The Christian Writer's Guide to Social Media
How should a Christian approach the expansive landscape of the internet? Is using social media the same as self-promotion? Would Jesus preach on Twitter? For a writer, the bigger questions are these: who is your audience, and how do you reach them?
A new author quickly discovers that most of their audience is online. But reaching them means it is possible to spend entire days investing in social media and never write a word! The downside to the internet is that its unlimited potential leads to unlimited busyness. Being busy ultimately keeps us from being productive. It pulls us away from our true calling and strips us of energy, time, and spiritual refreshment.
There are plenty of words filling the internet right now - so many that it is impossible to read them all. Thousands of blogs - even Christian blogs - clutter our mailboxes daily. Myriad websites offering tips, tricks, and "lifehacks" claim to contain the wisdom we need to live a more powerful, successful, or abundant life. With everyone shouting so loudly for attention, how will our audience find us? Will anyone even hear us?
Happily, we can find a solution through our primary mentor and teacher, Jesus. A quick look at the beginning of His ministry will help us see how we can apply Christian principles to our own publishing efforts.
Jesus is an Author, just as we are. He is the Author of salvation, the One who both starts and finishes the book of faith. He is the Word of God incarnate: the living embodiment of the Words God has published in the Bible. And He holds the key to our social media dilemma. When Jesus walked the earth, not only did He preach the Word, but He also WAS the Word. Put simply: Jesus didn't just publish the book; He lived the book.
Christ's Audience
The Gospel of Luke offers us glimpses into Christ's audience. Ironically, God had already identified Christ's audience for Him in the book of Isaiah. Reading from the synagogue scroll on a Sabbath, He states:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim freedom to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind.
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
(Luke 4:18-19, NKJV, emphasis mine)
Luke shows us that from the beginning of Jesus' ministry, He had both a vision and a target audience: the oppressed were to be encouraged and set free. For the Christian writer, this audience has not changed. People are more exhausted than ever and - like sheep - still look for shepherds to guide and refresh them. Your writing is meant even for the blind, that they might see truth!
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim freedom to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind.
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
(Luke 4:18-19, NKJV, emphasis mine)
Luke shows us that from the beginning of Jesus' ministry, He had both a vision and a target audience: the oppressed were to be encouraged and set free. For the Christian writer, this audience has not changed. People are more exhausted than ever and - like sheep - still look for shepherds to guide and refresh them. Your writing is meant even for the blind, that they might see truth!
How Jesus Reached His Audience
Jesus' words alone were astonishing enough to create a "witness" in the hearts of his hearers. (See Luke 4:22). It was the ancient equivalent of a "Favorited" Tweet! But He didn't stop there. Immediately after stating His purpose (and being nearly killed for it), He began living His words.
He moved next to the synagogue at Capernaum, where His words had the same effect on His audience: "And they were astonished at His teaching, for His Word was with authority". (Luke 4:32) But this time He also delivered a man from a demon, supporting His Words with power. His audience reacted differently from then on:
"'Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, 'What a Word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.' And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region." (Luke 4:36b-37, emphasis mine.)
What happened? To put it in modern terms, Jesus' life and words became so powerfully "synced" together that He "branded" Himself. Everywhere He went, people began creating user-generated content - one of the most coveted kinds of publicity there is today. His ministry went viral. Testimonies of healing and deliverance multiplied and were "shared" throughout the land. It was the organic social media at its best!
From that point on, He ministered all night, healing all who came to Him and then preaching in every town that welcomed Him. Matthew's gospel has Him preaching the Sermon on the Mount to multitudes around this time. Luke says Jesus told His followers: "I must preach the Kingdom of God to the other cities, also - this is why I was sent." (Luke 4:43)
He moved next to the synagogue at Capernaum, where His words had the same effect on His audience: "And they were astonished at His teaching, for His Word was with authority". (Luke 4:32) But this time He also delivered a man from a demon, supporting His Words with power. His audience reacted differently from then on:
"'Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, 'What a Word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.' And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region." (Luke 4:36b-37, emphasis mine.)
What happened? To put it in modern terms, Jesus' life and words became so powerfully "synced" together that He "branded" Himself. Everywhere He went, people began creating user-generated content - one of the most coveted kinds of publicity there is today. His ministry went viral. Testimonies of healing and deliverance multiplied and were "shared" throughout the land. It was the organic social media at its best!
From that point on, He ministered all night, healing all who came to Him and then preaching in every town that welcomed Him. Matthew's gospel has Him preaching the Sermon on the Mount to multitudes around this time. Luke says Jesus told His followers: "I must preach the Kingdom of God to the other cities, also - this is why I was sent." (Luke 4:43)
What Does This Mean For Us?
Here are some conclusions we can draw from Luke's account of Jesus' ministry. First, our ministry must be as powerful as our message. Did Jesus preach His message from the rooftops? Yes. But at the same time, He lived a life that demonstrated compassionate involvement with the people in His everyday life. He wasn't so caught up in the preaching (or the "tweeting!") that He neglected to love those around Him. In fact, it was the everyday encounters with people that shaped and validated His messages, making them relevant to His audience. He earned the right to be heard by doing what He was called to do, and doing it well.
Second, it isn't wrong for a Christian author to use social media. Jesus used every available opportunity to share the Good News, and so should we. Praise God for this time when nearly every nation can be reached with the Gospel over the airwaves. Preach your message whenever and wherever He leads you to! Take the time to pave the avenues for connection through social websites. But I submit that a more powerful model might be to invest first in your ministry. A message devoid of power becomes meaningless.
(For a related article on using Social Media for the Kingdom of God, click here!)
People still need the kind of ministry that includes healing touch, deliverance, companionship in loneliness and fear, and miracle-working faith. Faith without works is dead. But works done in the leading and power of the Holy Spirit bear fruit and create the kind of testimonies that go "viral." Our best words come from real-life experiences and revelations that we then share with others.
Jesus was faithful to His mission, and His ministry automatically expanded the reach of His message. Keep your priorities straight, and people will recognize a good thing when they see it. Social media will become less about promoting yourself and more about responding to the audience you are already reaching.
c. Deborah Perkins/ www.HisInscriptions.com
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Deborah Perkins is passionate about helping others connect with God. She writes about life-giving communication with God at HisInscriptions.com. You can follow her on Twitter@DeborahSPerkins |