The Internet is swirling with comments, blogs, posts, and videos all screaming about the recent moves by Big Tech. They have taken steps to scrub the voice of the conservative political people off of social media. It should not surprise any Christian to see how fast Big Tech can move to erase a voice when they want to. The end of the Bible tells us of the last days. Welcome to it.
It is unsettling in a country like America to find that anyone is silencing any group of people for any reason. You know, first amendment and all. But the censorship of Big Tech should also make us aware of something Christians have been doing for some time that was not the right direction. That is evangelizing on the Internet.
Christian social media posts and memes have their merits, don’t get us wrong, but their value in the cause of evangelism is pretty low. Let’s face it, Christian posts do more for encouraging fellow Christians than they do saving the lost. Jesus did not tell the apostles to go and put up notices all over town that He was the Messiah. He said, Go and tell them. We are not well schooled in Hebrew or Greek around here, but we are still pretty sure Jesus meant in-person.
Evangelism Requires A Connection To The Evangelist
Have you ever helped someone find Jesus? How did that happen? Even if it was about something you posted online, there had to be a more personal conversation that followed after. To evangelize, first, we need to make ourselves spiritually and emotionally available to the soul that is ready to meet Jesus. That’s pretty exciting stuff. God wants you to have a front-row seat to it. You have to be physically willing to talk to someone if you want to witness God changing someone’s heart. Evangelism requires much more than posts and hashtags to get the job done.
We’re all for posting videos about the Truth. We do it ourselves. We don’t expect that anyone is falling on their knees to ask Jesus for salvation as a result. Our posts are usually trying to convince Christians to put some intentional effort into evangelizing the lost generation they are complaining about on the Internet.
Christians have to make an effort to evangelize if they want to see America changed for the better. A life won to Christ will care about the things of God. Want to make America great again? Problem solved. Tell them about Jesus…to their faces…in-person.
Testimonies are made by God for a reason. He wants you to share them with people who need to understand how God makes a difference in someone’s life. Psalm 40 is the best explanation for this. Want to get excited to share your testimony? Read Psalm 40. And then do what it says.
Social Media Has Made Christians Lazy About Sharing The Gospel
Perhaps as a people, we can all collectively admit that social media has dulled our interpersonal skills just a bit. It’s too easy to check people we know on social media to see how they are doing instead of picking up the phone. Too often, we are posting articles about what we care about for others to read. It makes us think we are doing our part to share Jesus. We aren’t.
How often are we posting about how great our church is, sharing sermons from our pastors, and posting service times on our timelines instead of picking up the phone and inviting people to church? Fellow Christians, we have to knock this nonsense off. People today are desperate for hope and security. The people in your community are emotionally and morally unmoored. They need an anchor. You know where they can get it. But don’t expect them to figure that out online from your social media posts. You have to tell them why Jesus is the way, not just say that He is.
We Have To Admit That Evangelism Is Uncomfortable
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, or maybe it’s the donkey. Most people are happy to share their opinion on the politics of the day without any hesitation. Challenge them to share Jesus, and they suddenly go silent. Why? Because it’s hard to put yourself out there.
We know that sharing Jesus makes people feel vulnerable and unsure. No one wants to be rejected or humiliated for their faith. We get it. But that didn’t stop Jesus or His disciples. Admitting you have a problem being comfortable sharing your faith is half the battle. Praying for a way to overcome it is the second part of winning the war. If you want to evangelize this lost generation, understand it’s a ground game, not an aerial assault from the Internet.