Who were the people involved in your coming to know Christ personally? How did the lives, actions and words of those specific people influence you?

Read Matthew 5:13-16. What are the basic metaphors Jesus utilizes here? Who is the ‘you’ in these verses? Who does Jesus mean by ‘the earth’ (v13) and ‘the world’ (v14)?

These punctuating metaphors are meant to set the beatitudes in context. How does that context inform the significance or meaning of the beatitudes for Christians?

In the sermon, we explored how the ‘salt of the earth’ metaphor encourages disciples to be incarnate as well as distinctive. Review these concepts together. What does it mean to be incarnate and distinctive? How are these aspects held in tension with one another?

The final warning in v13 is NOT about losing salvation, but rather about the church losing purpose and value in the world. Can you think of an example where a Christian or Christian community lost focus on being incarnate and/or distinctive? How did it affect their work and witness in the broader community?

Alternately, consider times when you’ve seen the church alive and “salty” - engaged and distinctive in the world. What is the fruit of that sort of community? How do people respond to a church like that?