SALT & LIGHT

Part 2: Faith

Scripture

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

¹ And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. ² For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, ⁴ and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Sermon Recap

Pastor Pete continued the Salt & Light series by reminding the church of the larger vision of Deep & Wide: as we grow deeper in our walk with Christ, our lives should become a wider witness to the world. Jesus calls His followers to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13–16), bringing the distinct flavor of Christ and shining His light in a dark world so that others may see good works and glorify God. Building on last week’s message about stewardship—where we were reminded that God wants His children to be rich in good works—this week’s focus was faith: believing that God can work powerfully in the lives of others just as He has worked deeply in our own.

From 1 Corinthians 2:1–5, Pastor Pete highlighted how Paul approached ministry not with impressive rhetoric or persuasive wisdom, but with a simple focus on “Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Although Paul was highly educated and capable of sophisticated teaching, he intentionally relied on the power of the gospel rather than human eloquence. He described coming to the Corinthians in weakness, fear, and trembling, a posture many believers can relate to when sharing their faith. Yet Paul trusted that the Spirit would work through the message so that people’s faith would rest not on human wisdom, but on the power of God.

Pastor Pete illustrated this through a recent story from the Jordan trip, where a refugee woman named Um Ali encountered the gospel through simple storytelling and conversation. Despite language barriers, personal hardship, and uncertainty, God began opening her heart to recognize her need for forgiveness and the hope found in Jesus. Her journey was a reminder that while apologetics, thoughtful explanations, and theological depth have value, people are ultimately saved by God’s power, not by our ability to persuade them. Because of this, believers are called to step out in faith—being present with people who need Jesus, inviting them to come and see, and praying that God would open hearts.

One Thing: Have faith in God’s power to save.

Discussion
Questions

Connecting

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “salt and light”?
Have you ever learned something important through a simple story rather than a complex explanation?

Considering

In 1 Corinthians 2:1–5, how does Paul describe the way he shared the gospel with the Corinthians?
According to this passage, what is the difference between faith built on human wisdom and faith built on God’s power?

Confessing

What fears or insecurities sometimes hold you back from sharing your faith with others?
Where might you be relying more on your own ability or understanding rather than trusting God to work?

Committing

Who is one person in your life that you can begin praying for as someone who needs to know Jesus?
What is one simple step you could take to spend more intentional time with people who don’t yet know Christ?

Next Steps

As part of our annual theme, Deep & Wide, we invite our church family to go deeper in relationship with God so that we can be the greatest blessing to one another and the world around us. Each week, we will follow up from the sermon with simple, practical steps to help us receive God’s blessing and apply the truths of the gospel more deeply into our lives.