By Daisy Rodriguez, student news writer, Office of University Communications
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – “You are the salt of the earth,” Matt Flanagan said as he spoke in Campbellsville University’s chapel April 30.
Flanagan said we are to season the earth as in Matthew 5:13.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
The verse begins with “you are” and Flanagan explains that this isn’t a choice or a possibility for us. He said, instead, this is who we are. We are to season the earth as our purpose.
He reads Colossians Chapter 4: “Act wisely towards outsiders; making the most of your time. Let your speech always be gracious. Season them with salt so that you may know how you should answer each other.”
As believers, we need to season the world for Christ. Flanagan said salt also preserves too. God has entrusted us with His gospel to preserve and to carry on as well.
Flanagan said there are two most common questions that believers, non-believers or even those who are new asked the most.
What is my purpose? What is my calling?
To fulfill God’s will is to give thanks, to always rejoice and to pray continually.
Flanagan reads Matthew 5:20. This verse focuses on finding our calling.
“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven,” he said.
Righteousness comes from inner character. God measures righteousness from inside rather than the outside. “Christ says your right conduct flows from a right heart or a right character and this is what righteousness is all about,” Flanagan said.
He is the children and student ministry consultant for the Kentucky Baptist Convention (KBC).
In his role at KBC, in which he has served since 2018, Flanagan works with the Church Consulting and Revitalization Team.
He graduated from Campbellsville University in 2012 with a Master of Theology degree.
Flanagan had been at Parkway Baptist Church in Bardstown since 2005 before joining KBC. He also served as student minister at First Baptist Church of Jesus, Ga., and at Calvary Baptist Church in Danville, Ky.
Flanagan and his wife, Felica, have two children: Caleb, a sophomore at Campbellsville University, and Eli, a senior at Bardstown High School.
He is the son of Dan and Virginia Flanagan of Campbellsville. Virginia Flanagan is special assistant to the president at Campbellsville University. Dan Flanagan is a former vice president at Campbellsville College. Both are 1965 graduates of Campbellsville College.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university that has enrolled up to 12,000 students yearly. The university offers over 100 programs of study including doctoral, masters, bachelors, associate and certification programs. The website for complete information is www.campbellsville.edu.