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God's Guide To The World Wide Web
Jon Burgess3At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, Titus 3:3-5
Paul is reminding the church that we have no right to throw stones or stand in judgement of others simply because they don't know Jesus yet. We were lost too at some point in our lives! The worst way to call someone to know Jesus is to call them names for not knowing Jesus. Ineffective evangelism is expecting someone to act like a Christian before they know Christ and then condemning them for it. Sadly, this is how many Christians are "reaching out" on the World Wide Web.
If God were to sit down at His computer and log on to the World Wide Web how would He respond? What would He do when he came across the vicious lies, the spurious rumors, the half-truths, the blatant attacks against our Christian values, the slanted politics, etc? Titus chapter 3 actually gives us a guide as to how He would repond:
1. Pray Before You Say: "Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good" (Titus 3:1). We have to be reminded because nothing makes us more likely to fly off the handle with an angry post then when we see people in positions of power abusing that privilege. Before you post something against a politician ask yourself when the last time was that you prayed for them. Ask yourself if this post falls under the description of "whatever is good." Prayer is a good way to discern the difference between righteous anger and self-righteous indignation.
2. Say It Don't Spray It: "to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone" (Titus 3:2). Instead of talking TO each other we usually talk AT each other. Neither side hears the other because it's not a dialogue, it's a monologue. It's not a conversation, it's a devaluation of that relationship. How often do we slander in the Name of the Savior? That's a scary question. How much of what we post online could be described at peacable, considerate and gentle? Now, I'm not just talking about towards those who agree with us. Notice the scripture says "toward everyone". Picture the person in your mind right now that you disagree with the most and ask yourself if your communication towards them reflects Christ the way we are called to in this verse?
3. Make Yourself Useful: "But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless" (Titus 3:9). Controversies, gossip about family, arguments, quarrels about the law... This is an accurate description of much what I see on the Internet. It's click bait and we bite! The Greek Word for "useless" is the word used to describe Greek and Roman mythoglical rituals. They were spending their lives worshipping gods who never lived. Talk about useless. Read the defintion of this word and ask yourself if this doesn't describe accuaractely much of what we see on the interwebs: to be fruitless, empty, futile, frivolous, hollow, untreal, unproductive, lacking substance, trifling, ineffectual, void of results, devoid of force, success, or utility, and worthless. How can we be useful in our communication? Avoid the interactions that are devoid of truth. Stay away from the slippery slopes of mud slinging and name calling. Choose your battles wisely.
4. Be Decisive Not Divisive: "10Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned" (Titus 3:10-11). Jesus told us to let our "yes" be "yes" and our "no" be "no" for we cannot live on a "maybe" (Mt. 5:37). Paul tells us, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Rom 12:18). Sometimes, after much effort, it's not possible to find peace with certain people. Notice, we are not to condemn them, that's not our job. We are to warn, seek conciliation, and then, if there is no effort on their part we are to decide to keep moving forward in Christ. So many Christians are warn out and fatigued from fighting battles God has not called them to and convincing people who will remain unconvinced. We must also be aware that if there is an argument we might be the one who is divisive if we are not open to correction and fresh perspective.
Lord, thank You for Your wisdom this morning. I am in awe at how Your truth is as relevant today to what we face in the 21st Century as it was when it was breathed on to parchment 2000 years ago! Thank you for the reminder that my job isn't to convince people to my point of view, but is to show them who You are and how much You love them!
