Living Room Mission Field
It started as just an idea in that one garden. They didn't have the internet, television, or radio. Yet, within just four years, the very first World Tennis Championship was held at Wimbledon. How did it spread so fast? It wasn't forced upon people with tanks or guns. People saw it being played outside, in public, and realized it was something they wanted to be a part of. It looked fun, it looked engaging, and they copied it.
Today, you can walk into any Walmart and find rackets and balls. You drive past courts funded by tax dollars in nearly every community. That simple idea from a Welsh garden party captivated the world because it was visible.
This image of tennis spreading rapidly because it was played "out loud" really convicted me recently when I was reading the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was very clear about how we should operate in the world.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 KJV)
The problem is, a lot of our modern Christianity looks more like a secret society meeting than a game of lawn tennis. We hide it inside our church buildings. We don't see many evangelists out on the street anymore. We seem ashamed to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ—which is the power of God unto salvation—out into the public square.
The New Public Square
Today, the public square has shifted. It’s no longer just the town center or the local park; it is the worldwide web. Social media is the new realm where billions of people gather daily. It has a reach infinitely wider than a few eyeballs driving past a local tennis court.
This brings me to a heavy topic, but one we need to address spiritually: the war on terror. When we hear that phrase, we usually think of soldiers, bombs, and physical conflict overseas. But if you look deeper, you realize that at its core, this is often an ideological war. It is a spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of people.
You know that there is something you can do about this war without ever leaving your living room. You don't need to enlist in the military to fight the spiritual battles gripping our globe. You can engage in this fight with the most powerful weapon available: the love of Jesus, delivered through the vehicle of social media.
The Great Commission wasn't a suggestion; it was a command from our King.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20 KJV)
Jesus tells us to teach all nations. Today, those nations are scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter on their phones.
My Digital Mission Field
I have been actively engaging on social media for years now with the specific intent of spreading the Gospel. I’ve learned a few tricks along the way. You can use these platforms to either lead people to Christ initially or to disciple, encourage, and edify those who already believe but are isolated.
Sometimes it takes a lot out of me, but I make it a point to engage anywhere from ten to fifty new people every single day about Jesus. The conversations vary wildly. Sometimes I go to "fishing holes"—places online where people are already debating a hot topic. You can use trending hashtags to inject the name of Jesus into political or cultural conversations. When people are looking for answers in politics, I get to tell them, "Hey, politicians won't save you, but Jesus saves."
Recently, my eyes were opened to the massive potential of Instagram. I hadn't paid much attention to it as a ministry tool until I realized it has over a billion downloads just on Android. That is a staggering amount of people. As I started paying attention to it over the last month or so, I was blown away. I started meeting people from literally all over the planet—Iran, Vietnam, Russia, Israel, Nigeria, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand.
Many of these people are in countries where Christianity is shunned, or worse, illegal. I hear testimonies from people who say their families disowned them because they decided to follow Jesus. Think about that. If you don't win someone to the Lord in those countries, you can still use your connection to encourage and edify a brother or sister who is having an incredibly hard time facing persecution you and I can only imagine.
The "English Language" Hook
In my search for ways to conduct Bible studies online using audio files, I stumbled across a whole new world of messaging apps like WhatsApp, Line, Telegram, and Voxer. I found that many people, particularly in Middle Eastern countries, are heavily using these apps.
And here is the thing that absolutely blew my mind: countless people all over the world are desperate to learn and practice the English language.
I want that to sink in. English is the number one business language on the planet. People want to learn it to improve their lives. This reminded me of Stephen Barrett, an American missionary to Japan I know. He used a program where he taught English using the Bible as his textbook.
Japan is only about 1% Christian. It's a hard soil to plow. But Stephen told me how he would teach English using the Gospels, and his students would come back to him later asking questions about the miracles of Jesus. He was acting as the sower, planting the Word of God inside them while meeting a practical need they had.
We can do the exact same thing online. There aren't many native English speakers for someone in a closed country to talk to in person. But online? You are right there. You can join language learning groups and offer to help people practice their English, and use the Gospel as your source material.
Personal Reflections: Don't Go Alone
How serious are you about changing the earth for Jesus? Are you serious enough about the Great Commission to give up a little bit of television time? Instead of giving the devil your time, you could be taking ground for Jesus in cyberspace.
I know it can feel overwhelming. Sometimes you might feel like you are all by yourself out there in the digital wilderness. Jesus knew this feeling, which is why He sent His disciples out two by two. We need encouragement.
One of the things I used to do was gather some online friends, and we would go into Blog Talk Radio chat rooms together during live shows. We would be wingmen for each other. We would embed the topic of Jesus Christ into the chat relative to whatever topic was being discussed on air. It is much easier to be bold when you know you have a brother or sister right there in the chat with you, backing you up.
If you are listening to my podcast or reading this blog, you probably found me through social media. That means you have the tools. You have the account. The question is, what are you going to do with it? We need to carry our cross and follow Him. Let’s not be like the servant who buried his talent in the ground. Let's take some ground for Jesus.
Key Takeaways
Visibility is Key: Like tennis, the Gospel spreads faster when it is practiced out in the open, not hidden behind closed doors.
The Digital Battlefield: The war on terror is ideological; the only true solution is transforming hearts with the love of Jesus through the Great Commission.
A Global Hunger: There is a massive global demand to learn English, which creates a perfect opportunity to use the Bible as a teaching tool.
Power in Numbers: Don't do digital evangelism alone. Partner with friends to enter online spaces together for moral support.
Action Items
Pray for Strategy: Ask the Holy Spirit which social media platform He wants you to focus on as your mission field.
Engage Daily: Set a goal to interact with a specific number of new people online every day, intentionally steering conversations toward faith.
Utilize Hashtags: Don't just consume content; insert the Gospel into trending conversations using relevant hashtags.
Find a Partner: Identify a Christian friend who will commit to joining you in "two by two" digital outreach in chat rooms or comment sections.
God bless you. If this message has touched you, please share it on your own social media so we can get more laborers into this digital harvest field. Until next time, dig deeper and go higher.
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