Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in the heavens. ~ Matthew 5:16
Good works are seen in the behavior of Kingdom people who live as Jesus does, by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. These ones preach the gospel through submission to the Master's plan and purpose. They are slaves of Christ whose motto is, "not my will by Thine ..." Hence, apostles of Christ have this Treasure in earthen vessels and carry the Light wherever they go.
The apostles' gospel is the glory of Christ, which illuminates, radiates and shines in the heart of man. If this gospel is veiled, it is veiled in those who are perishing since they have been deceived by the god of this world through unbelief. Things like philosophy and religion, which teach people to live by old concepts of the law or cultural traditions that hinder people from apprehending the gospel of Christ are those things that veil the truth of the gospel of Christ.
The veil is removed whenever people turn to Christ; embracing Him Who is the Truth. So, the purpose of preaching Christ is to unveil those who are in darkness. When taking a picture with a camera, we must first remove the cover from the lens that the light may enter in; so, too, the veil must be removed so God's light can shine in men's hearts.
The heart is related to the inner life, which is the secret garden where the seed of God's Word gets planted. The parable of the soil teaches us that seed falling on good ground produces a great harvest. A gardener knows he must prepare the soil to receive the seed. In the spiritual realm, our prayers for the lost are to prepare the soil of men's hearts to receive God's word. God's word comes through revelation or insight, which means that as Christ shines in our hearts, He dispels the darkness. Darkness always flees from Light.
God's shining in our hearts is what makes us new creations. We are changed from the inside out. God's shining produces new covenant ministers whose ministry is the preaching of Christ Jesus as Lord. Christ is the image of God, the very radiance of God's glory.
The purpose of God shining in our hearts is so we can shine on others. When we receive the Light of the World and truly accept Jesus as Lord of our lives, He manifests His life in us. Thus, the life we live is no longer according to the flesh. We are not our own, we have been bought by the precious blood of the Lamb to carry His glory. We exalt Christ as Lord and serve others rather than self. This is the practice of denying self and picking up our cross as we follow Him. He is our Teacher; we are His disciples who are called to make disciples of all nations.
REMEMBER, the treasure we have to give is not us but Christ flowing through us as we are continuously filled with His Spirit. So, before we can reach out to others, we must REACH up to Him. Our Father in heaven, hallowed IS Thy name THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE... in our lives as it is in Heaven!