Anti-Social Media

Several years ago I went to a cricket test match for the first time.  I was struck by the number of warnings against "antisocial behaviour" at the Sydney Cricket Ground which said all who persisted in such behaviour would be removed from the venue.  Acts of violence, drunken or disorderly conduct, obscene language or threats directed at others, basically any hostility towards other patrons was not permitted.  There is an amount of drinking and sledging (good-natured ribbing) at any cricket match, but it was only permitted in the spirit of the game without becoming "antisocial."

There are no such rules governing the use of social media, which I have found to be growing increasingly antisocial in every way.  What was once a novel and useful tool to connect people has been leveraged to drive people apart.  It used to be in social gatherings common courtesy and polite to avoid camping on emotionally charged subjects (politics and religion were often cited as chief offenders), but it seems these and other controversial subjects are social media mainstays.  Considering the feelings of others seems out of fashion because self-expression reigns supreme.  As useful as it can be, I have found social media (Facebook in particular) to be increasingly politicised and so utilised as marketing to the point almost all personal connection is lost.  Beyond that, comments have become a wasteland given over to the trolls who shamelessly soil every page and person they trample on.

I believe social media can be a valuable tool, but it cannot ever replace a simple conversation.  The Apostle John didn't have Facebook, but he recognised the value of meeting people face to face.  Several times in his letters he expressed his desire not only to write with paper and ink, but to meet in person.  Based upon the correspondence and character of the man it seems he wrote to encourage and exhort fellow believers, not to argue with or shout down those who worshipped Jupiter or Zeus.  Have you considered what purpose social media serves for you?  It must serve a useful purpose for you, not the other way around.  There is no peace for those who become slaves of social media, for it can be a very demanding and harsh master.

With the best intentions I believe Christians can be sucked into useless debates and arguments which do not edify nor impart grace to those involved.  I am convinced it is better for us to stand firm in the faith and give an answer for the hope that is in us rather than pushing back against all error.  God forbid I would come across as "antisocial" when my motive for social involvement in a discussion is the good of others!  Alas, helpful intentions are not easily conveyed with written words using social media, especially concerning emotionally-charged subjects.  If we browse through a Facebook feed without the armour of God, all manner of snares and temptations parade before us.  It is only by God's grace we can prayerfully navigate them, speaking the truth in love.  Let us encourage with gracious words, extending favour without suspicion or hate.  May we be above reproach in what we say and do in all our social connections, online or in person!

The Hope of the Gospel

Recently I heard of a young woman's passing at the age of 21.  Cancer previously in remission came back with a vengeance, and her graduation to glory was sudden and unexpected.  The only solace her friends have in this time of loss is the knowledge this woman chose to place her faith in Jesus Christ, having received the Gospel which saves to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25).

A mate of mine who knew her well spoke about his grieving process, how his mind went to their last interactions, his sorrow and tears.  He thought about how in her brief life there are many things she never had the opportunity to experience:  to graduate from university, to be married, bear children, or own a home.  Despite the sadness, he was able to discover joy in the knowledge her days of pain are over for good, for she had a hope in the Gospel which is greater than a cure for cancer.  Because of the assurance provided in the Bible through Jesus, this dear girl now rejoices in the arms of her loving Saviour and lives unfettered by illness or pain forever.

It struck me:  even if our days on earth be few, no life is "cut short" after being born again through faith in Jesus Christ.  There is nothing more this woman can do on earth, but she made a decision and lived a life which counted for all eternity.  Marriages end, children move away, and houses burn to ash, but those who repent and trust in Jesus have eternal security and have accomplished all that matters.  "The LORD took her away at work," my friend said.  It is immensely painful for all who remain behind, but I am convinced the one taken up in the arms of Jesus is not at all sorrowful.  Our Saviour wept when He was brought to the tomb of Lazarus, but mourning was turned to joy because He is the Resurrection and the Life.

Cultivating Receptivity

I have been reading through Tozer's Pursuit of God and have found it insightful and thought-provoking.  I like a man who does not only point out problems but holds forth the biblical solution.  While there is no shortage of self-proclaimed watchmen these days, those who cultivate the presence of God are surprisingly few.  After acknowledging the reality of God and our need for utter dependence upon the Holy Spirit, Tozer follows it up with the responsibility of man to labour to seek God and be receptive to His voice.  I find this convicting because of my own lame efforts yet encouraging at the same time because of the assurance provided by God in His Word.  Tozer wrote:

"Receptivity is not a single thing; it is a compound rather, a blending of several elements within the soul.  It is an affinity for, a bent toward, a sympathetic response to, a desire to have.  From this it may be gathered that it can be present in degrees, that we may have little or more or less, depending upon the individual.  It may increased by exercise or destroyed by neglect.  It is not a sovereign and irresistible force which comes upon us as a seizure from above.  It is a gift of God, indeed, but one which must be recognized and cultivated as any other gift if it is to realize the purpose for which it was given.

Failure to see this is the cause of a very serious breakdown in modern evangelicalism.  The idea of cultivation and exercise, so dear to the saints of old, has now no place in our total religious picture.  It is too slow, too common.  We now demand glamour and fast flowing dramatic action.  A generation of Christians reared among push buttons and automatic machines is impatient of slower and less direct methods of reaching their goals.  We have been trying to apply machine-age methods to our relations with God.  We read our chapter, have our short devotions and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy by attending another gospel meeting or listening to another thrilling story told by a religious adventurer lately returned from afar.

The tragic results of this spirit are all about us.  Shallow lives, holy religious philosophies, the preponderance of the element of fun in gospel meetings, the glorification of men, trust in religious externalities, quasi-religious fellowships, salesmanship methods, the mistaking of dynamic personality for the power of the Spirit; these and such as these are the symptoms of an evil disease, a deep and serious malady of the soul.

For this great sickness that is upon us no one person is responsible, and no Christian is wholly free from blame.  We have all contributed, directly or indirectly, to this sad state of affairs.  We have been too blind to see, or too timid to speak out, or too self-satisfied to desire anything better than the poor average diet with which others appear satisfied.  To put in differently, we have accepted on another's notions, copied one another's lives and made one another's experiences the model for our own.  And for a generation the trend has been downward.  Now we have reached a low place of sand and burnt wire grass and, worst of all, we have made the Word of Truth conform to our experience and accepted this low plane as the very pasture of the blessed...

What God in His sovereignty may yet do on a world-scale I do not claim to know:  but what He will do for the plain man or woman who seeks His face I believe I do know and can tell others.  Let any man turn to God in earnest, let him begin to exercise himself unto godliness, let him seek to develop his powers of spiritual receptivity by trust and obedience and humility, and the results will exceed anything he may have hoped in his leaner and weaker days.  Any man who by repentance and a sincere return to God will break himself out of the mold in which he has been held, and will go to the Bible itself for his spiritual standards, will be delighted with what he finds there." (Tozer, A. and Snyder, J. (2017). The Essential Tozer Collection. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House, pp.67-69.)

When Wisdom Laughs

Wisdom is no good to us when unheeded.  In the book of Proverbs, Wisdom is personified as a woman calling aloud to all who will listen.  She raised her voice in the city gates and main thoroughfares, reproving the foolish and the scorner.  There is great grace in her boisterous approach, for she sought out and addressed people who were unlikely to listen.  It seems for the most part Wisdom's voice was ignored and scorned by those she warned and instructed.

Her response to their stubborn folly is revealed in Proverbs 1:24-31:  "Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, ²⁵ because you disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, ²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, ²⁷ when your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. ²⁸ "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. ²⁹ Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, ³⁰ they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. ³¹ therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies."

As a farmer reaps what he sows, so those who do not fear God and follow their own ways will reap calamity, terror, destruction, distress, and anguish.  Even as the type of seed sown dictates what kind of crop is produced, our response to God's call, counsel, and rebuke has real consequences in our lives. Should we mock and laugh at the stern warnings of Wisdom, Wisdom will laugh when the trouble she warned them about comes upon us.  Those who despise Wisdom will find themselves without aid in trouble.  I am amazed how Jesus has become for Christians wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30-31) and it is His voice we are to heed.  If we hear and obey His words, we are compared to a wise man who builds his house upon the rock.  When the storm hits we will be secure and protected; we are the ones who can laugh at the storm because Wisdom prepared and preserves us.  When Wisdom laughs at you, that is no laughing matter.