Seeking God in the Cyberworld

The advent of the Internet has been heralded as “the most important cultural development of the decade, if not the century”.

Furthermore, the proliferation of cell phones, together with social media platforms like TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, has not only created new ways of connecting with people around the world, but also in the ways we gather information. Today, we can be kept updated on the latest news and be entertained via mobile apps without leaving the comfort of our homes.

The Church and Technology

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many churches and Christians were forced to “upgrade” and innovate to conduct and attend services. Due to the restrictions, cell gatherings and corporate meetings have all been moved to platforms such as Zoom, MS Teams or Google Meet. Conferences and seminars are replaced by webinars. This pandemic has caused many to evaluate traditional practices and move with the times.

Throughout history, the church has always welcomed innovation and technology with excitement. For every development in communication technology, the church has taken advantage of those opportunities and leveraged them for the purpose of spreading the gospel.

From the two tablets used by Moses (I am not referring to the iPad) to record the laws of God to the scrolls that the prophets and the early fathers of the church used to share the teachings of Christ, history tells us that the church is an ardent supporter of innovation. In fact, the Protestant Reformation probably would not have happened as we know it without Martin Luther being able to utilise the incredible Gutenberg printing press to distribute his thoughts. Luther embracing the use of the latest technology of his days—“the printing press”—was the key that brought about the reformation of the church.

During the time of the crusades, Billy Graham was the first few in the world to use the latest top of the line sound systems in that time to ensure that his sermon would be heard by everyone, even those that were kilometres away. The clarity from these speakers was part of the reason he was able to reach more effectively.

In Matthew 5, Jesus saw the crowds and went up on the mountain to preach to them. Did he go on the mountain because that was where the people were, or did Jesus strategically choose a place on the mountain to be seen and heard better? We do not know because the Bible does not say so, but I believe that Jesus Christ went up the mountain to position himself to be heard and to be better seen. At the end of the day, the methods may change but the Message of the gospel does not. Churches must position themselves in this age to be better seen and heard.

A Deeper Look into Cyberculture

As Christians, it is crucial that we take a deeper look into the nature of cyberculture and the opportunities it brings. We are living in the cyberage and our ministry needs to extend to cyberspace to reach this new generation who has grown up within cyberspace. To establish a biblical stand, understand our task better and be faithful to our calling, we cannot help but become the “children of Issachar”, who demonstrated “understanding of the times.” (1 Chronicles 12:32) Instead of being afraid of change, we should seek to understand and embrace these necessary changes so as to position our lives and churches for the future. Let me echo the words of Dr Alvin Reid, the former faculty professor for Evangelism and Student Ministry in Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. When talking about evangelism in the future, he said “dying churches seek to maintain an institution, while healthy churches seek to advance a movement”. Let us continue the movement of evangelism that started in Acts 2 and Azusa by positioning our churches for the future.

I believe we must not just be good students of history but learn from what history has taught us, which is to embrace technology or make use of new opportunities to expand our reach for the gospel.

Using the Cyberworld to Reach People

The question then is: how can we use the cyberworld to transform it into a place where people who would seek God and find God? I want to share three ways that can get us started.

1. Choose the Right Platforms

There are many to choose from: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube and Periscope. Each social media platform was created with a purpose in mind. Facebook has the greatest diversity of content. Everything else is simply a breakdown of individual or duo mediums. Pinterest has graphics. Twitter’s medium is text. Periscope and YouTube’s content are mainly videos. Instagram and Snapchat have photos and videos. Figure out what platforms you like the best. The key in choosing the right platform is also understanding the audience that you are reaching out to. For example, Facebook users are usually the mature group, while the yuppies are on Instagram.

2. Develop Contents that Connect

Transparency is one of the greatest tools for spreading the gospel. When it comes to social media evangelism, remember that humans connect to humans. Sharing heart-warming or faith-building stories will draw believers, while stories about the struggles that people faced and how they overcame the tests and trials in their lives would draw pre-believers to your content. At the end of the day, people are looking for authentic content that connect rather than professional content that does not connect.

3. Maintain the Chosen Platform

The platform that you have chosen to use must be well-maintained for people who come back again. If the platform is not kept up to date, chances are viewers will assume that the channel is no longer in use. However, this does not mean that you should be pressured to roll out content 24/7.

As of September 30, 2020, according to internetworldstats.com, 4.9 billion people in the world use the Internet and 3 billion are on social media. This is a sizeable number which gives us new opportunities to reach people who may not walk into our regular Sunday services and to disciple busy people who are on the go. 2 Samuel 14:14 says that the Lord devises means so that His banished ones may return to Him. I believe that the cyberworld gives us more opportunities to extend our reach and provide ways for the lost to return, and the busy to be realigned with Christ.