The World, the Church, and the Priesthood of Believers
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Introduction
You are the salt of this earth but, if the salt loses its flavor how, shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing. But to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket but, on a lampstand and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.
—Matthew 5:13–16
The above quotation is from one of the teachings of Jesus called the beatitudes.
In Latin, the word for beatitude is beatus and in Greek is mak, and it means almost the same as in English—blessings, happy, fortunate, lengthy.
The consensus among both Christians and non-Christians is that the declarations made in the Sermon on the Mount are greater and stricter than the Ten Commandments, with regard to morals.
This mountain is said to be between Gennesaret and Capernaum on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum is today called Nhum, which means “Nahum’s village” in Hebrew. It was a fishing village established during the time of the Hasmoneans and had a population of about 1,500. Gennesaret was an important Bronze and Iron Age city that was mentioned in the Old Testament and New Testament and in the Epic of Aqhat, a myth from Ugarit (an ancient city in the area that is now Syria).
Matthew 7:26–27 gives a refreshing look at this saying, the conclusion, and its response from the disciples:
But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and rains descended, the flood came and the winds blew and beat on that house and fell. And great was its fall.
And so it was that when Jesus finished these sayings, the people were astonished at his teachings, for he taught them as one who had authority and not like the scribes.
If all believers, including you and me, would live according to Jesus’s teachings, how beautiful our lives would be.
I believe these things are used as symbols, as we all know what salt can do in a home and what light brings to human life.
As the Resurrection of Christ Jesus brings hope to the world, so must his spirit coming into our lives bring a transformation to every home and every situation to represent the work of salt and light.
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About the Book
Stephen Essilfie explores how to discover your purpose in being a Christian in this book.
He believes that all Christians must understand the responsibility of their calling and how to be an ambassador of Christ. He considers questions such as:
• The book of Genesis teaches us that God created heaven, the earth, and the fullness thereof, but is that the world?
• What was the world really like in ancient times?
• What do modern people mean when they say the world is a global village?
• Is social media making the world better or worse?
The author also explores whether God has achieved His purpose for creating the world, whether the world is really under God’s control, and why things that we used to refer to as taboo are now seen as happening in the name of having fun or being one’s right.
Get valuable guidance on living a life of faith with the wisdom in The World, the Church, and the Priesthood of Believers.
About the Author
Stephen Essilfie, known as Elder Ekuban, was born into the Roman Catholic Church and converted to the Church of Pentecost, Nii Boi Town Assembly. He served the church in various positions, was a Ministerial Committee member and a presiding elder at New Achimota Assembly. This took place in Ghana. He is a presiding elder of Leesburg Assembly of the Herndon District and an executive member of the Herndon District. This took place in the U.S.A.. He holds a diploma of theology from Berea Academy of Theology.