Social Media for Evangelism: CLEAN UP YOUR TIMELINE FIRST!

Click here for the first part of this series - "The Power of Share."

Keeping Your Timeline Clean

With the announcement coming last week that Facebook now has at least one BILLION users, the possibilities for evangelizing using social media are thrilling!

But I want to remind you that social media isn't a "magic bullet." It's not going to do the work of evangelism for you. At some point, face-to-face interaction is going to have to take place for a conversion to happen. But new media techniques can help get you to that point with people who you might otherwise have never met.

Social media is a tool, and just like any other tool, can be used for good or evil. It can be a rope that ties us together, or you can use it to tie a noose for yourself if you have bad social media practices.

Today I want to deal with cleaning up your timeline. You see, if you want to use Facebook, Twitter, and other mediums to try to influence others for Christ, you have to make sure you have things in order on your own timeline first. It's going to be hard to convince someone to obey Christ if your social media presence makes you look like a hypocrite (consider 1 Corinthians 9.27).

Your Social Media Perception

Here's a newsflash - The things that populate your social media streams are creating a perception of you. Just as the clothes you wear, words you say, and things you do create a perception in others minds of who you are, our timelines and Twitter feeds give people an impression of who we are. Every post you make has some effect on your "digital reputation." Is the perception that others have of you the one you want them to have (cf. Proverbs 22.1; Ecclesiastes 7.1)?

As I gain more and more "friends" on Facebook (up to 864 as of this posting), I start to see patterns. Some people only ever post about their family (cute pictures, videos, "what's going on" status updates), and so I think that they must be very "family oriented" people. Other people's posts make them seem like they are angry all the time. I wonder how some folks ever get anything done, since it seems they are always playing some game on Facebook. Still, I perceive that some people are "political junkies." Some are obsessed with particular hobbies. Others love to hear and tell raunchy, inappropriate jokes and share inappropriate pictures. You know the kind.

Here's the thing: Outside of any religious talk you might have on your social media pages, you have to make sure that all the other things you post (words, pictures, etc.) are things that are appropriate for someone who professes to be a Christian. If you want to share Christ through social media, you have to make sure everything else is in order; Otherwise, you are wasting your time.

Here are a couple things to consider along those lines:

1) Weigh your words as a Christian.

You ALWAYS need to be weighing your words as a Christian (cf. Colossians 4.6-5). Make sure your speech is "seasoned with salt," i.e., palatable to others. There are some conversations that, as a Christian, you simply need to leave. Here are a few instances to consider:

• When the speech is coarse, and un-Christianlike (cf. Ephesians 5.2-4). Bottom line: If it's not fitting of a Christian, and you know it, don't say it. There's no excuse. Just don't do it.


• When the speech is argumentative. This is one point that I have a hard time getting some Christians to understand. Let me put it this way: Those status updates that people post which have a tone something to the effect of "If you don't believe this you are an ignorant fool"; Don't post those. They aren't helping. God's Word isn't supposed to be used with the intention of starting a fight; The Holy Spirit uses God's Word to convict the hearts of sinners! Consider John 16.8 and Acts 2.36-38 to this effect. Don't mess that up because YOU think that YOU have a better idea (e.g. making someone mad enough to repent). Consider also what Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2.23-26 about the servant of God - he must not quarrel, but teach patiently. It's one thing if arguments come because the truth is being discussed. It's another thing entirely to try to start one with the mistaken idea that you can make people made enough to convert. Just don't do that. The bottom line: It may be truth, but if it's devoid of love in the way it is said (cf. Ephesians 4.15), you are just making noise (consider 1 Corinthians 13.1-3).

2) Don't share it if…

Sometimes I see pictures, links, or quotes on Facebook and Twitter shared by Christians who I HOPE are unaware of what's attached to what they are sending. You see, when you share something, you share everything that's attached to it! BEFORE YOU SHARE, check some of these things:

• What is the user name attached to the item you are sharing? Some people don't realize that those cute or clever Facebook pictures that seem to go viral have some profane or vulgar name attached as the original poster. Be aware of that, and don't share those items.


• What comments are people making? I've had people completely misunderstand what I'm about to say here, so let me try to explain as fully, yet as succinctly as possible. Let's take a catchy and truthful status update I once saw as an example. The status update itself was great, and expressed a great truth. But there were two guys (professing to be New Testament Christians) in the comments section who were arguing with each other. It had gotten to the point that they were calling each other names. I wasn't friends with either of them, but I was with the person through whom I seen the post. I alerted my "friend" (via a comment on HIS post) that he might not want to share this item because of the shameful conversation that was attached. Long story made short, I was accosted by this "friend" and a few other people who said they "saw nothing wrong" with the status, and essentially accused me of being a non-believer. They told me to go and tell those men to stop arguing, which I couldn't do because I wasn't friends with either man. I ended up de-friending this person, because they apparently refused to either understand or acknowledge what I was truly trying to say. Folks, PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND HOW FACEBOOK WORKS! I hope that this was merely a case of technological ignorance on the part of these folks. But realize, when you send a link, or share a picture or quote, you share everything that's attached to it! Be sure to check it out the attachments FIRST. If it's lewd, crude, profane, or unnecessarily argumentative, don't share it.


• Is it right? This ought to go without saying. But don't share something that's just not right! Take the time to read fully and critically what you share.

Do good with it.

As I mentioned before, social media, and all of new media for that matter, are tools. Just like a hammer, it can be used to build a house (God's house), or it can be used to break things and injure people. Make sure that you are always using these avenues for the good of the Lord's church, and to reach lost souls; Don't hurt the cause of Christ because your timeline isn't clean.

-Daniel