The Fools on Social Media

Last night, near where I live, there was a special election to fill a congressional seat vacated by a man the President named to his cabinet.  What a happy day!  Now I can once again watch TV, free from an absolute barrage of political commercials from both "sides of the aisle".  Pundits claim that more money was spent on this special election than on any other in American history!  If you don't live near me, just try to imagine how many ads there were....

A local TV news station did a running Facebook Live broadcast last night, which I was watching on my iPad. As is the case with those Facebook Live events, people watching were able to comment throughout. Oh my goodness, the lack of civility and even hate that came through in some of those comments!  In continuing my mini-study of fools from scripture, I realized that this uncivil discourse is a perfect illustration of the behavior of fools.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I am very involved in social media.  I use it to promote this blog and other aspects of my ministry as well as my business interests.  Social media is not inherently bad.  What's harmful and destructive is using it like a fool.  Let's take a look at some relevant scriptures.

A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Proverbs 29:11 (ESV)

The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.

Proverbs 12:16 (ESV)

Unfortunately, the "anonymity" of social media makes it possible for people to give full vent to their spirits!  The unregenerate man, the person who does not believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, has no Holy Spirit living inside him, to temper that type of verbal vitriol (or to counteract any other sinful action, for that matter).  And, as a result, this is what we often see on social media - - people "venting their spleens" with abandon!  But, you know, it's not altogether unexpected behavior from non-Christians.

Ok, you know what's coming, don't you?

Sadly, the same is often seen from those who claim the name of Jesus Christ.  You can say, "Oh, there are trolls out there - - people claiming to be Christians who are masquerading in order to defame the cause of Christ."  Well, that is certainly true, but that does NOT explain away all of the dastardly, foolish behavior actual Christians display on social media.

As those who carry the name of Jesus wherever we go, we should be ashamed if we have engaged in such.  It should trouble us greatly, whether we are "anonymous" or not, because He (God) sees and knows who is speaking condescension, vitriol and even hate.  That should convict and shame us more than anything.  He sees and He knows.

This type of unholy speech is born from anger in the heart of the speaker, always.  Fools are described in scripture as angry people.

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.

Ecclesiastes 7:9 (ESV)

There are fools, to be sure, but there are also Christians who act like fools with their unloving words. Don't let anger reside in your heart.  God is in control of all things.  DO contend for the faith in Jesus Christ and for what is right!  But remember this - - - It is possible to stand for Truth firmly, even loudly, and still do it in a respectful, loving manner.  That is what Jesus did, after all.  If we are going to ask folks to "follow" us on social media, we had better be following the One we are supposed to be following!

Outsiders and Empty Words

I admire folks like Ken Ham, Josh McDowell, David Limbaugh, C.S. Lewis --- apologists all.  The English word "apologetics", which sounds like excuses are being made for something or one is "apologizing" for a belief system, is in my mind an unfortunate word.  It actually means that a valid, rational defense is being made for a belief system.

When I am talking with someone who is oppositional to the Christian faith beliefs I hold, as a Baptist, I find myself getting "emotional".  I'm tempted to allow my voice to take on a sharp edge, out of my desire to convince the person.  (My voice is very resonant anyhow; but, this makes it more "pronounced".  Yes, please pardon the pun!)

Paul gives great advice about dealing with people who hold beliefs different from our own or who are outside God's family.

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

Paul, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us two guiding principles for dealing with those who do not know Christ.  However, they can equally apply to any of our conversations.

First of all, we need to make the best use of our time, in our conversations with others.  Are our conversations God-honoring?  Are they frivolous?  Frivolity is great, unless we spend an inordinate amount of time in it, which is an unwise use of our time.

The King James Version of the Bible translates "making the best use of the time" as "redeeming the time", which has a connotation of "cashing it in" or "buying it back".

The people Paul is speaking of are non-Christians, who watch how we believers live.  They also listen to how we talk.  Think about that, before you re-tweet something or post something hateful, off-color or even obscene.   It's so easy to just click the mouse and diminish your testimony.

At my church we have had a series of church conferences over the past two months.  At each one members have risen to speak at the microphone.  I wonder how many regret the words they spoke on those occasions?  And, those meetings were not with "outsiders", but, instead, within the "faith family"!

There was a preacher who was called to pastor a large church in Atlanta many years ago.  Shortly after his arrival there to minister, a local man hired a private detective to follow him around.  The preacher was unaware of this.  The detective reported back to the man who had hired him that the pastor was "the real deal".... that his "walk" matched his "talk".  And, the man accepted Christ as Savior, in large part because of this pastor's testimony.

Christians are very reluctant in this current culture to stand up against sin.  I wonder if that is because they have a "mote in their own eye" (Matthew 7:3-5), a hidden, secret sin?

When we do speak out, are our words "seasoned"?  Salt makes food taste better, to a certain extent.  If you use too much, the taste is spoiled; use too little and the food is bland.  A little salt goes a long way.

We certainly do NOT want to be as the infamous Westboro Baptist Church crowd who, though they have the word "Baptist" in their name, do not represent the Baptist denomination at all.  These are people whose hate-filled words and methods are doing irreparable harm to the cause of Jesus Christ.   (I was able to see them in person last month, at the GOP National Convention.  They are utterly repulsive.  God forbid we should even come close to their example!)

These verses are some of the most sobering in the entire Bible:

For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart. 35The good person brings good things out of his good treasury, and the evil person brings evil things out of his evil treasury. 36I tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak. 37For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matthew 12:35-37 (NET)

One of my Twitter friends told me yesterday that she prays over every Scriptural tweet she designs and tweets out.  Whoa.... What a testimony!  Twitter is just one example.  We absolutely must pray that the Holy Spirit will measure and weigh our words before they proceed from our mouths. God will hold us accountable for every single one!

Almost every day, I pray this Scripture.  Maybe it will help you too.  I certainly need to pray it often, throughout the day!   Let's pray it together right now.  Psalm 19:14 - - -

Dear Father,
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer!  
In Jesus' name, amen.

The Home Key

On Wednesdays, I am always eager to visit Leah Adams' The Loft1 , to see what the topic of the week is for Christian bloggers.  This week's topic...well, let's see if you can figure it out from my post.

We are back in Colossians 3 this morning, after a brief foray into other Scriptures for a two-day study on the believers' rewards.

4When Christ (who is your life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him. 

Colossians 3:4  (NET)

I find it interesting here the apostle Paul inserts that parenthetical phrase.  In some versions, it reads "who is our life", and in the Greek (zoe)2 it is rendered "who is the life of you".

In her blog post for today, Leah was thinking back to how she used to study for an hour and not even know where the time went.  In today's modern world of social media and instant messaging, it is not possible to do that unless you absolutely turn off your devices.  Even then, it is difficult to remain undistracted.

Reflecting on my own life, I am extremely easily distracted these days.  My appetite to remain almost constantly "connected" to that universe of people on social media is huge.  I find myself placing my phone on the table when dining with friends.  Yesterday, I had a meeting with a friend at my home to conduct some business, and did the same thing.

I've also noticed a larger shifting of how I allocate my time.  And, I don't like it.  I am spending less time with my closest loved ones and more time with others (all wonderful people), which begs the question, "Who is my life?"

The "home key" on computer keyboards controls cursor movement.
On mobile devices, it always brings you back to a place of re-focus, so that you can make your best choices.  Hmmm....

For the Christian, position number 1, our "Home Key", our beginning and end,  must always be Jesus Christ.  I don't think any Christians reading this would argue this point.  But, then, He asks us to live our lives for Him, and what does that look like?  I believe it looks somewhat different for each Christian, as we follow the precepts of Scripture and apply to our life's path the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit has given us.

There are some commonalities, though.
Christ first.
People before things.
Priorities straight.
The body is His temple.
Trust in the Lord as He grows our faith.
All glory, honor and praise to Him!

I'm sure that you can think of more for that list.

So, is social media bad?  No.  Like most every part of our mortal world, it has potential for both great good and for our total destruction.  It is up to us to let the Holy Spirit lead us so that our choices are righteous and our lives maintain a Jesus-glorifying balance.

We learn from today's verse that someday, those of us who have chosen Jesus Christ will be revealed in glory with Him.  May we not be surprised at the revelation.  I don't know about you, but I want to go, "Oh yeah!  That's right!  Hallelujah!  I'm HOME!"

Jesus, you are my life, although I am often like my dog, Charlie, on a leash.  I get out of balance, distracted, off-course, bogged down, worn out...But, since you are my beginning and my end, You are always faithful to restore me to "home".  You ARE my home, my everlasting life, both now and forever.  Amen.

Source:

1
http://www.leahadams.org/

2
http://biblehub.com/text/colossians/3-4.htm