Point People to Jesus with Social Media

Ask me to explain how social media works, and I will give you a confused look.  I’m not an expert: I’m still trying to figure out how to use the ‘Retweet’ function.  (And what is a hashtag, anyway?) But one thing I do know beyond a doubt is that social media is an incredibly powerful tool that no Christian can afford to ignore.  You tap a few keys, click a few icons, and you’ve communicated with an audience of hundreds of people, most of whom ‘friended’ or ‘followed’ you, which means they’re at least somewhat interested in what you say and do.  You have a tremendous reach, and tremendous potential for impact!

There are different ways you can reach out on the Internet.  If you want to be direct, you can post thought-provoking videos or images.  You might type out a verse you love.  You could choose to be transparent in your status updates and give people a window into your relationship with God:  “Went for a walk by the ocean – such a great chance to be still and remember that God’s in charge.”

There are other less direct but equally powerful ways to reflect Jesus online.  Do your level best to stay away from negativity – it’s easy to use status updates as a vehicle for complaints.  It may be a little old-fashioned, but the reminder to ask yourself “Is it kind?  Is it necessary?  Is it true?”  before you post something is a good one.  You want people to associate your online self with hope, joy, and love, not loud opinions and frustrated rants.  I also know people who use social media as an encouragement tool:  every chance they get, they are visiting the pages of friends who are having a rough time and posting words of affirmation and love.  What about you?  What can you do to build people up online?

Take Action:

1. Did you know April 29 is Internet Evangelism Day?  Read “Sharing Your Faith Online” .  Then take action: visit your favorite social media site and post something that will point the people in your life to God.
2. Aim to be like Jesus when you’re online.  If you’re a regular social media user, I encourage you to revisit your last month of posts and interactions.  How are you doing with reflecting the character of Jesus when you’re online?  Think of one or two things you can do to grow in this area.

Serving Jesus together,
Leonard Buhler

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