Consider Your Content in 2022
What are you putting on your Facebook and Instagram or Twitter pages? AND WHY?
Let me ask it this way. . .
When is a Preacher Like a Stripper?
Answer. . .
When his motivation to collect “LIKES” is more important than his orthodoxy.
I see lots of promises and prophecies and judgments and declarations that look more like “Man’s will rather than God’s will.” Can we go into 2022 differently?
Paul told us, in Colossians 4:6 that our speech is to be gracious and merely seasoned with salt. But the way I read so many posts, they either sound like all grace and no salt, or all salt and no grace.
What in the world is our motivation for some of our posts? It can’t be orthodoxy!
Peter said, in 1 Peter 2:9 that we are to be a “Peculiar-People.” I don’t think he meant we are to be weird. He meant, we’re to be different, but I hear Christians sounding just like the world, we’re hoping to see saved. I see this in our promises we ask people to claim, our prophesies we whip out, our judgments we proclaim, and in our declarations we insist on.
Don’t you see this too? Am I the only one?
Now listen clearly, THE COMMENTS YOU MAY ADD ARE NOT for you to point this out in others. It’s for you to ask, “How am I the same way?”
The entire chapter, of 1 Peter 2, has tons of things to glean. But let’s just look at 2 verses.
In verse 15, Peter tells us how to shut up the people you are trying to impact. You know, the foolish people! And believe me, it’s not by us demonstrating our great wit, or sarcasm. It’s not by promising things God may not plan to give that other person, or prophesying things you want to see happen. And it’s not by our words sounding just as foolishly angry as those we are attempting to correct.
Here’s what Peter said, “For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people. . .”
I can just hear someone yelling, “Yeah. Right-on!”
Slow down. The verse ends with. . .
. . . by doing good.
By doing good? Why did Peter have to say that? What did he know about being a social-media influencer?
Have you ever considered that perhaps, some people are rejecting Christianity, because they know you?
YIKES!
And then in verse 17 Peter hits even closer to home. My take-away from the verse is, “Get over yourself!” Here’s the entire verse. . .
Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the Emperor. (2 Peter 2:17 HCSB)
YUK!
Let me get back to my preacher on a stripper pole.
If your motivation is to post articles for the purpose of getting “LIKES” you might be guilty of being just like a stripper who puts those photos of herself (or himself) on social media, for the same reason.
I understand what some of you are saying to yourself. Some of you are saying, “But I’m sharing what is right. I’m posting that which is truth, how can that be wrong?”
And that’s a fair question.
So, let me deal with it by addressing those of you who are married (married men, I would never say this to women).
Just because you’re right doesn’t mean you open your mouth.
So, what is your motivation for posting. . .
- Some of the promises that you do?
- Or the prophecies you make?
- How about your judgments, both regarding the unsaved, and your Christian brothers and sisters?
- Or maybe your brilliant sounding declarations need to be re-thought?
LOOK. I’M NOT SAYING DON’T PROCLAIM PROMISES, BE PROPHETIC, REPEAT JUDGMENTS OR ANNOUNCE DECLARATIONS. Post what you think the Holy Spirit is prompting you to post. But NOT what your marketing tells you will get the most “LIKES.”
- People aren’t drawn to Christianity when your promises failed to gel in their lives.
- People don’t accept Christianity because you out-wit, or out-argue them.
- I don’t know a single person who won the argument and won the soul.
- But I know a lot of people who demonstrated hope to a dying world and saw people saved.
Paul said it well, “Don’t have anything to do with stupid and foolish arguments. . .” 2 Timothy 2:23a NIV
Don’t be like a stripper on a pole, motivated to show himself/herself off for gain.
Be different from the world (peculiar, if you will).
Let 2022 be a pivot point for the motivation in your posts.
And whatever you do , in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 4:17