Have you ever thought about what it would be like for someone to assess your life based solely on Facebook posts? Imagine word-clouds below your feet, changing with each frame, but never going away. Envision pictures snapped in staccato as you walk through the filters and moods of the day. How far would we have to scroll before discovering you are a Christian? If someone struggling for purpose in life remembered you, would they have the confidence to reach out after flipping back through your life?
Believe it or not, the words you tweet, pictures you post, and anecdotes you share author your testimony to the world with just as much detail as your spoken words and offline activities. The Bible uses the word conversation to describe the whole of your life, online and off, and it urges us to let our conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ (Phil 1:27). Because of this, lessons aimed at younger Christians often focus on avoiding the pitfalls of the internet, and highlight the damage done to lives and reputations by satisfying selfish urges or giving in to illicit, dark content. The persons that issue these warnings do so in love and sometimes from painful experience. Please avoid mocking or ignoring them (and please remember that when you read next month’s article).
But for now, let’s flip the conversation. During his drive to share the gospel, the apostle Paul seized any public forum where the message might be respected and he filled it with the Word of God. He used the medium of the day (2Tim 4:13) and he shared everything the Spirit of God showed him was true and valuable to the souls he loved with all his heart (2Tim 4:7-8). What if your posts, tweets, and chats could lead a friend to Christ, or at least break the cycle of mindless video reposts and memes with things that matter? Did you read your Bible today? Dare to post a verse that made you smile, or perhaps one that made you wince. Does your assembly have a series of meetings coming up and you’ll be there? Spread the news. Did you learn something surprising at Bible study? Share it.
Local assemblies are to be witnesses of the Lord Jesus in their communities. Paul commended the Thessalonians for sounding out the gospel throughout all of Macedonia (1Thes 1:8). However, in our experience, most people in the USA or Canada who receive an invitation will check things out via Facebook or a website before attending events. Should you find that the Lord is using the verses, invites, or devotionals you share with others, why not consider helping create content or pages to support the outreach efforts of your assembly? Always approach an overseer or mature believer to get started and encourage others in fellowship to follow the pages. You might find things begin slowly, but with consistency and commitment, a social media presence can be of great benefit to an assembly.
