In celebration of Internet Evangelism Month, this is the tenth in a 15-part blog project discussing the book, @stickyJesus: how to live out your faith online.
A lukewarm Christian life hurts you and everyone in your path. Mostly, it hurts the Father who created you. Not only is your own life disconnected from the power of the Holy Spirit, but it’s likely you are seriously confusing the people around you. And for that, you’ll be accountable someday. ~@stickyJesus
Our spiritual temperature drops when we decide the cost of committed Christ-“followship” is too great, too inconvenient, too painful. To fulfill our calling as Jesus followers and God glorifiers online or anywhere we must be willing to sacrifice…
- Time to build relationships (including the most important One of all)
- Wants and needs to serve and meet the needs of others
- Pride to endure rejection and ridicule for God’s glory
- Self to fulfill His purposes
Luke reminds us not only that the sacrifice is a daily choice, but that the rewards are worth it! “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.'” (Luke 9:24 ESV)
Just as Christ offered His body to be broken on our behalf we, as members of His body, have the privilege of being broken for the benefit of those whom He seeks to save! With that in mind, can we break our plans and plan time for Scripture study and prayer? Can we devote a good portion of our online time and energy to encouraging and strengthening others and delivering the love and grace of the Gospel? Can we set aside our pride, enduring negative comments and even losing readers, to stand up and stand out for Christ?
The struggle is daily but finite. The reward is unimaginable and eternal!
There simply isn’t a way to calculate what love invested on earth renders in heaven. ~ @stickyJesus
For discussion:
- Have you ever been tempted to water down the Christianity of your online presence in the interest of increasing or maintaining readership?
- What cost of online Christ-“followship” has been the biggest struggle for you…and can we pray for your victory over that struggle?
9) Quiet: The Humility Zone <– @StickyJesus project –> 11) demystifying: Facebook
Lisa is a pastor’s wife, mom and personal blogger at Life is Crazy Beautiful. God’s plans (which sometimes seem CRAZY to me) & His presence are what make life BEAUTIFUL! Lisa is on Twitter @2krazybeautiful.
27 Comments
I would have to say that the best Bible Study, of which I’ve ever been a part, is the Experiencing God Bible Study, by Henry Blackaby and Claude King. It constantly gave me a pounding, right between the eyes, concerning the Love Relationship God is always wanting to establish, with each of us. This point about having to make a sacrifice, in order to follow Jesus, was driven home to me, like never before, when we read and discussed the words of Jesus, in Luke 14:33. Jesus says,”So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything he has for me.”
I firmly believe that for those of us, who are involved in a ministry, what we do with this one verse, is the difference between a mediocre ministry and a ministry that is fully empowered by the Spirit of God Almighty.
You know, I haven't encountered ridicule or rejection–that I'm aware of. Maybe folks just stop following or paying attention. Or maybe I'm not bold enough?
Yet sometimes I stop to pray that I can be as bold in my offline relationships as I am online.
I responded to this chapter back in February with a prayer/poem.
http://sandraheskaking.com/2011/02/reflections-on…
As per my reply above…I've only noticed a few "unfollows" or "unfriending" after posting scripture. I have never encountered any negativity or rejection online as of yet other than that, but I do know others that have. Still, it cannot compare to the suffering of so many around the world even today (let alone our Savior).
Thanks for the link. LOVED your poem…bookmarked it!
Lisa your post was fantastic. A good stop in your tracks and do some alignment thinking kind of post. We need that every once in a while. It's easy to drift off course online if we're not deliberate. So far I've had a few atheists respond to me because I keep Jesus front and center online. This has been so rewarding because I've never met one (at least that I know of) offline. I believe God planted some strong eternal seeds during those encounters. Knowing I get to be a part of His plan to reach out to individual hearts in this way is mind blowing. I'm willing to suffer ridicule for that!
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