With the vast change in the way Christians communicate and receive information today, we all seem to be unaware of the negative aspects of social networking with respect to our relationship with God? Permit me to ask you a few questions. Has social networking become a god? Is your first impulse when you wake up to check WhatsApp, Email, Facebook, Twitter instead of listening to God? Has posting become more important than praying? Do you steal time from your employer, your spouse, or your kids for social networking? If it happens to be so, maybe social networking has now become a god. Anything you desire more than God eventually will become your god.
In the book Exodus chapter 20, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai to serve as principles of moral behavior for the human race; by which we could live our lives in a way pleasing to God. Do you remember the first commandment God gave to His people? Well, it states, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Clearly, you feel a sense of having other gods based on your own social media use.
Throughout history, people have created things to remind them of God – sculptures, altars, ornaments, crucifixes – which people eventually began to worship instead of God. Likewise, many people have become besotted with social networks and use them as a platform to share the gospel, connect people to their church, or share spiritual messages. But be careful not to allow the tools used in the name of God to become more important than your relationship with God.
Christians must realize the fact that the devil is very crafty and canning. He has already used technology to distract us from having proper time with our Lord Jesus Christ, through TV’s and their telenovelas, phones, computers, movies, games, and almost everything around us. Most of us use technological gadgets than seeking God. We find it very difficult to spend just 30 minutes with God a day but we can spend the day watching telenovelas or browse on our phones. Yes, almost all Christians today fall short in this.
Christians need to use strict caution when using these technologies and resources. Especially the internet, which is highly addictive, and can cause loss of focus on Christ. Civilization has reached a point that technology has taken over every area of our Christian life. Now, the word of God (being the Bible) has also been digitized. It is gradually replacing the physical bible (book).
Why Would You Use Digital Bibles at Church?
What we experience in our modern-day churches is gradually making us lose focus on God. Christians go to Church with their phones, tablets, and iPads leaving the physical bible in the house because they believe they have a digital Bible on their phones. This may be an even worse distraction that could be a significant loss of reverence and attention to the word of God during a moment in which God speaks to His people in the reading of His word. You might be tempted to check your Facebook notifications or jump to social media network that just buzzed on you. If you don’t take care you might forget that you are at church and chat with friends. Incoming calls or messages can also distract you from reading the Bible to understand it properly. Sometimes, while reading from your bible; pop-ups like an advertisement will show up to distract you.
Are we really serving God at church? I’ve once chatted with a colleague on WhatsApp, and after asking about where she is, she told me she is at church. Can you imagine this?
Many desperate Christians will then ask, “So is it a sin to use the digital bible?”. To be frank, I don’t see it as sin, and that I am not the one to outline what is sin or not. But using a digital bible in the church isn’t the best… Why would you leave your physical bible in the house and send the digital bible to church? Christians today feel lazy to read the physical Bible because we find it boring and old-fashioned.
Lest we point the finger, we have to acknowledge that most of us have been caught in this web. I am not advocating for the rejection of digital Bibles in church. I make use of some Bible apps. I believe many Christians are in the same water. Even some of the renowned pastors we know read sermons from their iPads, tablets, and phones to their congregations.
In conclusion, I would prefer all Christians to try their best to use the physical Bible in church than the digital bible. I do not condemn the usage of digital Bibles in church but I believe using a printed version would be a better option and also be able to curb your temptation to go onto social media. Many Christians today feel very ashamed to go to church along with their physical bibles so they choose to go to church with their mobile phones, tablets, iPhones, and other screened gadgets.
Please, go along with the physical bible to have full concentration on the word of God. The phone itself distracts us from focusing on God. We must therefore learn to use the digital Bibles wisely in other not to draw us back from God.
Be deliberate about taking breaks from social networking so you can spend focused time with God. Make God the center of your life. Truth must be told, If you’re suffering from social media addiction, likes and shares can become your quick obsession. Lest you know, you’re worshipping the comments and feedback you’re getting from your followers which can really obstruct your relationship with God.
I am very hopeful you have acquired some insight from this article. You’re free to share your thoughts with me in the comment box and also remember to share with your friends.
