That you may be blameless and guileless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine as luminaries in the world, / Holding forth the word of life (Phil. 2:14-15a)
Believers are called to shine as luminaries to the generations. But in a world darkened by sin and degradation, how can we be bright? Philippians tells us this light has to do with being vessels “holding forth the word of life.” Reading black and white letters as knowledge is dead and dark, but carrying the word of life, which is none else but Christ, the Person in and as the Word, makes us bright, new, and shining. When we carry the living Word, Christ becomes light in us as a revelation of the truth (John 8:12). This truth, which has held firm and unchanging across generations, shines and penetrates our being, renewing our mind, transforming us, and transferring us from the old creation to the new (12:2). How much we can be those that shine today depends on how much we allow the Word to come in to be our living constitution. The more new we are, the brighter we shine.
Light bearers are vessels of the Word, functioning as a beacon from age to age. This generation needs those who are able to deliver people from the old to the new through a living constitution of the Word in us. In Revelation, we see the church shine corporately as a lampstand (Rev. 1:20), serving the Lord as a living light to the world. As the end of this age draws near, we are in need of luminaries, the spiritual stars (2:1), to prepare for our Lord’s return. Today, may we be the shining ones, willingly renewed and transformed to shine forth this living Word more brightly.
(Above are notes of fellowship taken from a gathering on 6/2/2024, not reviewed by the speaker.)