Every Christian is called to bring the light of Christ’s teaching into the world. How can an ordinary, everyday Christian fulfill this in the modern world? #

Indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ said to His disciples: “Ye are the light of the world.” Clearly, this applies not only to the apostles but to all Christians. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, St. Paul writes to all Christians:

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.”

As we can see, the key takeaway from this belief is the necessity of living in accordance with the light that is within us. To bring the light of Christ’s teaching into the world is not only to preach the Christian faith, defend Orthodox doctrine, or protect our confession from attacks. Not every Christian has received what Scripture calls the “gift of speech.” In the First Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul writes about this:

“And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.”

He then rhetorically asks:

“Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?”

Thus, not everyone can or should preach the Christian teaching—only those whom God has specifically called to this task.

How, then, can others spread the light of Christ’s teaching? The answer can be found in the instruction given by St. Peter in his First General Epistle. Addressing women, he writes:

“Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”

This is the primary recipe, and it applies not only to women but also to men. Church history records many men who, through their meekness and pure, blameless lives, brought many souls into the Kingdom of Heaven. Moreover, a pure, blameless, and God-fearing life is what should distinguish all Christians, whether they are preachers or not. This is the universal rule for all Christians.

—Priest Mikhail Rodin