FEATURE
Your social media self What I would share or not share
BY AMANDA SOH
OUR LIVES REVOLVE AROUND the Internet – we wake up to our phone ringing, check emails or log on to Facebook, and go to bed reading the news on our phone. Inevitable as it is, we have moved into the digital age.
Zooming into our own lives, with our profiles on different social media platforms, how should we as Christians present ourselves? We should be vigilant of what we post, share and comment on all of our social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.
Your profile
Unlike my peers, I tend to keep my opinions to myself, and not post them on any of my social media platforms. There are a few reasons as to why I don’ t voice out or share posts on‘ controversial’ topics such as politics.
Are you stumbling others?
I would question myself – " Would I stumble others with what I am about to share or with my comments?" A perfect example of who we should look to is Paul, who wrote in his letter to the people in Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul addressed the concerns of the faminestruck people of Corinth on whether they could eat the food that was offered to idols. He opens with“ We all possess knowledge”( v1); the word‘ knowledge’ in verse 1 and the following verses after refers to the understanding of the futility of worshipping idols. However, not every one in the church knew of this‘ knowledge’ and they persisted in their beliefs that consuming the food offered to idols was prohibited.
Paul was trying to make a nuanced point— that even if eating the food offered to the idols was not wrong, the Corinthians had to be careful of not stumbling those who had no such‘ knowledge’. In verses 9 and 10, Paul explicitly explained and questioned the Christians in Corinth,“ Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’ s temple, won’ t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?”( NIV) He then told them not to eat the meat if it were to cause their brothers and sisters to sin. Likewise, don’ t post or share anything that might cause your brothers or sisters in Christ to sin.
Encourage others
As a church, we are to encourage one another in this long journey we have in Christ. Community for me is so important and I consistently tell myself“ no man’ s an island” in this Christian marathon we are on. You can find verses that remind the church time and time again to encourage and build one another up in Christ.( 1 Thess. 5:11, Col. 1:28)
As you know, social media is able to reach the hundreds and thousands of masses – so why not share the Good News with your friends who might not know what Christ has done for them on the cross for their sins – rather than the bad news we read every day in the news. Don’ t stop sharing your opinions; post or comment on what is close to your heart but think of others before yourself.
ASIAN ASIAN BEACON BEACON 48 # 148 December # 1 December 2016 2016- January- January 2017 201721 21