Social Media

TRANSCRIPT

Social Media...

Because the world is already there, and likely you along with them… how can we best use these platforms for good?

A great example of the how to use our social media presence comes from the book of Numbers.

Num. 13.26f, 13.6-9 we find the story of the twelve spies.

We know this story, right?

Someone from each tribe of God’s people was selected to go and spy out the promised land… upon returning, two conclusions were made.

Caleb and Joshua said, yeah, things are tough, there are strongholds and armies, but we have faith that God will deliver as He promised. Let’s move forward, have faith, have hope, God will take care, let’s go!

They were positive, optimistic, encouraging.

What about the other ten? They were negative, hopeless, and the challenge was too much…

In this story of the 12 spies, we can easily identify Caleb and Joshua, we remember them, why? Because they were faithful! They had hope!

Did you know that the Bible names all ten of the other spies? They’re listed right there in (x) Numbers 13. Why don’t we know their names? Because they were faithless, pessimistic, and sad.

These guys wanted to elect a leader to take them back through the desert and submit themselves back into slavery in Egypt! Can you imagine!?

It is also no coincidence which, among those present, that day, actually made it into the promised land… It was the two faithful, positive, hopeful, encouraging guys.

So let’s talk about some ways we can be the positive spokespeople online.

First some guidelines.

Understand this, no matter how high your privacy settings are online, anything you put onto the internet will not be private.

Therefore, remember 2 Cor. 5.20 tells us that we are ambassadors for Christ.

So anytime we do something online, we should treat it the same way as if we were doing it in a completely public place. And what we do doesn’t just reflect us, but it reflects the God we claim to serve.

That being said, you need to THINK before you post… Anytime you are about to write something on Facebook, share an article or a link to another site… and anytime you prepare a tweet, write an email or even post a picture… Ask yourself these questions…

Is what you’re about to post, True? Helpful? Inspiring? Necessary? And is it Kind?

THINK.

Take a few seconds and consider your online presence...

Would someone know that you are a Christian based on your social media presence?

What values do you reflect on your online profiles?

And, would someone like Christians based on your conduct online?

Now, after thinking about all of that, also ask yourself this… are you making the most of your digital influence?

It is no coincidence that the most popular online personalities are categorized as digital or social media influencers.

Not long ago, I saw a contest where Southwest Airlines was looking to reward you with free flights, and hotel stays if you were willing to document it all and post about your experience online. However, in order to sign up to be considered for this project, you needed at least 2,500 followers on Instagram, you needed to be a social media influencer.

There are people I know, and maybe you do as well… that you only know because of their online profile. Without Facebook, IG, or YouTube, they would be nobody’s to you.

Many of them have their area of specialty, one YouTuber I follow is Marques Brownlee, I’ve been watching his videos for years. He makes videos about consumer electronics and videography. He does reviews and creates other tech-based artistic content…

Because I’ve been watching him for years, I’ve seen his channel grow immensely. I was there when he went to college and talked about things he was learning in some of his classes. I watched how he utilized his apartment to create the videos for his channel.

In the last few years following his graduation, I’ve seen his viewership explode and now he has a dedicated studio to do all his work in. And it’s just that, his work.

Marques easily makes over a million dollars a year, making tech videos…

But here is why I mention him. If he reviews a smartphone and says it is bad, me, along with 10M other people will not buy it. That’s significant… One person, with one YouTube video can sway the buying power of 10M people in less than a few minutes.

What about you and me?

Well, maybe we don’t have 10M followers, or even have the 2,500 followers required for the southwest airlines contest, but that doesn't stop the things we post online from reaching others online. We should try.

How do we do that? The same way we might try offline, by engaging with other people in a relational way.

You see, the appeal of social media is that it speaks to a basic human need, and that need is to connect and share.

Maybe you’re linking up with old school friends or perhaps you’re participating in an interest group, mother’s group, car repair group, or anything you may be interested in…

Or maybe your just online to share your life experiences with friends and family.

In those communities (whether on Facebook, IG or YT), you are representing God with your actions and words. So, if instead of complaining about the restaurant you just went to, you determined to find something positive in your day to share, something that is really nice, very encouraging... It lifts other people up, and makes them glad to be your friend.

Look for ways to be among the people that brings joy and hope to our world, not sadness, fear, and death.

As a Christian, the internet is not the place for politics, nobody likes it, or the people that post stuff about it. Over 80% of people surveyed stated their political stances wouldn’t change based on what a person stated or shared about a particular politic, no. matter. what.

It’s incredibly divisive, by choosing a side in political matters, you instantly cut off half of people that you may have had influence with… it is not worth it…

We have something better to share!

I have a question for you…

Has God done something significant in your life?

My answer is straightforward, yes!

So let’s find a way to positively and encouragingly share that with others…

Social media isn’t the place to complain about your church, the NAD, the General Conference, or anything else affiliated with our church. It isn’t the place to be rude, hateful, or negative.

If you can remember that the internet is a mission field… posting negativity over our issues would be like going door to door ranting about how much you disagree with things that are happening in your church and finishing up by saying, “hey, would you like to visit this church with me?” …no way!

Things aren’t perfect in our church, we know that, but be missional, be winsome. If you have a bone to pick with someone, go pick it directly, don’t blast it in a public place.

Before you post, THINK.

Is what you’re about to post, True? Helpful? Inspiring? Necessary? And is it Kind?

So how can we positively aid the work of digital evangelism?

I'll see you in the next one.