Engaging Social Media: A Christian Perspective

 

Summary

In today's talk, I explored the profound impact of social media on our lives and how we, as Christians, can engage with it in a way that honors God. Social media is not just a passing trend; it represents a significant cultural shift in communication. As believers, we must approach it discerningly, biblically, and missiologically, using it as a tool to advance God's kingdom. While social media can facilitate community, communication, and inspiration, it is not a substitute for true biblical community, which requires face-to-face interaction and accountability.

I shared my journey into the world of blogging and social media, initially hesitant but eventually recognizing its potential for influence and engagement. Social media can assist in creating community, though it cannot replace the depth of relationships found in a local church. It can also enhance communication, allowing churches to connect with their congregations more efficiently and cost-effectively. Moreover, it can inspire and encourage others, as seen in the example of John Piper using Twitter to share Proverbs and exhortations.

However, there are dangers associated with social media. It can trivialize important matters, create false community, and even foster pride and narcissism. The language and structure of social media platforms can promote self-centeredness, and the lack of accountability can lead to impertinent speech. Additionally, we must be aware that social media companies are primarily interested in monetizing our interactions, not fostering genuine connections.

Despite these challenges, social media offers a unique opportunity for Christians to engage with the world and share the gospel. It is crucial that we approach it with wisdom and discernment, using it to make the name and fame of Jesus more widely known. As we navigate this digital landscape, let us strive to model Christ-like relationships and communities, bringing the good news of the gospel to a world in need.

Key Takeaways:

1. Social Media as a Cultural Shift: Social media is not a mere fad but a fundamental change in how we communicate. As Christians, we must engage with it discerningly, using it as a tool to advance God's kingdom and make Jesus known. [02:06]

2. Facilitating Community, Not Replacing It: While social media can assist in creating community, it cannot replace the depth and accountability of true biblical community. It should be seen as a supplement, not a substitute, for face-to-face relationships. [04:46]

3. Communication and Inspiration: Social media can enhance communication within the church and inspire others through shared exhortations and encouragements. However, we must be cautious not to trivialize important matters by reducing them to sound bites. [06:50]

4. Dangers of Pride and False Community: Social media can foster pride and create a false sense of community. We must guard against the temptation to make it all about ourselves and remember the importance of genuine, accountable relationships. [14:01]

5. Engaging with Discernment: As believers, we should not shy away from social media but engage with it wisely, bringing the gospel into digital conversations. Our interactions should reflect Christ's love and truth, aiming to make His name known. [21:01]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:18] - Introduction to Social Media
- [00:51] - Personal Journey into Blogging
- [01:45] - Social Media as a Cultural Shift
- [02:28] - The Influence of Social Media
- [03:14] - Engaging in Social Media Conversations
- [04:11] - Creating Community through Social Media
- [05:05] - Communication in the Digital Age
- [06:34] - Inspiration through Social Media
- [07:50] - Social Media in Times of Crisis
- [09:08] - Social Media as a Tool for Introduction
- [11:26] - Dangers of Social Media
- [12:44] - Trivializing Important Matters
- [14:01] - False Community and Pride
- [16:32] - Narcissism in Social Media
- [18:08] - Impertinent Speech
- [19:22] - Monetization of Social Media
- [20:23] - Conclusion and Call to Engage

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Matthew 5:14-16 - "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
2. Hebrews 10:24-25 - "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
3. Proverbs 27:17 - "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."

Observation Questions:
1. According to the sermon, how does social media represent a cultural shift in communication? [02:06]
2. What are some ways social media can assist in creating community, according to the speaker? [04:46]
3. How did the speaker describe the potential dangers of social media, particularly in terms of pride and false community? [14:01]
4. What examples were given in the sermon of using social media for inspiration and encouragement? [06:50]

Interpretation Questions:
1. How might Matthew 5:14-16 relate to the way Christians should engage with social media? Consider the idea of being a light in the digital world.
2. In what ways does Hebrews 10:24-25 challenge the notion of online community as a substitute for face-to-face fellowship? [04:46]
3. How can Proverbs 27:17 be applied to interactions on social media, especially in terms of accountability and encouragement?
4. The sermon mentioned the trivialization of important matters on social media. How does this align with the biblical call to speak truthfully and meaningfully? [12:44]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current social media habits. Are there ways you can use your platforms more intentionally to reflect Christ's love and truth? [21:01]
2. How can you ensure that your online interactions are supplementing, rather than replacing, your involvement in a local church community? [04:46]
3. Identify a recent social media post or interaction that may have fostered pride or self-centeredness. How can you approach similar situations differently in the future? [14:01]
4. Consider a time when you were inspired or encouraged by something you saw on social media. How can you be a source of similar encouragement to others? [06:50]
5. What steps can you take to avoid the pitfalls of impertinent speech and trivialization in your online communications? [18:08]
6. Think of someone in your social media network who might benefit from a deeper, face-to-face relationship. How can you reach out to them this week to foster genuine community? [14:26]
7. How can you balance the use of social media as a tool for sharing the gospel with the need to maintain personal privacy and boundaries? [19:22]

Devotional

Day 1: Engaging Social Media with Discernment
Social media represents a significant cultural shift in communication, and as Christians, it is essential to engage with it discerningly. This means using social media as a tool to advance God's kingdom and make Jesus known, rather than getting swept up in its potential pitfalls. While social media can be a powerful platform for sharing the gospel and connecting with others, it requires wisdom to navigate its complexities. Christians are called to be in the world but not of it, and this includes the digital world. By approaching social media with a discerning heart, believers can use it to reflect Christ's love and truth in their interactions. [02:06]

"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." (Colossians 4:6, ESV)

Reflection: How can you intentionally use your social media presence today to reflect Christ's love and truth in a specific interaction or post?


Day 2: Social Media as a Supplement, Not a Substitute
While social media can assist in creating community, it cannot replace the depth and accountability of true biblical community. It should be seen as a supplement, not a substitute, for face-to-face relationships. True biblical community requires personal interaction, accountability, and the sharing of life together, which cannot be fully achieved through digital means. Social media can enhance communication and provide a platform for encouragement, but it should never replace the richness of in-person fellowship and the accountability found within a local church. [04:46]

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV)

Reflection: What steps can you take this week to deepen your face-to-face relationships within your church community, beyond your interactions on social media?


Day 3: Communicating and Inspiring with Integrity
Social media can enhance communication within the church and inspire others through shared exhortations and encouragements. However, it is crucial to be cautious not to trivialize important matters by reducing them to sound bites. The brevity and immediacy of social media can sometimes lead to oversimplification of complex issues. As Christians, it is important to communicate with integrity, ensuring that our words are thoughtful and reflective of biblical truth. By doing so, we can inspire others and encourage them in their faith journey. [06:50]

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29, ESV)

Reflection: Consider a recent social media post or comment you made. How can you ensure that your future communications are thoughtful and reflective of biblical truth?


Day 4: Guarding Against Pride and False Community
Social media can foster pride and create a false sense of community. The language and structure of social media platforms can promote self-centeredness, and the lack of accountability can lead to impertinent speech. It is important to guard against the temptation to make social media all about ourselves and remember the importance of genuine, accountable relationships. True community is built on humility, love, and accountability, which cannot be fully realized in the digital realm. [14:01]

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." (Philippians 2:3, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on your social media interactions. How can you shift your focus from self-promotion to fostering genuine, humble relationships?


Day 5: Engaging with Wisdom and Discernment
As believers, we should not shy away from social media but engage with it wisely, bringing the gospel into digital conversations. Our interactions should reflect Christ's love and truth, aiming to make His name known. Social media offers a unique opportunity to engage with the world and share the gospel, but it requires discernment to navigate its challenges. By approaching social media with wisdom, Christians can use it as a platform to model Christ-like relationships and communities, bringing the good news of the gospel to a world in need. [21:01]

"Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." (Colossians 4:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: How can you intentionally use your social media presence to engage in meaningful conversations that reflect Christ's love and truth today?

Quotes

When we think about social media, we… we want to think discerningly, we want to think Biblically, and we want to think missiologically. How are we using this as a tool so that the name and fame of Jesus would be more widely known? How are we using it discerningly so that recognizing that… that… though… though things can be good, they can also be used for evil? [00:00:12]

I believe social media is not a toy or a fad, but it’s a fundamental cultural shift in the way that men and women communicate. And I think we need to recognize the influence that it has in culture. We need to engage in it in redemptive ways, so that it might be used as a tool for the advancement of God’s kingdom, for God’s agenda in the world. [00:01:56]

One of the things it can do, is it can assist in creating community. Now I want you to notice that I don’t believe it can create what the Bible defines as true community. I think true community involves more than… than avatars and electrons. It requires feet and faces. Now, but it can be a facilitator of community. It can be an introduction to community. It can be a support to community as well. [00:04:37]

It’s not a replacement of Biblical community, but instead it’s a supplement of Biblical community. I don’t believe there’s any such thing as an Internet church, but there is community in cyberspace. And so for us to see that as a tool, I think of Sojourn Church in Louisville, Kentucky, that has their church webpage, which most of us would probably have now. [00:05:05]

The third thing is, it can assist in inspiration. I want you to encourage… be encouraging the people in your church, the people in your sphere of influence. You can encourage them through tools like Twitter. I remember when John Piper first got on Twitter. John Piper has a… turned Twitter into what I call a Proverbs machine. [00:06:38]

But are there some concerns? Yes. Let me share a few of them. Let me share some of those dangers. Others will as well. But I do not want to say to you that as I share the dangers, that that does not mean you should be… not be in the electronic conversation. You should be. The dangers here are not dangers that should exclude you, but they should give you the wisdom of discernments. [00:11:23]

I think another thing is social media can trivialize important things. Listen, not everything can be boiled down to 140 characters. It was a fascinating discussion of, can you tweet the gospel in 140 characters? And I… And I get the simple… you know. Packer has defined it as “God saves sinners.” I mean, we can… we can find ways to do that, but sometimes in the desire to make things pithy, re-tweetable, something people will quote, we shrink them down, and we engage in what’s called simplism. [00:12:32]

I also would say it creates false community. It creates false community. I can be in conversation and relationship with a lot of people via social media, but the reality is, is when I fall, when I struggle, when I’m… when I’m discouraged, I cannot… they cannot come over to my house generally, be there with me, pray with me, sit down and talk with my family, help me through a sickness, a loss, or a death. [00:13:57]

I think social media promotes impertinent speech. I think social media promotes impertinent speech. When I see some of the things that people tweet about Christian leaders with whom they disagree, when I see some of the things people blog about people they do not know, the assumptions they make about their beliefs, the approach they have to their character, what I would say is, is that, and I think there’s a place for… for well thought out, gracious, winsome conversations, but I will tell you that I think increasingly what we see is, is the volume has gone up as the discernment has gone down. [00:17:59]

Technology without accountability is like anything without accountability and gospel centeredness. It leads to self-centeredness. It leads to impertinent speech. It leads to inappropriate comments. And it requires us to die to ourselves and again live for Christ. [00:19:07]

The people who want you engaged through social media, they are interested in monetizing you, not connecting you. Do not be fooled by that. I actually had to leave. I had to have two Facebook pages. One is, I call it a public page. I refuse to call it a fan page. One’s a public page, and the other one was a private page, but Facebook changed the rules about three or four weeks ago, and what they did is they basically said that I couldn’t have a private page, that if I was for example friends with Tim Challies, and Tim Challies and I were on Facebook together, that everyone who’s Tim’s friend sees mine, and then they can ask me to be their friend. [00:19:24]

I believe that social media is one of the greatest cultural shifts that we’ve experienced in communication in a very long time. People love to use hyperbole when they speak about social media. They say, “Well, this is like the transition from the scroll to the book. This is like the….” But what I want to say to you is… is that I think it’s important to note that more and more observers are using a language like that that may seem, you know, hyperbolic, but what I want to say to you is, is that people are recognizing that social media is shaping us as a culture. [00:20:23]

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Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?