand the house over to the old man, 64 more people decided to follow Jesus. The churches in three nearby communities saw what God did through this Act of Love and decided they would do Acts of Love too! 

The old man now has a comfortable place to sleep that protects him from the weather. And—as a result of this church’s obedience and faithfulness—God is glorified, His Kingdom is growing, and the church’s relationship with the community has been strengthened. 

From India:

During the rainy season, a pond in one Indian community overflowed its banks. Five mud homes around the pond were completely destroyed, and 35 people had to be evacuated. The church in the community had been studying TCT and, when they saw that these families needed help, they opened the church and provided shelter for them. Even though the five families were not Christians, the pastor and two families living close to the church cooked, fed, and provided for all their needs for three days. 

In this area, Christians are a tiny minority and often looked on with suspicion. But since the flood, those who used to vocally oppose them have stopped speaking against the church. Two of the rescued families and others who witnessed this Act of Love have begun attending church to learn about the Christian God. Sunday services are overflowing! Even the local magistrate and village chief visited a Sunday service to express appreciation to the church for saving the lives of these 35 people. 

From Democratic Republic of Congo:

One day, a pastor in Kikwit, DRC noticed a large group of strangers in town. A group of strangers—especially of a different tribe, language, and religion—can be considered a dangerous thing. At best they would tax limited resources; at worst there could be a violent clash. But this pastor and his church had been studying TCT, so his first thought was that God would want the church to welcome strangers and help them if they were in need. Several people from the church approached the group and found out that they had fled their home in Tshikapa, more than 200 miles away, because of rebel attacks. The families had lost everything—their homes, land, and possessions. As farmers, losing their land meant losing their only means of survival.

The church decided to show love to these refugees, even though they were not Christians and were strangers to them. The pastor owned a large plot of land, which he gave to them to farm. The men from the church went into the forest, cut trees, and helped the families to build small houses to settle in. The church members shared their own seeds and helped the refugees to get their crops planted. 

The harvest was enough for the refugee families to eat, with some left over to sell. And after experiencing the love of God through His church, 30 people from the group decided to give their lives to Christ. 

Each of these churches showed sacrificial love in the midst of hardship. They cared for the most vulnerable, loved their enemies, and gave up their own comfort and safety to obey Jesus. And God used their obedience in powerful ways. Can you imagine what the world would be like if every church in every community was “salt and light” like this? Thanks for joining us in prayer, trusting that God can do beyond what we can imagine!