I must admit that for many years I played the position of Armchair Quarterback better than most. I felt it was natural to write. Combining my passion for Christ with my passion for expressing myself through writing led me to create a blog over a decade ago. Unfortunately, I lacked a maturity in my walk with Christ that led me to write many well-intentioned and faith-fueled posts that fell well short of Kingdom building because my focus was more pride-led and my authentic experiences were lacking.
Truth be told, I needed to step out from behind my blog. I needed to stop fighting a war on faith and politics on social media. I needed to actually get out of my church bubble and bring the truth and love of the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. Long story short, God brought about this manifestation of my faith by opening up the door for me to be a full-time missionary in the ranks of the United States Army. What happened was refreshing, and gave me a renewed vigor for the Kingdom of God.
I share all of this hoping to encourage a few of my brothers and sisters as we head into a new year.
What would happen if we all stepped out from behind our blogs, FB and Twitter accounts, and began to serve with love and vigor? What if 2019 saw the action of Christians' faith played out in serving, sharing, loving, and giving?
Don't get me wrong, writing and sharing through social media can be fruitful and Kingdom-building. However, I would suggest (ironically through writing and social media) that we spend way too much time arguing with unbelievers and each other online. We make too much of an effort to live out our faith through the clever things we tweet, and often times make harsh judgments based on a lack of facts and context.
When I finally made a commitment to step out from behind my blog, I saw the frequency of my posts go down significantly. The amount of time I spent on social media lessened. Even though I don't have the exact numbers to back it up, I'm positive my blood pressure also improved. I stopped getting heated about online debates and spent the time I previously would spend fuming and crafting clever retorts with my family.
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When I stepped out from behind my blog I started sharing the gospel so much more. I began to have more opportunities to lead people to faith in Christ. I became a better preacher and worship leader. God gave me more time to redirect my writing into actually completing and publishing a book, which I was able to see happen in 2018.
Ultimately, I believe I became a better Kingdom-building asset to God.
With all of that said, I'm not claiming to better than anyone. I'm not better. That's the point. God is better! I heard a sermon just this week in which I was reminded of the scripture in Zechariah 4:6 which says, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts."
We cannot accomplish much through our own might and power. We can't will others to the Lord through the best ideas we have and the most clever words that we speak. People come to the Lord through His might, strength, and power. When He is working through us, that's when we get the pleasure and fulfillment of doing the best and most genuine Kingdom-building work.
My prayer for 2019 is that American Christians can get out from behind the phones and computers, finally stop beating each other up, and pursue changing the world through being online with God.
