Navigating Social Media with Gospel Eyes

It is really popular today to break from the mainstream and rebuke what they are doing. The superiority one can experience can be intoxicating. In the search for individual acceptance and uniqueness, it is getting more and more popular to criticize others in order to elevate another pseudo-righteousness that is really no righteousness at all. I really do not want to make you feel bad for using Facebook or Instagram. Wonderfully, in God's good providence, he has given believers tools to proclaim the Gospel to the utter ends of the earth. That is one of the beautiful silver linings of social media.

This week, I was struck again by Paul's words of caution and grace in Ephesians 5.15-17, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."

Here is a faithful summary of the passage: the wise look carefully how they walk, make the best use of their time, and understand what the will of the Lord is. However, the unwise are foolish, they do not consider how they walk, they do not make the best use of their time, and cannot understand the will of the Lord.

Believers teeter on this line everyday. There are decisions, circumstances, opportunities, temptations, attitudes, and trials that drive Paul's cautionary words. Thankfully, the Gospel is the hope of the believer and provides the power and grace to heed Paul's warning.

Social media is a cultural phenomenon that illuminates the emphatic nature of Paul's words of caution. When you are on your phone or computer, how disciplined are you to obey this call for wisdom?

Therefore, with Paul's Gospel-centered warning in mind, please be aware of the following temptations and pitfalls of social media:

1. The danger of envy. Facebook is full of happy marriages, new promotions, another mainstream blog post, smiling and obedient children, and other bright green grassy things that can make your life feel rather pathetic. The temptation is to try to match the shiny bliss with your own life's bling making Facebook a war zone for competition, envy, regret, self-abasement, comparison, and at times destruction.

Now, envy and coveting are symptoms of deeply rooted heart issues. Believers ought always to find their satisfaction in Christ. One of my friends has told me many times in the past to help me with my own struggles, "Joey, you are in Christ, which means you are alright." Simple. Profound. True.

For some reason though, Facebook tends to illuminate the shortcomings of your own life and magnify the successes of others in a way that can be incredibly damaging. Yes, we should rejoice with others because we are commanded to. We should look at the happiness of others and feel their happiness as our own. Be cautious however, and let the truth of the Gospel guard your hearts.

2. The danger of wasted time. Paul commands us to make the best use of our time because the days are evil. Therefore, it seems, that making the best use of our time in the Gospel has a way of keeping us from evil and helping us through temptation. The other side of that truth is also true: that wasted time makes us prime targets of evil and sin.

Peter commands us to prepare our minds for action and to be sober-minded in 1 Peter 1.13. Social media, when not used soberly and faithfully, can easily lead people to throw away their time. I heard someone say recently that Facebook definitely does one thing for the Church: It proves that there is plenty of time for prayer and the study of God's Word.

I do not want to tell you how much time is ok on Facebook and how much time is sinful. You have to appeal to your own conscience. You have to look at the Gospel, look at the promises of a faithful God, look at the lost, consider the will of the Lord, and asses your time on social media to see if it fits those glorious realities. But please examine these things! Do not waste a second in this life.

3. The danger of empty words. I am all about boasting in my wife and kids on Facebook. I love to see that in others. However, do the deep, poetic, thoughtful, words of affection, admiration, and love ever come out of your mouth when all of your friends are not watching? Do we ever speak to the ones we love in person the way we do on Facebook? Are people getting an accurate depiction of the way you treat your spouse, dad, and kids? Or, are you wanting the crowds to think this is what you are really like?

It can be very tempting to love the attention you get for your affection more than the person you are showing the affection to. Here is what it boils down to: do you really mean the things that you say? Do not be careless with your words. Do not use facebook as the conduit for your affection.

4. The danger of Pharasaicalism. Jesus had a lot of things to say to the Pharisees. He accused them of praying for the approval of man, speaking many words in the prayers so that they would be respected and heard, doing their good deeds before man, and other manipulative and egocentric things that empty Christ of his glory and power. Facebook can be a hotbed of this kind of righteousness.

What is the intention and attitude of your heart when you post on Facebook? Are you wanting the right hand to know what the left hand is doing? Are the rewards promised in heaven not enough? Do you need those 50+ likes to validate your righteousness? Did you announce that you are taking a break from Facebook because you wanted respect? Did you write that deep spiritual thought because you really are convicted and moved to say it, or because you want people to marvel at the spiritual grace of your words?

Wise people give careful thought to their life. They guard and protect and prepare their minds for action. They investigate and search out their intentions. They fight sin and impure motives. They labor to see Jesus glorified at the expense of their own wise or persuasive word.

5. The danger of sexual immorality. I am constantly bombarded with indecency and sensuality on Facebook. Scrolling down, right after a video of a cute puppy is a picture of a woman in bikini! It can be very difficult to fight for purity when you are putting yourself unnecessarily on the frontline, without any armor or sword! Mix this close proximity to evil with wasted time and minds that are not prepared for action and you get destruction.

In addition, you can search for things on Facebook in relative anonymity, just like everywhere else on the internet. I have no idea why some of the things that appear on my newsfeed are there. My "friends" post things from sketchy sources and there they are!

Perhaps, Facebook just might be the hand you need to cut off or the eye that needs gouging. No one in heaven will ever regret not posting more or missing out on the news feed.

6. The danger of disunity. People are so mean on Facebook. I have seen too many threads where "believers" are tearing into other believers. Facebook can be a place for great discussion. It brings people together from all over the world who hold many different views. For some reason, though, Facebook creates a chasm between people that seems to do away with discretion, respect, and gentleness. I wonder how many facebookers have been turned off to Christ by the harshness and disrespect of believers.

How are your attitudes toward others affected by what you see and read on Facebook? I have seen my newsfeed inundated with gossip, bitterness, complaining, and a disheartening lack of love.

7. The danger of isolation. Do not be deceived. Facebook is not social. It is you behind a screen. It is not fellowship. And it does not provide the love, joy, encouragement, and hope that face-to-face interaction with believers provides. I am growing more and more disillusioned by a room full of believers on their phones. And, the countless hours many spend reading, watching, and writing on facebook is serving to dehydrate you from the refreshing waters of Christian fellowship.

It is true that the biblical authors did not have social media. Yet, that does not diminish their desire to see one another face-to-face. I love Paul's desire to see the Church in Rome,

"...that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last  succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart some spiritual gift to strengthen you---that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both your and mine." (Romans 1.9b-12)

The most amazing thing about what Paul said is that he wants to strengthen them and he is about to write arguably the most powerful thing ever written, the book of Romans. Yet, he believes that nothing compares to strengthening each other face to face.

Here are a few things you can do to avoid these dangers:

1. Take regular fasts from social media. Do not replace facebook with other technology driven entertainment, but replace it with prayer, people, God's Word, ministry, reading a good book, and any other soul-nourishing activity. Oh, and you don’t have to announce that you are taking a break.

2. Discipline yourself so that your phone is not your first impulse when you have nothing to do. You impulses communicate a lot. They often dictate your desires and what is on your mind. Paul commands us to pray without ceasing because he wants prayer to be our impulse. What do you go for when you wake up in the morning? What do you reach for when you have a break in the middle of the day?

3. Be with people. Sitting alone often is dangerous. Interacting on Facebook is easy. It puts yourself at a safe distance. You don't have to give people the whole picture. You can do that in person too, but it is harder.

4. Before you go on social media, pray. Pray for wisdom, a good use of your time, that the Lord would keep you from evil, and that all of your intentions and attitudes would reflect the Gospel and the glory of Christ.