Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” – John 20:21 (ESV)
Snapchat. Instagram. Twitter. Music.ly. KIK. Tumblr. WhatsApp. Whisper. Tinder.
These. These apps are the new language being spoken by the teenagers – concrete thinkers who cannot understand the abstract consequences of using many of these apps. And a conversation needs to begin within our circles – not of how the Gospel changes (because it doesn’t) but how our approach changes to speak Gospel truths into the lives of teenagers.
Technology and devices connect these teenagers. When they spend time together – someone has to document it via a snap or instagram. They often are disconnected in person while texting someone who is absent from the group. So how do we help disciple these teenagers – when we come from a world so distant and leave them often feeling misunderstood.
You can easily step away from a device – but there is a naturally tendency when the average time spent on social media is 9 hours per day.¹
When we move from seeing technology as a means to communicate versus the means to communicate it begins to change our mindset. Examine the way Paul and Barnabas proclaimed the Gospel message to those in Antioch in Acts 13 versus to those in Lystra in Acts 14. Jews vs Gentiles. Concrete thinkers vs abstract thinkers. Digitally fluent speakers. The Gospel doesn’t change but our communication does.
What if we began to ask 'how can I use this platform to speak Gospel truths?' Click To TweetWhat would happen if we redeemed social media for the sake of the Gospel? What if we began to ask “how can I use this platform to speak Gospel truths?”
As we press forward in our identities as sent ones from God – we must wrestle with the idea of a new mission field that is all around us – and we are connected by a tiny device we carry in our pockets.