Help with Evangelism through social media -- (what may be some Biblical guidelines?)

[Sofiahh]

Hi! I have been thinking that I would love to help people around me learn about The Truth Jesus speaks of and so, because of the world many of us live in today and so many people being present in social media, I wonder if it would be okay to share what Jesus says and posting it in my social media for others that may be lukewarm or non-believers to possibly consider Him better! My question is, what Biblical guidelines are there to help me feel sure about how I may be able to do it safely, if it can be the case.

Context: What I've been concerned about among many things has been: under what circumstances or what Biblical Guidelines should I consider when sharing the Gospel on social media, if that is okay. To put things into perspective, lately, I've been wondering about many factors in my personal life, one that comes to mind is, how should I dress or present myself when reading The Bible. Lately, I have felt somewhat of guilt in possibly presenting nakedness for The Bible's standards when reading it, such as if I read it wearing shorts. I looked at certain Bible verses regarding clothing and came to the conclusion that it is important. So when I read The Bible, I try to cover my legs and upper body sometimes. I also do this when I pray. I wonder if whenever someone may stumble upon my Instagram story, and it may show a Bible verse, I may be at fault for presenting to the person reading it without them being ready or while they are in a situation where they may not be dressed appropriately, or doing an inappropriate act or maybe they are not in an appropriate mindset regarding Jesus, so I worry I won't be able to see who is behind the screen and on maybe not being considerate enough about their possible ignorance or ignorant reactions because I can't see them and guide them. I worry about possibly being at fault because these people I cannot see and they may not see me, many may not know about Christianity or may also resent it, etc. I wonder if I may be at fault for factors like this while trying to Evangelize through social media. I really wonder what The Bible and Jesus say about a situation like this one.

So...I wonder if I should give like a heads up beforehand like "be watchful of your mindset and appropriate presentation". However, considering people just scroll on stories and posts so fast, giving a heads up like that may not be as helpful for that context. I also want to be approachable and loving about it as well and not make it seem too cold...Should I just post videos instead of other people sharing The Gospel so the loving tone is better received and maybe just cover the post so people can consent to watching it if they click on it while at the same time being advised of showing discretion in a certain way and in an appropriate presentation? (any examples of how to word that would be so helpful! Or should I just stick to in-person Evangelism so I can feel more at peace in knowing I'm guiding things a bit more carefully (feeling more control)? I still think social media is where a lot of people are at and thanks to it, I saw videos of people sharing their testimony and sharing The Gospel, which made me put much more effort back into my Faith and recognize Jesus much much better! I thank so much those people (strangers) I didn't have in close proximity (like family or friends), that talked to me through a screen and helped my heart open so so much! I want to know what the Bible may advice regarding this type of situation then. Please let me know, as well as of your personal opinion or feedback!

Thank you for your help!

 

[St_Worm2]

Hi! I have been thinking that I would love to help people around me learn about The Truth Jesus speaks of and so, because of the world many of us live in today and so many people being present in social media, I wonder if it would be okay to share what Jesus says and posting it in my social media for others that may be lukewarm or non-believers to possibly consider Him better!

Hello Sofiahh, I think that your idea to share the Lord Jesus and the truth/His word on social media is more than just ok, it's laudable Nevertheless, I'd stay in prayer about all of it and be patient, waiting for Him to guide each step of the way in figuring out the best ways to present your material (and what material to present), the timing of it all, which platforms are best to post on, at least at first, etc.

My question is, what Biblical guidelines are there to help me feel sure about how I may be able to do it safely, if it can be the case.

You may want to involve your pastor. Ask him if he could take a look at what you are planning to do and have him help you with what is best, especially at the outset.

As the Lord tells us in Proverbs, "Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed" .. Proverbs 15:22

I've been wondering about many factors in my personal life, one that comes to mind is, how should I dress or present myself when reading The Bible.

I like that that is one of your concerns There is nothing wrong with looking good (pretty), for instance, but you need to be careful, because anything (clothes/makeup/jewelry/tattoos, etc.) that draws attention towards you and away from your message, the Bible/the Gospel should be avoided whenever possible, IMHO. Consider 1 Timothy 2:9 & 1 Peter 3:3-4, for instance.

Again, your pastor can help you with this.

I have felt somewhat of guilt in possibly presenting nakedness for The Bible's standards when reading it, such as if I read it wearing shorts. I looked at certain Bible verses regarding clothing and came to the conclusion that it is important. So when I read The Bible, I try to cover my legs and upper body sometimes.

I would ask for help with this (Proverbs 15:22), but if you are concerned about wearing shorts, maybe a nice pair of jeans would be a better choice? Clothes that are low cut and/or tight fitting can often be distracting as well, so it's probably best to avoid wearing them. Clothes that will not shift the focus from the message to you.

Those are my thoughts, for now anyway.

God bless you!!

--David

 

[FutureAndAHope]

I have been doing social media ministry for some years. Like you, I just wanted to share the gospel. I had many successes, people being healed of sickness, one commenting on coming to Christ. But I also had some failures. I am a fairly spiritually focused Christain believing in healing, prophecy, etc. This has its benefits, but also it's weaknesses. There are a lot of people, especially on YouTube who claim prophetic ability, but in reality are getting mixed messages. By this I mean God may try to speak to them, but they start hearing from demons as well. They often don't have the discernment to know which is which, and they present demonic prophecy. This was a real problem for me, because I don't have a gift of discernment, and I would often just believe anything I was told. This at one point in my online ministry lead me to present false visions, that others had received. I just did not know any better. So my warning first and foremost is don't present anything that you are unsure about or don't have the discernment to know is 100% true. Also, don't give yourself to wild revelations, stick with what you know. The simplicity of the gospel, not trying to be too wise. God will increase your knowledge over time. Also as was posted above:

As the Lord tells us in Proverbs, "Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed" .. Proverbs 15:22

I have my wife run her eyes over everything I post on my Facebook Page, two eyes can bring a higher level of discernment. As a thought, if you have no one to run over your work, start a thread here on Christain Forums, where you post your messages for review and correction before you post it.

 

[ari.sketch]

Some wonderful advice has been given here.

I would like to take a different point of view and try to see this from the other side - from the point of view of those you are trying to witness to.

Personally, I would like to see the person coming of as genuine and do you truly care about me.

God bless you in this endeavour, may the Holy Spirit also guide you in your wonderful ministry.

 

[Inhocsigno]

In agreement with the general advice above, you can't control how you're perceived on social media since there are so many different viewers seeing you in so many different situations and contexts. Instead, focus on what you want to convey, make sure your message is consistent with the teachings of the Gospel and your general evangelical goals, write down and practice how to incorporate specific chapters and verses. In essence put yourself in the shoes of a pastor composing a sermon that touches people's hearts, then adapt this for the media. The Church has always adapted to the communications technology of each century since St. Paul, ministries today are simply doing the same.

As practical matter for everything from attracting new members at home to our churches in the US to reaching out for our missions abroad, we've found it's been an absolute must to have a presence, strategy and good content for Tiktok, that's just a product of the first rule of social media that is, go where your audience is. That's even for true for churches, for members of all ages, churches with best growth locally and overseas have put good content on there, that includes entire sermons, Bible lessons, group sessions, and of course pithy messages and fun activities. One clever pastor even put on New Testament-themed challenges that really engaged the audience! And from some stats we looked at a planning meeting earlier this summer, Tiktok is the most used app in history, about 5 billion users (more than half the planet). All the small businesses around us with any success are putting short videos on there and the churches are too, so it's not a bad idea to practice some short video skills on a cam-corder or cell phone, and maybe team with a video editor to practice. The app is great for connecting you up with an audience and church missions are one of the fastest growing categories for this, so it's worth to start planning and sketch up some ideas.