Written by frank powell
It’s a hot, dry afternoon in Jerusalem. Jesus strolls through a busy
marketplace. All of sudden, he reaches under his robe, grabs his phone
and snaps a pic of the crowd. #beautifulday. A few minutes later, Jesus
tweets where he will speak next. The moment he posts, a Pharisee
comments, calling Jesus a heretic. Jesus favorites the Pharisee’s
comment.
As crowds gather on a hillside, Peter opens his camera app. He shows a
few disciples a video where Jesus casts a demon out of a man. Andrew
responds, “Dude, you have to put that on YouTube. It will have a million
views tonight.”
Thomas looks at Andrew and says, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Here are six ways Jesus would engage social media.
1.) Jesus would engage social media with a purpose, not as a means to pass the time.
You can disagree with me on whether Jesus would be on social media.
But here’s what you can’t disagree with. If Jesus were on social media,
he would have a purpose. He wouldn’t troll around Facebook or Twitter.
He wouldn’t use social media to pass the time. He wouldn’t inject his
thoughts on the President or the state of the church.
When Jesus opened Facebook, Twitter or SnapChat, he would have one goal: to point people to God.
“But Frank. I’m too old to keep up with all the new technology. Frank, I don’t have anything to add.”
To be honest, those excuses aren’t good enough. Social media shapes culture, ignites movements and informs millions of people.
The world is on social media. Christians should be there. With a purpose.
Send someone an encouraging message. Tweet a Bible verse. Tell
someone you are praying for them. Post a resource that helps others.
This is a stewardship issue. Yes, I believe God will hold us accountable for how we use this huge platform.
Are you stewarding your time on social media well? Are you using it
for selfish reasons? Are you building your platform or using your
platform to point people to God? Are you a social media glutton,
scrolling through feeds but never adding anything?
Jesus would engage social media with a purpose. You should too.
2.) Jesus would follow, share and retweet a lot of people who aren’t Christians.
Jesus ate dinner with prostitutes and tax collectors. He was
intentional about extending his circle beyond his 12 disciples. He came
to call the sinners, not the righteous.
So, if Jesus were on social media, he would like, share and retweet
comments that would leave many “righteous” Christians shaking their
heads in disgust.
“Can you believe Jesus shared Barack Obama’s post? I thought all Christians were Republican?”
“Did you see where Jesus liked that gay couple’s post?”
“OMG?! Jill, come here. Jesus just retweeted … Rob Bell!! How can he be the son of God?”
I love Rob Bell, just for the record.
Here’s the deal. In my conversations with Christians about social
media, many of them talk about “un-friending” someone who curses or
drinks. Unfortunately, the perspective of many Christians on social
media is strikingly similar to the one they have toward the world. If
it’s evil or nasty, get it away.
Jesus came to affirm all people, not stroke the egos of the religious
elite. He came to engage darkness, not run from it. How will Christians
impact those who don’t know about Jesus if we “unfriend” someone every
time they don’t act like a “churchy” Christian?
Maybe it’s time to reconsider who we engage on social media and why. I think Jesus would.
3.) Jesus would intentionally disengage from social media to engage with his Father.
Jesus spent nights alone. He woke up early in the morning to engage
with his Father. Let’s not assume Jesus would be any different with
social media. He wouldn’t feel obligated to respond to every post or
comment “promptly.” He wouldn’t allow his presence online to distract
him from the presence of God.
You see, where you spend your time shapes how you respond to the
world. Why did Jesus allow the Pharisees to spit in his face when he
could have turned them into salt? He didn’t have anything to prove to
them. His goal was to draw the world to himself, not show the Pharisees
who their daddy was (literally). What you allow into your heart
determines who you become.
If you’re more eager to check a social media status than spend time
alone with God, there is a problem. If your first instinct is to reach
for your phone after the alarm clock sounds, a red flag should go up. I
will admit. This is an issue for me. And I plan to be more intentional
about disengaging from social media.
Jesus wouldn’t allow social media to control him. He wouldn’t compare his life to others. You shouldn’t either.
4.) Jesus would use social media to complement personal relationships, not replace them.
Jesus would not allow social media to replace the messiness of
face-to-face relationships. Jesus knew his mission depended on other
people. The mission was huge. It required courage and faith. To prepare
these men, he needed to be with them. He needed to build their trust. He
had to develop intimacy with them. These are difficult to nurture
online.
Social media presents a dangerous temptation, especially to a younger
generation. The temptation is to believe a bunch of shallow
relationships are more important than a few deep, meaningful ones.
Remember. Jesus didn’t rely on large crowds to spread his message. He relied on 12 men.
Are intimate relationships hard work? Is it easier to build friends
online? Yes and yes. But God didn’t create you for shallow
relationships. He created you to go deep with people. He designed you to
share the burdens of other people.
You need people in your life who know the real you. You can have a
huge social media following, but your life will feel empty if you don’t
have people in your life who know your heart.
5.) Jesus would fill his social media profiles with more than Bible verses.
Would Jesus post Bible verses? Sure. But Jesus wouldn’t limit his
social media profiles to Scripture alone. Jesus would use his platform
to show the world a complete picture of God. Jesus would post pics of
wedding celebrations, funny moments and thought-provoking questions.
It’s unfortunate that most Christians paint a picture of God that is
narrow and incomplete. Most Christians paint God with a suit-and-tie,
grey hair (with a slightly receding hairline) and someone who makes it
his goal to single-handedly squash out anything that looks like fun.
Here’s the truth about God. He has a sense of humor. He used a
donkey’s rear-end to get a man’s attention. … That’s hilarious. God
celebrates. He parties. Jesus performed his first miracle at a party,
turning water into wine … that’s the kind of dude I want to party with.
If you’re a Christian, by all means, post Bible verses. But don’t be
lame. Show the world a bigger picture of God. Post pics of you having
fun with friends. When you celebrate a milestone, let the world know.
#celebratingwithmyboy.
6.) Jesus would NOT post his most intimate moments on social media.
Jesus might use social media to inform people about his next stop. He
might post pics with his disciples. But you would not find his most
intimate moments on social media. I can imagine Jesus instructing his
disciples to leave their iPhones at the door as they prepared to take
the Passover. When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, that moment
wouldn’t be for the world.
Social media is slowly destroying the mystery and privacy of our
lives. And this is important because intimacy dies as privacy and
mystery die. God is mysterious. And, being created in his image, there
is a layer of mystery and privacy required to maintain a healthy
relationship with ourselves, God and others.