Let me just start this blog post by making something very clear. The purpose of this post is not to condemn the use of social media or any type of internet luxuries that we enjoy in today’s society. Although many preachers do in fact consistently speak against the use of social media or internet activities. That is definitely not me. I, like many of you, use the internet as well as social media to communicate with friends and family as well as getting the message out to the masses when possible.
Now, having said all of that. I do believe that any avenue of communication has its place and function in society as well as having its place in the work of the Kingdom of God. I am old enough to vaguely remember some of the old timey preachers who would condemn television as the devil’s work. Each time new technologies would break onto the scene it seemed like the church would preach against it as the devil’s tool. I am one who believes that all things can either be used for God’s work or the devil’s work. Man has been good at inventing great things and then contaminating their uses for sinful purposes.
I have noticed over the years, especially since the dawn of social media, that many of us who would call ourselves believers have made a lot of noise about Jesus on the internet. Now, as I mentioned before, this generally could be viewed as a positive thing. After all, if we are bringing Jesus into the conversation, how could that be a negative thing?
The main point that I want to encourage everyone to consider is this. If the believers, the body of Christ, is as bold as a lion on social media but is hardly noticeable in the flesh, something is wrong. Part of the problem with social media is that often times people seem to be more courageous about what they say online because they have the ability to hide behind the curtain of the internet without consequence.
What I mean can be a double-sided coin. One side applies to all the social media posts that have good intentions and would generally be seen as a comment that would honor God because it is full of truth and love for others. The problem with that kind of post is that it lacks the best part of the statement being said to those who might hear it. There is something powerful about a person who is saved by the blood of Christ who actually looks into the eyes of another person and actually says those words out loud. This way the hearer can feel the love and power of said true statement. Merely reading it on a social media post, although is not wrong, is lacking something personal.
The other side of the coin applies to all the social media posts that are mis-guided or come from a bad or incorrect understanding of the truth of God’s Word. Social media has given everyone and anyone the ability to say anything and everything without too much accountability. There are so many mis-leading posts or memes about God, Jesus, or the gospel it is a wonder that anyone will ever consider any real truth from anyone who dares to share actual truth about Jesus.
Some of the extreme examples would be those posts that encourage us to hit “like” and “share” and God will bless you. NO! That is not how God works. There is nothing in all of Scripture that describes God working that way!
Other not so obvious examples would be those posts that take scripture out of context and try to apply it to certain situations. This happens offline too. Many times, believers have this need to throw out some scripture in an effort to encourage, help, comfort, or sometimes even convict society. Unfortunately, if the text does not apply or is taken out of context, it is not helpful at all. In fact, it actually most likely is doing more harm than good.
The bottom line here for this blog post is this. It has been my observation for a while now that each time there is a significant event that happens in the world or even in a local community of people. Society as a whole takes to social media to share their immediate reactions. The Church, the Christians, are not to be left out of this somewhat new custom in our society. We all get tempted to respond, rant, and especially emote via our favorite social media outlet. After all, people need to know how we feel about everything!
From my personal experience, not many really even stop scrolling long enough to even see that post you just made. That is, if it even shows up in the middle of all the ads that dominate everyone’s feed. Of course, this last statement excludes all those posts that are intended to shock and offend others. Those are the ones that get all the “likes” and “shares”. Isn’t that what it is all about anyway? “Likes” and “Shares”.
I have noticed over the past ten plus years that I have been using social media that I get more attention and response when I post pictures of the food that I eat than when I post any Scripture or sermon video. Yep, it is true. The twelve hundred or so people that I am connected to on social media seem to prefer to hear about my dining habits way more than anything I might have to say about God or Jesus.
Again, I am not saying that we should stop using social media as a way to share truth or be a blessing to others. However, what I mean to say is that if social media is our only avenue in which we are trying to be the witness in the world, then we have missed the assignment. In other words, if we are bolder and more courageous with our online witness than we are in our personal in the flesh witness, then we have missed the assignment.
Yeah, I know. It is much easier to just type up a real quick post about Jesus or send out a meme about some part of scripture. That doesn’t take any real courage. Not compared to sitting down with a neighbor and looking them in the eye and having a real conversation about Jesus. Or sitting down and listening to another real live person who is struggling with some challenging or tragic situation and taking the opportunity to lead that person into the presence of God through prayer at some point in the conversation. It is really hard to emote with other people unless there is a personal interaction.
Jesus gave the command to all who would be His disciples. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” – Matthew 28:19. Notice Jesus did not say go on social media and make a post.
He said go. Yes, it is true that social media and other internet forums give us the ability to go into all the world instantly. However, I will submit that in no way did Jesus teach any of His disciples to fall into the habit of making disciples solely online. In fact, I am sure that He intended for His disciples to be the kind of people to would get their hands dirty loving others. We cannot genuinely love others and love God and be disconnected from society. We must be the Church! We must be the actual hands and feet of Jesus in this lost world!
Although social media can be a great tool for sharing some truth to the masses, it is not and cannot become the replacement for living our lives the way God created us to live them. We are created to interact with one another in a very personal way. We are to look into each other’s eyes, hug those who need to be hugged, laugh with those who have joy, and grieve with those who have lost. After all, that is the way Jesus did it. We can be thankful that Jesus showed up in person, in the flesh, to physically go to the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. There can be nothing more personal than that.
I suggest we all ask God for the courage to back up our social media witness with the boldness and courage to present an in-person witness that brings glory to God every day of our lives. I pray that we all present the reality of God and His Kingdom to our own communities and circle of people. After all, it is what Jesus died for.
To God be the glory.
