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I just read a great post from Dr. Jones. No… not Dr. Indiana Jones but Dr. Clay Jones from Biola university. The question asked was whether or not every pastor should be an Apologist. I believe he gives an excellent response to the question and provides a solution every church can consider. I encourage you to check out the article before reading further. Here is the link to his blog post: Should Every Pastor Be an Apologist? Yes and No.

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We often share insights and ideas about leveraging technology to reach people for Christ.  Using the latest and greatest tools available to us can become powerful resources to share thoughts, ideas and the truth of the Gospel.  One such environment which seems to be gaining momentum are Facebook Groups.

Sure, just about everyone knows about Facebook but far fewer have leveraged the influence of Facebook Groups to create Spiritual conversations and engage people with the truth of the Gospel.  Facebook Groups allow any Facebook user to create a group for any specific purpose.  You can check it out at:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/.   There are groups that share the arts focusing on painting, music, drama and community events.  There are other groups sharing interests like cars, coffee drinkers, golf, football or just about any specialized thing you can think of.  Groups are created for just about anything anyone might have an interest for and they can be localized groups or international.

What about creating groups for the specific purpose of having Spiritual conversations?  I can’t think of a less invasive way to begin a dialogue with those seriously interested in seeking answers and discussion.  Imagine groups established for growing Christians as well as for those seeking answers about faith and God.

A couple of ideas come to mind.  How about creating groups discussing one of Lee Strobel’s books like “The Case For Faith”?  This would a great resource to address common questions about belief in God.  Another idea might be to take the current “Awakening” book and 21 day challenge to create discussions on prayer, fasting and personal devotion.  A third idea may be to read and discuss a Missions book like “Through God’s Eyes” to create a dialogue about what God says about His world and the people He calls us to reach and minister with.  

The possibilities are truly limitless.  What ideas come to mind for you?  Let’s use this medium to share ideas and leverage technology to reach people for Christ.  Just about anyone can use the tools available through Facebook to connect with people anywhere!
One of my favorite books is C.S. Lewis’ short sermon called “The Weight of Glory”.  I would love to read it again and discuss it with others….care to join the discussion?

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An interesting truth became painfully obvious for a man in Eagle Colorado today.  It seems this 30-year-old man was suspected of breaking into several homes and robbing them of their jewelry and electronics.  He was identified but the police couldn’t find him.  So they did what any good and decent modern police force would do.  They turned to Facebook for help.  By soliciting help from this man’s Facebook friends they were able to zero in on him rather quickly and bring him to justice.  Jesus’ message … “everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open and every secret will be brought to light” (Mark 4:22) was illustrated through the tool of Facebook and this man’s deception was brought to light.

This hard lesson experienced by this thief had me thinking about it from the other perspective.  The verse right before Mark 4:22 says “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed?  Of course not!  A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine” (Mark 4:23).  The work we do in the Kingdom is to be seen by all and we have a unique opportunity through the power of technology to let our light shine for all men.

What if we looked at the access to the world we have today and used that access to pour into the lives of people the reality of Jesus Christ?  Have you thought about the influence and possibilities present today that were not possible even a few years ago due to the adoption of popular Social Media environments like Facebook?

Christians are the light of the World and by sharing the life change of Jesus in our lives and the truth of His Word though the most popular Social Media environments affords us unique opportunities to reach people in ways never possible before. There is exponential effect when people post and repost the things that matter most.  Make it a point to use Social Media to let your light shine!

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