Social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, tumblr, you get the idea) is sapping our real social life away. Bit by bit, we get hooked, and begin to spend hours each day trawling through our newsfeed, looking at what people we know have posted on their space, posting our little updates, photos, among all sorts of other things that people do on these websites.
Of late, apart from photos, I hardly post anything else on my Facebook wall. I do not see the need to post something that I grumble about, or basically to get attention of the people I know. It is a conscious effort to not post anything more, because I have got itchy fingers and I have a lot that I want to say. But I think that I have found other ways to say what I want to say, which is to talk to people, face to face or a call or a text conversation. Some may ask, what is the difference between that and just posting it on Facebook, aren't you still ultimately in some form of discussion with another person? Lots of difference. Plenty of it. The connection I get from relating to another person is unlike what socialising on Facebook is. It is more complex, more layered, more exciting, more authentic. It is just better.
During church camp last weekend, I asked one of my small group members if men could relate emotionally to other people properly, as how women could with much ease. He said that it is hard, but not impossible. Most evangelical Christians would probably agree that one of the most effective methods of telling a non-Christian about the gospel is through authentic personal relationships, where two or more people (in the context of small groups) know each other well enough. I am by no means saying that evangelistic rallies and purpose-planned events are not useful, but they are a bit like social media. You are throwing out seeds and see where they will land and sprout. Personal relationship is akin to planting just one seed, and purposefully take care of it so that it will bear fruit one day. Paul, in his letter to the church in Corinth, said this. "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building." (1 Cor 3:5-9) Ultimately, God is the one who gives growth, and we are His willing servants. God works in the most mysterious ways that is beyond, way beyond, our comprehension. It is important for us to relate to people as we tell them about the gospel. We can all relate, men and women alike; it is a God-given ability for a good number of us.
One of the biggest challenges for people my age (20-ish) is to keep our mind away from social media. As a Christian, I have found social media to take up more time than it should, when the time wasted could be better used to read the bible, to encourage a fellow Christian, to talk to a non-Christian about the gospel, and more importantly, to pray. We are all so connected, and perhaps not thinking about Facebook only when we are sleeping! However, social networks and social media is not all bad and nothing good. They are excellent tools to promote an evangelistic event, to gather people more easily, and perhaps give you a glimpse into the life of a person you know so you might be able to pray for or encourage the friend of yours. To me, do everything in moderation. I could have been obsessed with Facebook, and I totally regret having been so. It is not worth it at all.
So, social media for evangelism? Why not! Not my preferred method though.
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