Here’s your free book: God and Your Social Media. If you prefer, you can also get the book at Amazon for just $0.99.
Introduction
While I won’t be able to limit this book to a two-hundred-and-eighty-character tweet on X, or a one-minute short on YouTube, or even a ten-minute video on Tiktok, it will be short and sweet. Simply put: does God have anything to say about how you are to use and not use your social media? Is your social media fully at His disposal, or do you hold the reins?
Needless to say, much has changed since Paul wrote these words: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). Fast forward twenty centuries. Through our social media, we have unprecedented opportunities to share that which is good and that which will “do good.”
That brings us to the main question of this book: if you could easily and freely help your brothers and sisters in Christ through your social media, would you do so?
While Paul wrote these “opportunity words” almost two millennia ago, the truth of them still stands. Actually, through our social media, we have far more opportunities to “do good” than these believers in Galatia ever had. Will we make use of them, though?
With much social media influence comes much responsibility and accountability. Basically, “everyone to whom much [social media influence] was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much [social media influence], they will demand the more.”
As believers, we’re exhorted to be a “faithful and wise manager” over what God has entrusted to us, including when it comes to our God-given influence through our social media (Luke 12:42, 48).
Without question, in our digital age, we can have a major impact for the good of others. For example, some Christians, churches, ministries, Christian organizations, and Christian media outlets are able to reach 1,000+, 10,000+, 100,000+, and even 1,000,000+ Christians with just one click. And, it doesn’t cost them anything. Zero cost and zero effort to help “those who are of the household of faith.”
That brings us back to the main question: if you could easily and freely help your brothers and sisters in Christ through your social media, would you do so? In other words: will you be a faithful and wise manager of your social media influence, making the most of your God-given opportunities to reach more people with the gospel and help more people in need? That is what God and Your Social Media is all about.
The Background
In my desire to distribute Bibles to the persecuted church, I’ve been disappointed in the excuses I’ve heard and the lack of response I’ve experienced. To help distribute God’s word to our persecuted brothers and sisters is a good thing, right?
As I requested their help, though, should these Christians, churches, ministries, Christian organizations, and Christian media outlets just have jumped the band wagon, no matter what? In other words: are there biblical directives in what we should or should not share on our social media?
As stated before, we should be faithful and wise when it comes to the use of our social media, especially when we have an opportunity to “do good.” These two words, faithful and wise, go to the very heart of God and Your Social Media.
We’re called to be faithful to the One who has entrusted us with a measure of influence, doing His will. And, we’re also called to be wise in how we make use of the measure of influence He has entrusted to us, maximizing our opportunities to do His will. As Paul wrote: “For none of us lives to himself” (Rom. 14:7). Obviously, that includes the use of our social media.
Before we look at ten Bible verses that present an irrefutable case when it comes to God and Your Social Media, I want to address the following question: could it be that some of our policies and procedures undermine the clear commands of Scripture, whereby we are elevating our policies and procedures over helping more people, especially when we have a free, simple, and easy opportunity to do so? From my experience, that has certainly been the case.
Plain and simple: if you could use your social media to reach more people with the gospel and help more people in need—without any cost or effort on your part—should you do so? Or will you come up with excuses to not do so?
God and Your Social Media
The ten Bible verses in this book are in relation to Help the Persecuted Church. The goal is to distribute 100,000 Bibles to our persecuted brothers and sisters, to those who live in one of the fifty-two countries where God’s word is banned and don’t have their own Bible.
The question of Help the Persecuted Church is quite simple: if you were a persecuted Christian without a Bible, would you want Christians in the West to help distribute Bibles? Your answer is obvious, right? Such help also exists in sharing a Bible fundraiser on your social media, which doesn’t require any cost or effort on your part.
To put this in some perspective, here are two examples that are meant to give you a much-needed reality check. First of all, on October 6, 1536, William Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake. His crime? He translated the Bible into English from the original languages. He wanted to further God’s word so that English-speaking people could have and read their own Bible.
Secondly, for showing compassion to their persecuted brothers and sisters, the believers in Hebrews joyfully accepted the plundering of their property (Heb. 10:34). Their compassion was quite costly, to say the least. Maybe they took Jesus’ parable about the good Samaritan to an extreme level. Or was their compassion an expression of proper Christian living?
In light of these two examples, is it too much to ask Christians to share a Bible fundraiser for their persecuted brothers and sisters on their social media? I hope you’ll agree that such sharing is basically the minimum we can do for God’s children.
Sharing a Bible Fundraiser
To make it perfectly clear: this is about sharing a Bible fundraiser on your social media, not about making a purchase, even though you’re more than welcome to do so. For example, while not everyone can (or should) leave everything and become a missionary in a far country, everyone can pray for those who do. Taking the biblical responsibility of “holding the rope” so to speak, as in William Carey’s illustration.
In the same way, while you may not be able to financially distribute a lot of Bibles yourself, you can certainly share a Bible fundraiser on your social media, creating awareness. To put it somewhat bluntly, in spite of all the good you may have done or are doing, what would people say if you were the only one to witness a devastating car crash and refused to call 911, alerting the proper authorities, which doesn’t cost you anything? Or, what would you say about a firefighter who had an easy and simple opportunity to rescue a fifth child from a home that was about to collapse but refused to do so?
As a reminder, God and Your Social Media is about one simple question: if you could easily and freely help your brothers and sisters in Christ through your social media, would you do so? Or to make it sound weightier, if Jesus Himself were to ask you to use your social media in order to help other believers, would you do so?
The following Bible verses are like a thermometer, gauging the spiritual condition of your heart. No, I don’t want to rub these verses in your face or imply that I’m better. Not at all! I do, however, want to stress that you have a free, simple, and easy opportunity to help distribute Bibles to your persecuted brothers and sisters, by simply creating awareness for this Bible fundraiser on your social media.
These Bible verses are not in any particular order. While they weren’t specifically written in relation to God and Your Social Media, they were written in order to express your Christian faith, which includes stirring you up “to love and good works” (Heb. 10:24).
To use a biblical illustration: “Whoever sows [shares] sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows [shares] bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6). Without question, your social media shares can have a major impact for the good of others. Is that worth it to you?
Furthermore, it’s one thing to believe in the second greatest commandment, which is to love your neighbor as yourself, it’s quite another thing to actually do so, which is the very essence of God and Your Social Media.
After each Bible verse, I have some comments as food for thought. Personally, I believe these Bible verses are irrefutable in how we ought to use our social media for the good of others, especially for “those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).
The ought, by the way, has been taken from the apostle John: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16). Sharing a Bible fundraiser for your persecuted brothers and sisters on your social media is the very minimum of laying down your life “for the brothers,” right?
Luke 10:37
And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan in relation to the second greatest commandment, which is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).
A priest, Levite, and Samaritan became aware of a man in need. The priest and Levite ignored the man and “passed by on the other side.” Ironically, Jesus used religious leaders as the ones who “passed by on the other side,” while He used a despised Samaritan as the one who expressed compassion and care.
It’s common knowledge that the persecuted church is in need of Bibles. Whether you’re a Christian, church, ministry, Christian organization, or Christian media outlet, if you could easily and freely help meet that need, would you do so? Or will you pass by on the other side?
I don’t think Jesus would’ve accepted a list of good works as an excuse to not help the man, nor arguments as to how much they already do for others, nor policies and procedures that outline that they only focus on their ministry. Jesus simply stated: “You go, and do likewise.”
In other words: when we become aware of someone’s need, we are to express compassion and mercy. The Samaritan used his time, resources, and money in order to help “his neighbor,” whom he had never met.
What about you? Will you use your social media resources in order to help your persecuted brothers and sisters? It doesn’t cost you anything! Often, the secular world is far more eager to cooperate with others in order to make an extra buck than the Christian world is willing to cooperate with others in order to help an extra person or distribute an extra Bible.
1 John 3:16-18
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
How do you define biblical love? The answer is simple: “He laid down his life for us.” Immediately, John added: “And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” That isn’t a maybe but an ought. The Greek word indicates that we owe such love to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
To stress the ought, John used this illustration: “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” As believers, we are aware that our persecuted brothers and sisters are in need of Bibles. Is sharing a Bible fundraiser not the very least of laying down your life for your brothers and sisters? What if we substituted “the world’s goods” with “social media influence”? “But if anyone has social media influence and sees his brother in need. . .”
I don’t think that any policy or procedure can stand against the Bible’s ought. Basically, you’ll either help your persecuted brothers and sisters who are in need of Bibles, or you’ll close your heart against them. There’s no alternative.
John also wrote: “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” It’s so easy to love “in word or talk,” while not doing so “in deed and in truth.” In referring to them as “little children,” John indicates that the spiritual mature wouldn’t have to think twice about the ought of helping those in need. What about you?
Matthew 7:12
So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
This verse is probably the easiest in relation to any Christian, church, ministry, Christian organization, and Christian media outlet. Simply put, if you were a Christian who lived in one of the fifty-two countries where God’s word is banned and didn’t have your own Bible, would you want Christians in the West create awareness for a Bible fundraiser for the persecuted church on their social media?
Undoubtedly, your answer is in the affirmative. Since that’s the case, will you create awareness for a Bible fundraiser for your persecuted brothers and sisters? It doesn’t cost you anything. Yet, I’m afraid that most won’t do so. Why? The entire Old Testament—the Law and the Prophets—has a unified message about doing for others what you would want others to do for you, which is about loving your neighbor as yourself.
Since it doesn’t cost you anything, will you help your persecuted brothers and sisters by sharing a Bible fundraiser on your social media? Even if your share would only distribute one Bible, is that not more than worth it to you?
Mark 9:41
For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
Not only has God’s word irrefutable commands like, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 7:12), it also has incredible incentives, to say the least.
Jesus made an astounding statement: “Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.” Whatever we do as Christians for those who “belong to Christ” will be eternally rewarded, no matter how small it may seem.
Do you believe that? If so, you would be sharing this Bible fundraiser for your persecuted brothers and sisters left and right, right? Such sharing may be one of the easiest rewards you’ll ever receive. Your share could help multiple Christians, especially if you have a large social media following. As such, your share can easily include multiple rewards. And, it doesn’t require any cost or effort on your part.
While we often think about a test of faith in light of extremely difficult circumstances, whether or not you share a Bible fundraiser for your persecuted brothers and sisters is also a test of faith. Simply put: do you believe Jesus’ words? Your actions will tell, right?
Matthew 25:40
And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
This verse may be one of the most irrefutable Bible verses when it comes to sharing a Bible fundraiser for your persecuted brothers and sisters on your social media. Plain and simple: whatever we do for Jesus’ brothers and sisters, we do to Him. They are interrelated.
John emphasized that when he wrote: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1John 4:20-21). Our love to our brothers and sisters in Christ is an undeniable indicator of our love to God.
Do you think that your love for God includes sharing a Bible fundraiser for His children, which doesn’t require any cost or effort on your part? Sharing that which will “do good” for those “who are of the household of faith” may be one of the easiest expressions of your love for God. Yet, I’m afraid that most won’t do so. Maybe we’re not as spiritually mature as we think we are.
Hebrews 13:7
Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
Let’s address the elephant in the room. This Bible fundraiser is in relation to the purchase of classic Christian ebooks. For example, in order to distribute 100,000 Bibles to our persecuted brothers and sisters, we need 300,000 Christians who are willing to buy THE ENTIRE BOOKSTORE for only $4.00 (50% goes to the distribution of God’s word).
What have these classic books to do with Hebrews 13:7? While these Christian leaders weren’t our leaders during the time they ministered, they “spoke … the word of God.” We’re commanded to “consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”
Undoubtedly, we can learn much from these former pastors, evangelists, Bible commentators, and Christian leaders, including being inspired by the way they lived their lives, even though we may not always agree when it comes to secondary matters. As such, you will share that which will encourage and inspire Christians.
Ezekiel 16:49
Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.
God compared His people to Sodom, being like “your sister Sodom.” While this was written to Jews, the Old Testament was written “for our instruction,” urging us to “take heed,” lest we do the same things (1 Cor. 10:11-12). God listed Sodom’s sins that He hadn’t listed in Genesis. They were sins of commission and sins of omission, doing things one shouldn’t do and not doing things one should do.
One of Sodom’s sins of omission was not helping “the poor and needy” when they had the resources to do so. Their sin of not helping “the poor and needy” was in relation to their “prosperous ease.” That’s the case when you have a measure of abundance that causes you to be complacent and neglect those in need. It’s when you’re doing fine and simply want to enjoy your abundance, instead of using your abundance (and your social media influence) for the needs of others. It’s about having a lack of urgency to help those in need when you can easily do so.
To some extent, we all have a measure of “prosperous ease.” For example, I’m afraid that some of us are more concerned about our social media platform than helping more people when we have an opportunity to do so, including God’s own children.
Hebrews 13:3
Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.
As Christians, we’re called to identify ourselves with our persecuted brothers and sisters, as though we’re persecuted with them. Isn’t the same true when it comes to identifying ourselves with those who live in one of the fifty-two countries where God’s word is banned and don’t have a Bible, as though we don’t have a Bible? Indeed, we are to “rejoice with those who rejoice, [and] weep with those who weep,” which are entirely selfless actions (Rom. 12:15).
The believers in Hebrews were willing to joyfully accept the plundering of their property, because they wanted to show compassion to and identify themselves with those who were persecuted for their faith in Jesus (Heb. 10:34). In light of such compassion and identification, are we willing to share a Bible fundraiser for our persecuted brothers and sisters on our social media?
It’s one thing to share Bible verses, theological essays, doctrinal critiques, and inspirational quotes; it’s quite another thing to genuinely love your brothers and sisters in Christ. While sound doctrine is vitally important, so are practical expressions of compassion, identifying ourselves with those who don’t have a Bible.
James wrote about being only a hearer of the word and not a doer (James 1:22-24). Will you help your persecuted brothers and sisters by sharing a Bible fundraiser on your social media? It doesn’t cost you anything. Nothing at all!
2 Corinthians 8:1-4
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.
God and Your Social Media is about one question: if you could easily and freely help your brothers and sisters in Christ through your social media, would you do so? In order to add some weight to this question, let’s consider the believers in Macedonia.
They were extremely poor and greatly afflicted. Nevertheless, they were incredibly generous in order to provide relief for God’s saints, to those in Jerusalem and Judea who also faced extreme poverty, whom they had never met. Ironically, those who faced extreme poverty were begging Paul earnestly to help those who also faced extreme poverty.
Undoubtedly, if you were a persecuted Christian and didn’t have your own Bible, you would be more than willing—maybe even begging—to help distribute Bibles to other believers who also don’t have a Bible. In sharp contrast, what about Christians in the West? Are we earnestly begging for an opportunity to share a Bible fundraiser for our persecuted brothers and sisters?
Do you agree that these extremely poor believers in Macedonia put most of us to shame for our unwillingness to use our social media in order to help other Christians, which is without any cost or effort on our part? Zero cost and zero effort to help distribute God’s word to those who don’t have a Bible. To not do so even sounds like a moral crime.
Galatians 6:10
So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
As stated before, we have unprecedented opportunities through our social media to share that which is good and that which will “do good.” When we have an opportunity to “do good,” we’re commanded to do so, especially for other Christians.
In all seriousness, whether you’re a Christian, church, ministry, Christian organization, or Christian media outlet, can you support any policy, procedure, or practice that would undermine an opportunity for you to “do good . . . especially to those who are of the household of faith”?
What about parachurch ministries that have a specific ministry focus? Can they set aside biblical directives when those directives don’t fit within their ministry focus? For example, if a ministry has almost three million Facebook followers and can easily and freely share a Bible fundraiser for their persecuted brothers and sisters, should they do so, even though their focus is on families? Is their social media platform more important than helping distribute Bibles to their persecuted brothers and sisters?
Or what about an evangelist who has over one million Facebook followers? Should he make use of a free, simple, and easy opportunity to help distribute Bibles to his persecuted brothers and sisters? Otherwise, is our love not more so “in word or talk” than “in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18)? Or, are we then not more concerned about our interests than the interests of Jesus Christ (Phil. 2:20-21)?
Ultimately, God and Your Social Media is about loving your neighbor as yourself, which is the second greatest commandment. Will you express such love to your persecuted brothers and sisters?
Conclusion
If the Firefighter Association came up with a way or device to potentially rescue more people, should they make use of it? That’s a no-brainer, right? What if Christians, churches, ministries, Christian organizations, and Christian media outlets had a free, simple, and easy opportunity to distribute Bibles to their persecuted brothers and sisters, should they make use of such an opportunity? That’s also a no-brainer, right?
Furthermore, if a nonprofit is reluctant to share a third-party Bible fundraiser on their social media, they can always become an affiliate, which is a legitimate opportunity for nonprofits. The former AmazonSmile and the current Amazon Associates are probably the best examples. In other words, there’s no excuse to not help distribute Bibles to your persecuted brothers and sisters.
Here’s the bottom line, if these classic Christian books will, indeed, encourage any Christian in his or her faith and walk with Jesus, and if they will, indeed, distribute Bibles to our persecuted brothers and sisters, should you make use of such an opportunity?
Without question, there are unlimited opportunities and there’s unlimited potential to “do good” through the faithful and wise use of your social media! Will you do so? Or to make it an ultimate question: do you think God wants you to do so?
For all the info, please go to www.HelpThePersecutedChurch.com.