Jesus did not say you might be salt and light. He said you are. “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). The question He leaves with you is not whether you carry this calling. The question is whether you will live it openly or hide it under a basket.
I have watched many believers in Cambodia struggle with this calling. They love Jesus in private, yet they grow quiet in public. They smile when their coworkers gossip. They stay silent when family pressure pushes them toward sin. They nod along when neighbors mock the faith. I understand the fear. I have felt it myself. But hidden salt loses its purpose, and a covered lamp cannot guide anyone home.
What Jesus Actually Calls You To Be
Salt in the ancient world did 2 things. It preserved food from rotting, and it gave flavor to a meal. Both meanings matter for your life right now.
You are a preserver. Where you stand, decay slows down. Your honesty in the marketplace keeps corruption from spreading further. Your purity in your friendships keeps lust from poisoning the room. Your kindness in your family keeps bitterness from taking root.
You are also a flavor. Your joy makes the gospel taste good to people who have only known religion as fear. Your peace in suffering makes Christ look beautiful to those who have only known anger and revenge.
Light works differently. Light exposes what darkness hides, and it shows the way forward. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Your visible obedience is not for your own glory. It points people to the Father.
The Pressure To Hide Is Real
You will feel pressure to lose your saltiness. The pressure is rarely loud at first. It is quiet. It sounds reasonable. “Do not rock the boat.” “Keep your faith private.” “Why offend anyone?” “Everyone is doing it.”
In Cambodia and across Asia, believers often face the pressure of family honor. To follow Christ openly can feel like shaming your parents or rejecting your ancestors. In workplaces around the world, believers face the pressure of fitting in. To speak about sin, marriage, truth, or eternity can cost you a promotion or a friendship.
Jesus warned you about this directly. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). He also said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake” (Matthew 5:11).
Notice He did not say if. He said when. Persecution, ridicule, and isolation are not signs that something has gone wrong in your walk with God. Sometimes they are signs that something has gone very right.
Your Real Responsibility
Your responsibility is not to be loud, harsh, or proud. Salt that burns the tongue is useless. Light that blinds the eyes drives people away. Peter wrote, “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).
Your responsibility has 3 parts.
First, you are responsible to stay distinct. Do not blend in with the values of a world that rejects Christ. Your speech, your money, your relationships, and your entertainment should look different because your King is different.
Second, you are responsible to stay visible. Hidden faith helps no one. Speak the name of Jesus. Pray openly when it is welcome. Carry your Bible. Invite people to church. Tell your story of how Christ saved you.
Third, you are responsible to stay loving. Truth without love wounds. Love without truth flatters. Jesus held both perfectly, and He calls you to walk the same path.
Examples That Should Strengthen You
Scripture is full of people who refused to hide.
Daniel kept his window open and prayed 3 times a day even when the law said he would be thrown to the lions (Daniel 6:10). He did not pray louder to make a point. He simply did not stop. The lions did not eat him. The king ended up praising the God of Daniel.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood when everyone else bowed. Their answer to the king still strikes me. “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods” (Daniel 3:17-18). Their faith was not based on rescue. It was based on who God is.
Esther risked her life to speak truth to power. Mordecai told her, “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). God placed you in your family, your job, and your city for a reason too.
Stephen preached Christ to a hostile crowd and was stoned to death. As he died, he prayed for his killers (Acts 7:60). One of those killers was Saul, who later became Paul. You never know what your faithful witness will produce in someone watching.
Across history, the pattern continues. Polycarp, an old pastor in the 2nd century, was told to deny Christ to save his life. He answered, “86 years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” He was burned at the stake. His courage strengthened the church for generations.
In our own time, believers in restricted nations gather in secret, smuggle Bibles, and plant churches knowing they may be imprisoned. House church leaders in China, persecuted believers in North Korea, and faithful pastors across Southeast Asia continue to shine. Their lamps are not hidden. Neither should yours be.
The Promise That Holds You
Jesus never promised an easy road. He promised His presence on the road. “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Paul wrote, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Yet he also wrote, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
When you lose a friend for the sake of Christ, He gives you Himself. When your family rejects you, He becomes your family. When the world isolates you, heaven celebrates you.
Live It Today
Speak the name of Jesus out loud this week
Mention Him in 1 normal conversation. Tell someone what He has done in your life. Do not preach a sermon. Just refuse to leave Him out of your story.
Refuse 1 compromise that you have been making
Identify 1 area where you have been blending in with the world to avoid trouble. Maybe it is gossip at work, dishonesty in business, or silence about sin in your family. Stop it today. Ask God for courage and obey.
Bless someone who has mocked or rejected your faith
Jesus said, “Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you” (Luke 6:28). Send a kind message. Give a small gift. Pray for them by name. Let your love confuse the world.
Open your Bible in public
Read it at lunch. Read it on the bus. Let people see that you are not ashamed. A small act of visibility can open big doors for the gospel.
Gather with other believers this week
Salt loses its strength alone. Light shines brighter in a lampstand of many lamps. Find a church, a small group, or a prayer partner. Do not try to stand by yourself.
You are salt. You are light. Stop hiding. The world is dark, but you carry the One who is the Light of the world. Shine.
If you want to discuss your faith journey or have questions about Christ, reach out to Naleng Real at nalengreal.com. You can also discover more Christian resources to grow your faith at https://unboundedknowledge.org.
Naleng Real serves in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Orphaned at three and one of four siblings to survive the Pol Pot years, she went on to earn a Bachelor degree in English Literature at Norton University and a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies from the East Asia School of Theology in Singapore. She has served since 1994 as a translator, interpreter, worship leader and trainer — nine years with the Assemblies of God and nine with World Vision International — and today works in church planting, Kairos facilitation and Bible translation.
All writing by Naleng →
