The power of light shines most potently in darkness. Goodness is a powerful force in the face of evil. Certainly we live in a grave and godless moment in history but there have been many before this. We can transcend the times with real hope and resolve as we anchor our lives in the life-transforming impact of the gospel.

Inspired Truths in Times of Crisis

I am reminded of a moment of relevant inspiration that occurred in 1962 at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Russia had positioned nuclear warheads, based in Cuba, targeting the U.S. The entire nation was on pins and needles wondering if the next day might result in a nuclear obliteration of our continent.

Noel Regney and his wife Gloria were tasked to write a Christmas song in this moment of international calamity. Regney was no stranger to the effects of evil and conflict.

Years earlier, he was forcibly recruited into the Nazi army after his homeland of France had been overtaken by the Germans. He eventually became a double agent working for the Resistance against the Nazis. After the war ended, Regney migrated to America, married, and started a musical career.

His famous holiday song, Do You Hear What I Hear?, declares a significant truth so relevant for our time – and all time. Regney penned, “He will bring us goodness and light.” Indeed, Jesus is the personification of world-transforming goodness. He is the Light of the World. By His power, He shatters darkness. For certain, our world needs an extraordinary advancement of goodness and light – but how?

Holy Do-Gooders

As Christ followers, we are commanded to consistently demonstrate goodness as a core reality of our spiritual impact. Of course, our God is absolutely and always good (Psalm 25:8; 34:8; 86:5; 100:5; 118:1; 136:1; 145:9). Our Lord Jesus “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). Goodness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). It is an evidence of the wisdom from above (James 3:17). We are not saved by our good works but saved unto good works “which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

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Discover the practical power of the goodness of the “wisdom from above” in our timely resource, The Prayer God Loves to Answer: Accessing Christ’s Wisdom for Your Deepest Needs. Each chapter unpacks the powerful teaching of James 3:17-18 and includes group study questions along with a practical, Scripture-fed prayer guide. Check it out HERE.

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Recently, while preaching from 1 Peter, I was struck by Peter’s repeated description of Christians as those who do “good” even when living in desolate times and under severe persecution. Regardless of the hostility of the world around us we are to remain “zealous for what is good” (1 Peter 3:13). Our slanderers are put to shame because of our “good behavior in Christ” (1 Peter 3:16). We are to remain committed to “doing good,” even if we suffer because of it (1 Peter 3:17).

Regardless of the hostility of the world around us we are to remain “zealous for what is good” (1 Peter 3:13). Our slanderers are put to shame because of our “good behavior in Christ” (1 Peter 3:16). We are to remain committed to “doing good,” even if we suffer because of it (1 Peter 3:17).

Similarly, when the Jews were taken captive in a hostile and godless Babylonian society, they were commanded, “Work for the good of the cities where I have made you go as prisoners. Pray to me on their behalf, because if they are prosperous, you will be prosperous too” (Jeremiah 29:7).

Living Goodness

Today, the culture is increasingly unfriendly to people of faith. Yet, Jesus wants to bring “goodness and light” through us to the world around us. We should not “cocoon” but contribute. We can stop bellyaching and start benefiting. We can embrace interpersonal blessing over social media bantering. We must quit our grumbling and start doing good – even in, and especially in, a hostile world.

Today, the culture is increasingly unfriendly to people of faith. Yet, Jesus wants to bring “goodness and light” through us to the world around us. We should not “cocoon” but contribute. We can stop bellyaching and start benefiting. We can embrace interpersonal blessing over social media bantering.

There are many ways to “do good” within the church, and we should faithfully serve, using our gifts. But, we must also do good among the “fields that are white for harvest.” We can do so by serving the poor and disenfranchised or faithfully volunteering in a community organization. We should consistently look for practical needs in our network of relationships, then address those situations with a generous contribution of our time, talent, and treasure. Like Jesus, we can “go about” doing good.

We should consistently look for practical needs in our network of relationships, then address those situations with a generous contribution of our time, talent, and treasure. Like Jesus, we can “go about” doing good.

Obvious, Overcoming Goodness

Jesus commanded us to this kind of lifestyle:

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:13–16).

We are wise to remember that Jesus gave the commands to live as “salt and light” while living under the scrutiny and oppression of a pagan Roman government. He made these statement fully aware of the hostility the Jewish religious regime would bring against Him, leading to His own crucifixion and the relentless persecution of the church. He was declaring the superior and supernatural impact of goodness and light, demonstrated in the faithful lifestyle of true Christ followers.

I’ve said it so often. Our problem is not the pervasiveness of the darkness but the failure of the light. Light always dispels darkness. Jesus wants to bring to our troubled world the power of His goodness and light. He is looking for followers to be the servants through whom He can accomplish this.

Our problem is not the pervasiveness of the darkness but the failure of the light. Light always dispels darkness. Jesus wants to bring to our troubled world the power of His goodness and light. He is looking for followers to be the servants through whom He can accomplish this.

In his 2008 PhD dissertation for Asbury Seminary, Mark Russell studied two teams of missionaries that both went to Thailand with two distinctly different missional strategies. [i] He distinguished them as “Blessers versus Converters.” The first team, “the converters,” went with the sole intention of simply evangelizing everyone around them. The second team, “the blessers,” went with the intention of practically “blessing” (doing good) with the same goal of evangelism and discipleship. After studying the results of these two teams over several years, Russell concluded that the “blessers” not only had a much broader social impact but saw almost 50 times as many conversions as the “converters!” [ii]

Of course, our goal is always transformation through the gospel. But our approach must reflect our Savior’s reality of demonstrating the message in goodness and light. It’s been said that “a walk talks, and a talk talks, but a walk talks louder than a talk talks.” Let us resolve today to bring to the world our Lord’s reality of goodness and light.

A walk talks, and a talk talks, but a walk talks louder than a talk talks.

Copyright © 2021 Daniel Henderson. All rights reserved.

[i] https://place.asburyseminary.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://search.yahoo.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1323&context=ecommonsatsdissertations

[ii] https://www.lifelinecc.org/resources/articles/bless-your-neighborhood/