I posted this question "Would Jesus have a facebook and twitter account if he were on earth today?" on my twitter account today. In all fairness, I did not think it right to ask the question without answering it myself. After thinking some about it, I thought that the way we respond to that question says both a lot about our view of God and what we believe his mission is.
What I mean by that is that for some people they seem to suggest by their words and actions that God is more like a great judge than a merciful heavenly father. To be sure, he is both of these things, but some people take it to extremes. They suggest that he has no compassion or mercy on us for our mistakes. Maybe this is a reflection on their inability to forgive themselves or anyone else for their faults. I wish this wasn't the case. But, whole churches and denominations reflect more the judgment and severity of God than the love of God. To them, he is the one with the biggest ruler, ready to thump our wrist if we reach for the cookies. He is ready to condemn any joy, fun or heaven forbid laughter. I guess this is what legalism does to people.
Then there is the question of if Jesus did have an account what would he say and why would he have an account. There is no real way to know for sure, but I think he probably would have one. Some people might respond by saying, "Yes, he would have one and he would really be mad." or something like that. And to be sure, he did have some pointed things to say to people when he walked on the earth. But, was it to the Romans who were at times barbaric in their actions? Or was his most condemning words to the religious zealots who thought themselves self-righteous?
Our view of God should be one that captures both the love and judgment of God together. To not have both is to present a very distorted view of God. God did condemn sin. But, he also went to great lengths to reach out to others and to share himself with them. He condemned the righteous, who were not really righteous, but self-righteous and challenged those like the rich young ruler who asked him honest questions. Jesus engaged people in dialogue and asked his own questions in the temple. He told stories to help people understand eternal truths. He condemned the Pharisees, but did not condemn the woman caught in adultery because she knew that she had done wrong and was sorry.
Other people might respond by saying, "Yes, Jesus would have an account and he would tell us he loves us." For sure, Jesus is full of love for the world while condemning many of people's actions. I don't think we can rule out that Jesus would tell us he loves us because it does say that he came to seek and save the lost. But, at the same time, we should remember that he did not deny the hard realities of the gospel like some name it and claim it preachers. He talked just as much about hell as he did heaven. He challenged people to repent and follow Him. In fact, the words "repent" or to turn in another direction, were some of the first recorded. I think that is something to keep in mind because Jesus didn't call for following him without sacrifice.
I think whether or Jesus would use a twitter or facebook account also says something about what we believe his mission to be. It should not be a question of whether or not Jesus would be willing to humble himeslf enough to use it. For someone who was willing to wash his disciples feet and give up the glory of heaven to be born in a stable has already proven his humility. Would Jesus use the technology of today to share his message? If so, why doesn't every church in America do it? You say your interested in reaching people and yet don't use media to reach people in your home town? Hu. . .
I have noticed just in the few years that I have been doing this blogging that it has given me an opportunity to share my faith to people groups literally all over the world. People from China, Iran, Russia, Canada, Pakistan, Great Britian and numerous other countries I've never even heard of have visited this site. It has given me a chance to share thoughts about who I believe God is and thoughts about the Bible. Depending on which counter you look at (none of which is as old as this blog page) I have reached somewhere near 25,000 or more people during that 3 years. That's 25,000 people that Jesus loves and died for. I think how we answer this question says a lot about who and what we believe about Jesus and his message.
What I mean by that is that for some people they seem to suggest by their words and actions that God is more like a great judge than a merciful heavenly father. To be sure, he is both of these things, but some people take it to extremes. They suggest that he has no compassion or mercy on us for our mistakes. Maybe this is a reflection on their inability to forgive themselves or anyone else for their faults. I wish this wasn't the case. But, whole churches and denominations reflect more the judgment and severity of God than the love of God. To them, he is the one with the biggest ruler, ready to thump our wrist if we reach for the cookies. He is ready to condemn any joy, fun or heaven forbid laughter. I guess this is what legalism does to people.
Then there is the question of if Jesus did have an account what would he say and why would he have an account. There is no real way to know for sure, but I think he probably would have one. Some people might respond by saying, "Yes, he would have one and he would really be mad." or something like that. And to be sure, he did have some pointed things to say to people when he walked on the earth. But, was it to the Romans who were at times barbaric in their actions? Or was his most condemning words to the religious zealots who thought themselves self-righteous?
Our view of God should be one that captures both the love and judgment of God together. To not have both is to present a very distorted view of God. God did condemn sin. But, he also went to great lengths to reach out to others and to share himself with them. He condemned the righteous, who were not really righteous, but self-righteous and challenged those like the rich young ruler who asked him honest questions. Jesus engaged people in dialogue and asked his own questions in the temple. He told stories to help people understand eternal truths. He condemned the Pharisees, but did not condemn the woman caught in adultery because she knew that she had done wrong and was sorry.
Other people might respond by saying, "Yes, Jesus would have an account and he would tell us he loves us." For sure, Jesus is full of love for the world while condemning many of people's actions. I don't think we can rule out that Jesus would tell us he loves us because it does say that he came to seek and save the lost. But, at the same time, we should remember that he did not deny the hard realities of the gospel like some name it and claim it preachers. He talked just as much about hell as he did heaven. He challenged people to repent and follow Him. In fact, the words "repent" or to turn in another direction, were some of the first recorded. I think that is something to keep in mind because Jesus didn't call for following him without sacrifice.
I think whether or Jesus would use a twitter or facebook account also says something about what we believe his mission to be. It should not be a question of whether or not Jesus would be willing to humble himeslf enough to use it. For someone who was willing to wash his disciples feet and give up the glory of heaven to be born in a stable has already proven his humility. Would Jesus use the technology of today to share his message? If so, why doesn't every church in America do it? You say your interested in reaching people and yet don't use media to reach people in your home town? Hu. . .
I have noticed just in the few years that I have been doing this blogging that it has given me an opportunity to share my faith to people groups literally all over the world. People from China, Iran, Russia, Canada, Pakistan, Great Britian and numerous other countries I've never even heard of have visited this site. It has given me a chance to share thoughts about who I believe God is and thoughts about the Bible. Depending on which counter you look at (none of which is as old as this blog page) I have reached somewhere near 25,000 or more people during that 3 years. That's 25,000 people that Jesus loves and died for. I think how we answer this question says a lot about who and what we believe about Jesus and his message.
