Terrific Tools OR Deadly Distractions

Imagine if you had an open invitation into another Christian’s life for just a few minutes on an almost daily basis. What would you do with that kind of privilege? Would you squander it and waste time with them on frivolity? Would you seize the opportunity for self aggrandizement? Or would you use the opportunity to build up others? I certainly hope you would use the time wisely; that you would use it to build up others and to build healthy, deep, meaningful, mutually fulfilling relationships.


Building relationships with other church members and friends is an exchange of ideas and interests that takes time. I have found in order to build deep friendships it takes much more than learning someone’s name and saying ‘hello’ on a frequent basis. It takes time, a lot of time; it takes caring and sharing, it takes compassion and cooperation. Time is a scarce commodity. If your church is like mine, usually everyone is so busy doing one thing or another that there is scarcely time for fellowship in, and around, and between various ministry activities and services.  So imagine if you had an open invitation into another Christian’s life for just a few minutes on almost a daily basis. What would you do with that kind of privilege?

Before Dr. Franklin discovered electricity, and before Alex Bell ramped up communications, and before Mr. Tucker or Ford or whoever it was (it wasn’t Flintstone, :-), but before someone discovered motorized transportation, and before the Wrights discovered we could fly; Before the Industrial Revolution things were simpler, relationships were simpler.  People are busy today.
Very busy. And church people are busy too.

I have come to the conclusion that among the other more Biblical things that the church is, It is a group of very, very, very busy people, with their own problems and concerns, and their own goals and dreams, and their own pressures and trials, all coming together in one place where they have One Person as their concerted, holy, supreme focus for a few hours.  And since His desire is towards people, and the love of Christ constrains the spirit-filled believer, we have a burden for the lost and a desire to encourage our brothers. (and sisters too.)



But people are busy today. Very busy. And church people are busy too. So imagine if you had an open invitation into another Christian’s life on almost a daily basis. What would you do with that kind of privilege?As we moved from the Industrial Revolution into a highly technological era, there are helps to building relationships that I think we have only begun to make proper use of in the church. Text messaging and e-mail have been among the most commonly used, but the internet and social networks such as FaceBook, Twitter, Google, and others have become the daily ‘meeting place’ for many. Now it’s not just the younger crowd getting comfortable with the tools of this century; there are many more 'technologically challenged' folks who are seeing the benefits of these tools as well. Also pastors, teachers, counselors, and other mentor type relationships are growing on the social networks at phenomenal rates. Pastors are building strong bonds of friendships with ‘their’ flocks, and others who have a heart for souls also, on an almost daily basis.


I have found that a Bible verse, or the words to a favorite hymn, or just some God-honoring thought can change a persons perspective and can turn a persons day around. We all need encouragement. I am so very encouraged when I get a text saying, "Hey Buddy, I just want you to know, I'm lifting you up to Jesus today." That does something in my soul friend. I certainly hope you will use the tools of our century, and use the candid moments wisely; that you would use them to build up others and to build healthy, deep, meaningful, mutually fulfilling relationships.

But there is another aspect of relationships, specially with regard to  personal time and private time, that I have not yet mentioned. It is the need for healthy boundaries and limits. Online we need boundaries to limit what we say to others and what we will allow others to say to us. There are predators out there that want to seduce you and eat up everything precious in your life. You must have solid, pre-defined boundaries. Also Paul warned the Galatian church, "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." (Gal. 5:15) And if this fleshy kind of thing can happen in our churches friend, don't you know that it can happen exponentially online. We need healthy boundaries. And we need to be careful what we text and type. Some things require a face-to-face meeting. Lets not be guilty of laziness in our communications.



You also need limits with regards to how your online activity affects your offline relationships, namely your relationship with your spouse and your children. I am told that here in Maine some guy named Farnsworth from Ellesworth invented something that has become of little worth to me. It's the television. The television is a major distraction for some, but so is the internet. Don't you know that these techno-tools that can help build relationships, can also tear them down. If we do not guard our time with our precious families we may find that we have much more 'free' time than we ever dreamed. It is deadly, it will kill your relationships. We need proper boundaries and we need to prioritize our use of time. Face to face encounters with those dear to us, and dear to Jesus, must not suffer because we are too busy trying to build techno-tolerant relationships.

A final thought;

Relationships require ‘give and take’, and truth is, often it is much more ‘give’ than take. If we have in mind to love and edify others, rather than love and exalt ourselves, then it should be our desire to give, to make investments in the relationship. To give without regard to whether or not we ever make withdrawals. We will want Jesus to become the supreme focus of another persons thoughts. (not us.) If this is our desire it should not bother us if the give is more than the get. Imagine if you had an open invitation into another Christian’s life for just a few minutes on an almost daily basis. What would you do with that kind of privilege?


Jesus must be first.
He must increase, WE must decrease!