Are you lost in the world like me?
This is a question that was asked by Moby & The Void Pacific Choir in the form of a song and animated video back in December 2016.
(You can view the official video here)
It tackles the addiction of smartphone technology and the false persona that we put, front and centre, on our social media accounts.
A rosier than everyone else imaginary world, that only shows a small part of the reality that we are living in.
Which as I thought about the “foolishness of the cross to those who are lost” found in 1 Corinthians 1:18 – 2:16 (Easy-to-Read Version) it reminded me of a book that I read, a while ago now, by Craig Groeschel ‘#struggles – Following Jesus in a Selfie-Centered World‘.
In the book he explores the qualities that life with Jesus brings: Contentment, Intimacy, Authenticity, Compassion, and Rest. He unpacks technology’s impact on our ability to relate, communicate, and connect with other people.
We are social beings and over the past few weeks or more of lock-down, isolation has had an immeasurable affect on us all. We have been using technology to the extreme; facebook, instagram, twitter, facetime, messenger, teams, and zoom etc. have all seen staggering increases in usage.
Even in church settings people have been gathering around the world in their homes to view online streaming of their church services, and worship teams have done amazing things with technology.
Yet, we are all hanging out for some real face time, not just through our devices but person to person contact. We miss the physical contact that social-distancing denies us.
Within New Zealand some people are able to go back to work, widening their bubbles as we move down our alert levels, so that we can kick start the economy. But I would hazard a guess that for many of them it is more than just doing their jobs and earning some much needed money, it is about meeting up with people that they know and hang out with on a week to week basis and doing life together. Regaining a sense of worth in their lives. Many of them possibly lost without even really realising it.
As we move into the new normal that Covid-19 has necessitated, ‘we need to make sure that technology is enhancing our relationships, not replacing them. We must focus on loving others more and truly interacting with them and appreciating them, rather than just liking what they post.‘
The thing is, “Our love for one another will prove to the world that we are His disciples.”
John 13:35 (New Living Translation).
This I believe is Godly intimacy that the world is hanging out for, craving for, longing for. The Hope and Life that we can bring as followers of Christ, because of our intimacy with Christ.
People won’t know that you’re one of His disciples by how many followers you have. They won’t know you’re His disciple by how many likes you get or how quickly you respond to emails. Believe it or not, they won’t even know that you’re His disciple by how many Bible verse you post.
No, they will know that you’re His disciple when they see His love in you through your actions. When you get involved in other people’s lives, when you care for them, when you open your heart to them, and share what you carry.
This is when we will be able to explain to them what makes us different from everybody else;
that “God gave His Son for me to forgive me of my sins. I’ve found freedom and life in HIm, and that’s how I’m able to show you this kind of love.”
Others won’t know you by your Likes
They will know you by His love!
So may this be a word of encouragement to you today as we slowly start heading back to some sort of semblance of normality in our world. As we come to grips with what we need to do in our communities to impact them with the Word of God and to walk beside people who need the Lord for they are lost in a world like you and me.
The following link to the thought provoking song ‘They Need You, They Need Me, They Need Christ‘ comes from the International Staff Songster CD entitled ‘The Spirit of the Army’. Which is written by General John Gowans and General John Larsson.
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