Living Outward: Faithful Social Media Stewardship

Reflecting on the rise of the "selfie," a term that originated in 2002, we see how it symbolizes our culture's focus on self. This self-obsession is not new; it is rooted in our sinful nature, which Martin Luther described as being "curved in on ourselves." While technology, including social media, is a gift from God meant to aid in our dominion over creation and the spread of the Gospel, it can also be misused to foster vanity and self-focus. [00:04:05]

Christianity is in complete contrast to this inward focus. It is the world that calls us to focus on self, but Christ calls us to die to self. It is the world that calls us to have this inward focus to live for self, but Christ calls us to live for God and to love our neighbors. [00:15:08]

Technology is a good gift from God, and there is a sense in which as technology has advanced, so has God's Church throughout the world. We don't praise the printing press, but we do thank God for it and how he used it to further the Reformation of the 16th century. [00:08:07]

From the beginning and throughout history, God has given technology for the good of the world and for the building up and edification of his church. This Sovereign God has placed you and I in this day and age with today's technology and with the unique opportunities that they provide, so we should at the outset give thanks. [00:09:19]

First, seek an outward focus. As the Christian life is meant to be one of dying to self, that is, dying to an inward focus and a life of living for God's glory and for the good of our neighbors, both outward focuses seek to foster an outward focus for your social media content. [00:10:42]

Steward your social media. The speed and the ease with which we can post today fools us into thinking lightly of social media. We don't value it; it feels very much like a vapor that it's here today and it's going tomorrow. But it's not reality. The Library of Congress is archiving every tweet that is posted. [00:12:02]

Tweet by tweet, selfie by selfie, you are creating your legacy for God's glory and for the world's good or for ill. So this should really give us pause before we send that next text or tweet. But I want you to recognize the opportunity that you have before you. You can steward your use of social media and create a legacy. [00:13:23]

Submit to God's word. Now, it might seem obvious when I'm addressing an audience of Christians to tell you to submit to God's word, but it needs to be said because looking across the landscape, it seems that when Christians connect to the internet, all their thinking gets distorted. [00:14:24]

Just as the scriptures should govern our life and relationships offline, they ought to govern our actions online. For many today, especially if they've been born in the last couple of decades, even this online-offline distinction is nonexistent, and so their worldliness, their ungodliness online bleeds over into their real-world life and relationships. [00:15:59]

Abraham Kuyper is known for saying that there is not a square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, "Mine." Jesus cries "Mine" over your time, over your Facebook posts, and over your internet history. Are you submitting to the word of God, or are you living in the digital deception? [00:16:29]

By God's grace, may we seek to use social media for his glory with an outward focus, stewarding our social media and submitting to God's word. Think twice, post once. [00:17:03]

The rise of the selfie shouldn't surprise us. Ultimately, our love for selfies is rooted in our love for self and not in the technology or the social media. Consider this for a moment: technology has given each one of us the ability to easily capture in the highest quality any image that we like and then easily share that with anyone or everyone in the world. [00:04:36]