"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’" Acts 1:8
As our summer habits become autumn habits, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on one of our habits as Christians...sharing Good News.
The Good News (or the "Gospel"), has a pretty simple definition. Paul writes, it is "the power of God to save everyone who has faith." (Romans 1:16) When we hear about everything God has done for us, especially through Jesus, we can trust that whatever happens, God is in control, and God loves us, no matter what. Nothing we say or do can change that.
But in a multicultural society, where we know not everyone believes the same thing, it's intimidating to "share" this Good News with others, even if it's made a big difference in our own lives. We worry about being seen as judgmental or narrow-minded. We worry we'll offend someone, or lose a friend. I know I do. A few years ago, I baptized Maggie's best friend, who lives just up the street from us, and I wish I could say it was based on our taking the initiative, but we had known her family for almost a year before they told us they were looking for a church!
We really do have something special and life-changing in the Good News of Jesus. We're invited to a party of grace and mercy that begins in this life, and extends into eternity! Why would we not want to share that invitation? But we may also have been turned off by Christian "Evangelists"...angry people shouting judgments through bullhorns on a street-corner, or well-meaning folks who make you get up from Saturday morning breakfast to take their tracts.
I would submit that sharing the Good News--God's saving power in our lives--is a lot easier and less dramatic than you think, especially in a digital age. No door-knocking. No bullhorns. I promise. So, without further ado, Here are 5 ways to Share the Good News...Digitally!
1. Be a Good Online Friend.
We know that our country, and our world, is increasingly divided along partisan lines. Those of us on social media know the poison gets pumped up a hundredfold online. Friends, coworkers, old acquaintances, may seem like entirely different people online--especially around election season--and it can be disheartening. But as Christians, we're called to be "light for the world" and "salt of the earth." And the first part of doing that is actually showing up in the world. The first step in being a good evangelist is being a good listener. So I want to encourage you: If you're on Facebook or Twitter, stick with it. I know it gets ugly sometimes, but we can make it more beautiful. And as much as you may be tempted, please don't unfriend everyone who disagrees with you, even if they do so in a pretty vulgar manner. You don't have to comment if you don't want to (and often it's not a good idea) but sometimes it can expand your worldview, and it might expand theirs. If it gets really bad, your can hide their posts without them even knowing. But they'll still see yours. Just being yourself online, and letting others see, can be a powerful witness to Christ.
2. Be a whole person.
I'm laying it out right now: I'm on Facebook...a lot...maybe a tad too much...and I have just one profile. I'm not divided up between pastor, dad, husband, and sci-fi geek. I'm one person, and I have one profile. I know some folks feel the need to separate things out a bit, and that's fine, but I think it's a powerful witness to Jesus in our lives that we be who we are--warts and all--and show the world how we're doing. Christians are not perfect. We mess up. We have crappy days. We get mad. We have opinions, and sometimes those opinions even change. Share what feels comfortable for you, but avoid the temptation to only show your "highlights reel" to others. Be real.
3. Connect with people from Church.
You guys. If you are on Facebook, and you have not "liked" Living Grace's page yet...can you please minimize this tab, go on Facebook, and do so right now? Thanks. We do appreciate it. And hopefully, you will appreciate hearing what Living Grace has been up to. And if you are at Living Grace and take a picture or have something to say about an event, email us or share it to our profile! We appreciate your making our page better! But also, I encourage you to connect with other church members on Facebook. I have a few Facebook friends from this congregation, but I'd love to have more! Just send me a friend request! It's a blessing to strengthen these relationships, and be sharers of Good News with each other. Additionally, I have been clued in to a ton of pastoral care issues, where people really did need to hear from me, through what they share on social media. Honestly, my generation rarely even thinks to call our pastors with a joy or a concern. But if it goes up on Facebook, your brothers and sisters can be there for you.
4. Connect with the wider Church.
Did you know that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America just had an awesome and productive Church-wide Assembly in New Orleans? Did you know Lutherans are currently on the ground in flood-ravaged Louisiana through Lutheran Disaster Response? Did you know Lutherans are making a difference for development across the world through Lutheran World Relief? These are just a few things you can find out about in real time, by liking and following these pages. And branch out from our "Lutheran bubble", and even from our country, too...God's Church is global, and God is doing some great stuff all across the world! We can't share it if we don't know about it!
5. Check in, check in, check in!
If you have a smart phone, you may be one of those who checks in at your favorite restaurants, bars, community events, baby showers, supermarket openings, etc., etc., etc....so why not "check in" at church? Make it a habit. If you hear a line from a sermon or a song you like, put it in there. Or don't write anything at all. Just click that little button that says you were here, and this is a part of your life. And if Living Grace shares something you like, why not share it too? It makes the church a lot more visible online, and it makes an important part of yourself visible to friends, who might just get curious about it someday.
Thanks for indulging this long-ish post. I encourage you to share it if you like it. It might be useful for more than just our members. The news about God's work really is good, and I hope you'll join me in sharing it, both in person and online!
As our summer habits become autumn habits, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on one of our habits as Christians...sharing Good News.
The Good News (or the "Gospel"), has a pretty simple definition. Paul writes, it is "the power of God to save everyone who has faith." (Romans 1:16) When we hear about everything God has done for us, especially through Jesus, we can trust that whatever happens, God is in control, and God loves us, no matter what. Nothing we say or do can change that.
But in a multicultural society, where we know not everyone believes the same thing, it's intimidating to "share" this Good News with others, even if it's made a big difference in our own lives. We worry about being seen as judgmental or narrow-minded. We worry we'll offend someone, or lose a friend. I know I do. A few years ago, I baptized Maggie's best friend, who lives just up the street from us, and I wish I could say it was based on our taking the initiative, but we had known her family for almost a year before they told us they were looking for a church!
We really do have something special and life-changing in the Good News of Jesus. We're invited to a party of grace and mercy that begins in this life, and extends into eternity! Why would we not want to share that invitation? But we may also have been turned off by Christian "Evangelists"...angry people shouting judgments through bullhorns on a street-corner, or well-meaning folks who make you get up from Saturday morning breakfast to take their tracts.
I would submit that sharing the Good News--God's saving power in our lives--is a lot easier and less dramatic than you think, especially in a digital age. No door-knocking. No bullhorns. I promise. So, without further ado, Here are 5 ways to Share the Good News...Digitally!
1. Be a Good Online Friend.
We know that our country, and our world, is increasingly divided along partisan lines. Those of us on social media know the poison gets pumped up a hundredfold online. Friends, coworkers, old acquaintances, may seem like entirely different people online--especially around election season--and it can be disheartening. But as Christians, we're called to be "light for the world" and "salt of the earth." And the first part of doing that is actually showing up in the world. The first step in being a good evangelist is being a good listener. So I want to encourage you: If you're on Facebook or Twitter, stick with it. I know it gets ugly sometimes, but we can make it more beautiful. And as much as you may be tempted, please don't unfriend everyone who disagrees with you, even if they do so in a pretty vulgar manner. You don't have to comment if you don't want to (and often it's not a good idea) but sometimes it can expand your worldview, and it might expand theirs. If it gets really bad, your can hide their posts without them even knowing. But they'll still see yours. Just being yourself online, and letting others see, can be a powerful witness to Christ.
2. Be a whole person.
I'm laying it out right now: I'm on Facebook...a lot...maybe a tad too much...and I have just one profile. I'm not divided up between pastor, dad, husband, and sci-fi geek. I'm one person, and I have one profile. I know some folks feel the need to separate things out a bit, and that's fine, but I think it's a powerful witness to Jesus in our lives that we be who we are--warts and all--and show the world how we're doing. Christians are not perfect. We mess up. We have crappy days. We get mad. We have opinions, and sometimes those opinions even change. Share what feels comfortable for you, but avoid the temptation to only show your "highlights reel" to others. Be real.
3. Connect with people from Church.
You guys. If you are on Facebook, and you have not "liked" Living Grace's page yet...can you please minimize this tab, go on Facebook, and do so right now? Thanks. We do appreciate it. And hopefully, you will appreciate hearing what Living Grace has been up to. And if you are at Living Grace and take a picture or have something to say about an event, email us or share it to our profile! We appreciate your making our page better! But also, I encourage you to connect with other church members on Facebook. I have a few Facebook friends from this congregation, but I'd love to have more! Just send me a friend request! It's a blessing to strengthen these relationships, and be sharers of Good News with each other. Additionally, I have been clued in to a ton of pastoral care issues, where people really did need to hear from me, through what they share on social media. Honestly, my generation rarely even thinks to call our pastors with a joy or a concern. But if it goes up on Facebook, your brothers and sisters can be there for you.
4. Connect with the wider Church.
Did you know that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America just had an awesome and productive Church-wide Assembly in New Orleans? Did you know Lutherans are currently on the ground in flood-ravaged Louisiana through Lutheran Disaster Response? Did you know Lutherans are making a difference for development across the world through Lutheran World Relief? These are just a few things you can find out about in real time, by liking and following these pages. And branch out from our "Lutheran bubble", and even from our country, too...God's Church is global, and God is doing some great stuff all across the world! We can't share it if we don't know about it!
5. Check in, check in, check in!
If you have a smart phone, you may be one of those who checks in at your favorite restaurants, bars, community events, baby showers, supermarket openings, etc., etc., etc....so why not "check in" at church? Make it a habit. If you hear a line from a sermon or a song you like, put it in there. Or don't write anything at all. Just click that little button that says you were here, and this is a part of your life. And if Living Grace shares something you like, why not share it too? It makes the church a lot more visible online, and it makes an important part of yourself visible to friends, who might just get curious about it someday.
Thanks for indulging this long-ish post. I encourage you to share it if you like it. It might be useful for more than just our members. The news about God's work really is good, and I hope you'll join me in sharing it, both in person and online!
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