Why Social Networking?

Beginning today, the Daily Verse Online is undergoing a major overhaul, a big part of which is the incorporation of social networking-- specifically, commenting and conversation on the Daily Verses, and unified integration with Facebook and Twitter.  This is is a big change in direction, and it didn't come without a lot of thought and prayer.  As Christians, everything we do should be "abounding in love, with all knowledge and discernment" (Philippians 1:9).  That means that every action we take should be rooted in deep thought and deep love.  Deep thought about the things of God, and deep love for God and others.  So here are my thoughts about social networking, and why the Daily Verse Online is moving this direction.

First, a bad reason for social networking:
1) Everyone's doing it.  This is never a good reason to do anything.  The wide road is the one that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13), and just because everyone's on the Web 2.0 social networking bandwagon does necessarily mean that Christians should jump onboard too.  There may be a place for Christian social networking, but NOT simply because the world is doing it.  If anything, the fact that social networking is so popular should make Christians pause before jumping in.  Friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4).

Some cautions about social networking:
1) The tendency towards pride.  The habit of "tweeting" the details of your life and thoughts to an audience of followers as if those thoughts and details were somehow important is arrogance.  "The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin" (Proverbs 10:8).  Christians should be striving to develop the humility of James 1:19-- quick to hear and slow to speak.  This is certainly possible with Twitter, but the very concept of Twitter works against this.  With Facebook, the temptation towards pride is different.  Reveling in your friend count, basing your worth on your accumulated contacts or number of people posting on your wall is dangerous.  "The LORD takes delight in His people" (Psalm 149:4); do not look beyond this for identity.
2) The tendency towards time-wasting.  Those who live in the world of Facebook know how true this is.  It is possible to waste hours on Facebook.  This is a tragedy.  The cross of Christ frees us from trivial pursuits to become a people for His own possession, zealous for good works (Titus 2:14).  We should take the command of Colossians 4:5 very seriously: "Make the best use of the time."  Life is a vapor, a mere breath before eternity, and with the souls of men dying around us, why would we consign ourselves to time wasted in front of TVs and computers?  God is calling us to something much greater.
3) The tendency towards triviality.  No one, not even your Twitter followers, really care what you had for breakfast this morning.  But sadly, this sort of conversation is common on Twitter.  Even those tweeting about relatively important things-- politics, social issues, etc-- are limited to 140 characters.  Neil Postman was right: the medium really is the message.  140 characters inherently limits and shapes discourse away from thoughtful reasoning and towards the sound-byte, the showy, and the shallow.

In light of all these tendencies and pitfalls, why is the Daily Verse Online embracing social networking?
1) Redeeming social networking.  All three of those potential pitfalls are not unique to social networking; they are inherent in the human condition.  And yet God, at great cost to Himself, has planned from all eternity to redeem not only a people for Himself, but all that is good and true and beautiful in human culture (Revelation 21:23-24).  As Christians, therefore, we should not shrink back from the public arena, but rather should seek to influence it for Christ.
2) Social networking belongs to Jesus.  "All things were created through Him and FOR Him" (Colossians 1:16).  Jesus Christ is supreme and sovereign over every area of creation, from supernovae to subatomic particles, from nations and history, to Twitter and Facebook.  Abraham Kuyper famously said, "In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare,'That is mine!'"  To that end, let's use Facebook and Twitter and everything else, not as a means for our own pleasure and glory, but to make much of Jesus Christ who claims ownership over them, and us.
3) Serving you.  The Daily Verse Online's mission is to "ignite a passion for worship in all of life."  I recognize that today, many people live out a good part of their time on their smartphones, websites, and networks.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as we are aware of the pitfalls above and are striving to submit our surfing to our Savior.  The DVO wants to help with that.  By expanding our ministry into these areas that touch so many parts of life, my hope and prayer is that Twitter and Facebook can become tools in your arsenal for your fight to see and savor and show Jesus Christ more fully.

For more thoughts on how Christians can tweet to the glory of God, you can read this older blog post.  John Piper at Desiring God also has very wise things to say.

The Fear of the Lord

I'm up late tonight writing Daily Verses for next week, and I spent some time researching for help with the devotional on Acts 9:31- "So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up.  And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied."  Now there is a good recipe for church growth-- the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit!  But as I pondered on that I started to wonder, what exactly is "the fear of the Lord?"  

Fearing God is not about being afraid.  In fact, it's often associated with lack of fear.  For example, Exodus 20:20- "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin."  And Matthew 10:28- "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

Fearing God is about opening our eyes to the reality to which sin blinds us.  We are inclined to be afraid of many things-- the future, the past, enemies, insecurity, money, relationships, death.  But we are not naturally inclined to fear the One in whose hand all things fearful rest.  To fear God is to recognize Him as the holy, righteous, omnipotent, sovereign Creator and Judge before whom every knee will bow.

Fearing God, as I learned in my word study tonight, has many promised benefits.  Here is a partial list of them, just from Proverbs (I think I've stumbled across a key theme of Proverbs here):

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge."  ~1:7

"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil." ~8:13

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom."  ~9:10

"In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence." ~14:26

"The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life." ~14:27

"Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble without it."  ~15:16

"The fear of the LORD keeps one away from evil."  ~16:6

Can you see how awe of God's holiness and glory brings about all those promised results?  True wisdom and knowledge begin when the solar system of our lives is reoriented around God at the center.  A realization and love of God's holiness shows sin to be what it really is-- an affront to the character of our Creator.  To fear God is to see Him as the Sovereign One, in whose hands are all human events, and therefore we have a basis for a life of strong confidence.  Fear of the Lord, it turns out, is the fruit of faith, and therefore a fountain of eternal life.

Most importantly of all, fear of God doesn't just lead us to our Judge; it also leads us to our Savior.  The more we become aware of the great holiness and glory of God, the more we despise our sins and daily seek refuge at Calvary where the wrath of God was absorbed.  The fear of the Lord allows us to see our holy Judge as our glorious Savior.

"The fear of the LORD is Zion's treasure."  ~Isaiah 33:6