10 thoughts about your online presence as a Christian

You gotta be smarter than the other fish in the pond if you don’t want to end up in the frying pan.

#1 What an honor to speak into lives of people all over the world! You are a person of influence. You are designed to make a difference. You are created to bring eternal good into many lives. Online communities make the world your next-door neighbor. People all over the world will benefit from you.

#2 What an opportunity to learn from people all over the world! We are each a work in progress. Others sharpen us, encourage us, and help us to grow. This is a good thing!

#3 We are ambassadors for Christ. What you post or don’t post can make the difference between whether someone comes to Christ or not. Jesus doesn’t have a Plan B. You are His representative. If you are kind, then others know that Jesus is kind. If you are courteous, then others know that Jesus is courteous.

#4 Accent what God is doing right rather than what people are doing wrong. Yes, there is a need to call sin what it is. But the role of the accuser is already taken.

#5 Pick and choose your fights. Better to win the person rather than the argument.

#6 Others are watching. A heated argument about the fine points of theology does little to win others to Christ.

#7 Pause and pray before posting politics. I have friends on the right and on the left who sincerely believe they are advancing God’s kingdom with their provocative political posts. Most of them aren’t winning any converts to Christianity or to their political party. They’re just alienating the people who disagree with them. There’s a place for political conversation, but be careful about how you approach it.

#8 Pause before posting humor. What is funny to one person can sometimes be deeply insulting to the next person.

#9 Don’t be surprised if you’re persecuted. I’m not saying be paranoid or have a martyr’s complex. But there are people out there who hate God, hate Jesus, hate the Bible, and hate you because you’re connected with them. Sooner or later you’ll run into them. Pray for them; they need your prayers.

#10 Defend the name and reputation of God without getting nasty. Hey, we’re on the winning team. Nobody is as good and great as our God. We know this. We want our world to know it. And we can make this known while being confident, courteous and kind.

From the Bible
We want everyone everywhere to know and speak the truth about You, so that all may honor You for the good and great God you are. Matthew 6:9b The Easy Bible

Remember, you are designed to make a difference!

Dwight

Photo credit: Adapted from a photo by max max, Flickr, Creative Commons License