I love my online community. They encourage me. They challenge me. But my online community will never replace my real life community. My local community cries with me. I cry with them. They know my heart.
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.
God created you to enjoy life, not capture it through a camera lens.
We are so busy capturing life on a camera or in 140 characters that we don’t enjoy it. Considering the direction of our country, maybe it’s time to ask some hard questions.
Would your family be healthier if you lived in that special moment with your children rather than reaching for your phone to capture it?
Would your marriage benefit from fewer #datenight pics on Instagram and more date nights with the phone at home?
Would society be less cynical and more hopeful if you didn’t use social media as a personal sounding board for life’s frustrations?
Decide for yourself, but, for me, the answer to these questions is YES.
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Social media is an enormous tool to point people to Jesus. It’s not a tool to troll our friends, rant about the President or waste massive amounts of time.
To engage social media like Jesus would requires intentionality. It requires a firm understanding of our identity in God. I know I have a lot of work to do. But if every Christian decided to take one step toward intentionality, the impact would be enormous.
What do you think? How would Jesus engage social media if he were alive today? Leave a comment below.
I love you all. To God be the glory forever. Amen!
