Discipleship in a Facebook World (Part III)

Real VS Imitation

Decaf Isn't Coffee and Cyber-Church isn't the Church

I read recently of an Emerging Church that went out of business primarily by the use of Facebook. This church apparently chose to do all of its intimate encounters and ministry online using Facebook. In time all of the prayer requests, pertinent information, and even gathering as a body took place on line. The built in Instant Messaging tool was utilized as a means of “discipling” individuals. One former member was quoted as saying, “It was so exciting. The Facebook app on your phone allowed you to carry the church in your pocket and contribute through PayPal.”

It seems that the next transition of this cyber-church was to exclusivity. Facebook is a filter and can be used as a gateway or gatekeeper as to who gets “in” and who is “excluded.” Three things developed as a result: 

• So called “undesirables” were excluded from any and all participation
• The Instant Message tool became an avenue for gossip
• Those who were “mentors” never met or interacted with “new believers” 

According to the report this church disbanded within four years. The fact that Facebook is electronic and digital prevented their people from personally interacting with each other. People who were scattered across the country were deprived of the dynamics that take place in face to face encounters. The medium (Facebook as a social network) actually distorted the message of the Gospel. God never intended the church to be carried in your pocket and to be attended through the means of an app or a social net-work.

Stop and think about it for a moment. Disciples cannot be made nor developed online. Any small number of exceptions simply proves this rule. Merely meeting on line means that one cannot take place in the following activities: 

• Discipline of sinning “members”
• Participation in the Lord’s Supper
• Mentoring context with interpersonal relationships
• Inability to greet one another with hugs handshakes or holy kisses
• Inability to minister spiritual gifts in a dynamic setting
• Pastoral visits 

Of course these are only a few of the multitude of things missing or unavailable in a cyber-congregation or meeting through a social-network. The New Testament church is a living organism with a living and vital relationship to her “head.” The New Testament church is not a “virtual” imitation suspended in cyber-space. Discipleship must take place both face to face and under the authority of the local church.

There was a time when the question was asked, “Does your church have a website?” Today the question is, “Does your church have a Facebook page?” Facebook carries a certain “status.” It also emanates a certain expectation due to its sheer membership of approximately 650 million members.

When the Apostle Paul – oops – I mean the unknown writer of the epistle to the Hebrews dictated these words, 

“…let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near,” (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV) 

he did not imagine "meeting together" to be in an imitation, de-caffeinated, “virtual” cyber-space filtered social network. Do you?

What can we learn from this part of this series? First, the discipleship that happens; if it happens at all is sporadic with little or no accountability. Second, there is neither risk nor requirement to be transparent. One can simply de-friend anyone who may attempt to instill some accountability or demand transparency. Third, there is no real requirement or opportunity for sacrifice in a virtual world. Fourth, gathering in chat rooms, apps, or IM’s is not a legitimate gathering of the body.

Utilizing Facebook as a means of “doing church” or discipleship seems to me to be similar to drinking a cold cup of instant decaffeinated coffee. It just happens to be that “real” is not only better, but it is essential to real coffee drinkers. I know that sentence is open to argument; however, I do not believe that “real” when it comes to the church of Jesus Christ is any less real or essential to the command to make disciples.

To be continued…

Discipleship in a Facebook World (Part II)

Face to Face VS “Friends List”

Let me say first of all that to my knowledge and understanding Facebook has never declared itself to be a “discipleship” tool. In all fairness the failure lies not with Facebook but with individuals who rely on or lean on Facebook for spiritual benefit or gain.

Second, let me establish from the Scriptures the biblical models of discipleship. A study of the Bible demonstrates that discipleship included both corporate training and individual mentoring. The clearest of all passages that I can think of for corporate discipleship is Acts 2:42,

“…they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42, ESV)

A stand out passage on individual discipling and mentoring would be II Timothy 2:2,

“…what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also,” (II Tim 2:2, ESV)

When one studies the methodology of Jesus, one will see that Jesus taught in large crowds and one on one with the disciples. Jesus became very intimate with his disciples as he trained them. Whether he was teaching and training the twelve or the inner circle of three, He was face to face with his disciples.

Let’s not engage in futile and fruitless arguments such as, “they didn’t have microphones, Power Point, television, or pianos, so we shouldn’t use them.” I am well aware that Facebook did not exist when Jesus was discipling both the crowds and His disciples. Don’t miss the point that effective discipleship is intimate and face to face not anonymous and digital.

Since the bible is clear on the intimate, face to face training and mentoring why would we reject such methodology for Facebook? Should we replace face to face catechism with face book simply because it is global? The answer is emphatically no! Cyber-social networks such as Facebook, My Space, and others cannot duplicate the dynamics involved that manifest themselves in corporate and individual contexts.

Marshal McLuhan observed, “We become what we behold. We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us.” [i] This tells us since Facebook as a medium of social networking on a global scale is far less personal, if not impersonal will have the opposite effect of what believers hope to have.

Encounters on Facebook are more likely to fail in discipling or mentoring individuals due to this lack of face to face encounters. Facebook facilitates superficiality and a smug self-satisfaction that one has done something glorious or majestic by “posting” a verse, a quote, or even a biblical teaching rather than true development of a soul.

In the first place, Facebook is designed to be “user-friendly” rather than demanding, expecting, confrontational, and or corrective. Secondly, there is no real means of exacting accountability of those whom we tweet, text, or post. Third, it is difficult to engage the heart, soul, and mind of a disciple without the dynamics of personal, intimate, face to face one on one encounter.

I know that many will respond vehemently that they don’t use Facebook as their exclusive means of spiritual maturation. Many are involved in local churches and are involved in one-on-one ministries. For this I am grateful to God. Nor do I want to discount those few times a verse or one liner might truly bless someone.

Many fear the local church has failed. Many criticize the church for being dead, cold, and lifeless. In many cases this is absolutely true. I visited a church yesterday that is in the final stages of death. I think a few in the small group of 27 people who were scattered through an auditorium that had been built for probably 200 knew they were moments from death. You will get no argument from me that some individual local churches need to close and be replaced. I would argue that they need not be replaced by cyber-space social networking congregations.

Some are beginning to think this way – “we choose our friends on line and whom we will “friend” why not choose a church online?” With Facebook pages, phone apps, and electronic media, one does not need to leave one’s home in order to visit, attend, or even interact with a “church.” Virtual “churches” and congregations can be found all over the internet. Of course this is not Facebook’s fault. However, the development of churches on line, in space, and on Facebook is just one more cog in the wheel of “spiritual consumerism.”  One can certainly choose a cyber-congregation and customize it the way you would any other app on your found or computer.

This is why you can read such testimonies and statements in various electronic mediums as, “I hardly ever go to church. I stay connected through Facebook and I can do it from anywhere.” The consensus is one on one, personal and intimate discipleship is irrelevant when Facebook is everywhere.

To be continued…

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[i] Marshal McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964), p. xi

Discipleship in a Facebook World (Part I)

The Deficiency of the Information Age

 The information age began in the 1970's with the advent of the personal computer. Four decades of information and data seem to have done the evangelical world very little good. The church as a whole remains ignorant of the Scriptures, biblical theology, and even church history. It seems that ignorance prevails with information literally at one’s finger-tips.  Whether it is the “superhighway,” the electronic book age, computer data-bases, or libraries on line, the church as a whole seems to be biblically illiterate.

I do not believe that this ignorance and illiteracy stems from a lack of intelligence or personal ability. I think the illiteracy of today’s church lies in the fact that the church rarely, if ever catechizes its membership any longer. Catechism has fallen by the wayside due to the advent of the seeker-sensitive movement that has infiltrated the church.

Catechism (/ˈkætəkɪzəm/ comes from the ancient Greek: κατηχισμός from kata = "down" + echein = "to sound", literally "to sound down" (into the ears) It literally means to indoctrinate. It is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present. Catechisms are doctrinal manuals often in the form of questions followed by answers to be memorized, a format that has been used in non-religious or secular contexts as well.

Catechism worked for centuries because it was face to face, interpersonal between the catechist (teacher) and catechumen (student.) Catechism was demanding. If catechism even takes place today it is rarely demanding because church staffs are afraid to make any demands. They are afraid of losing their constituents to less demanding organizations.

Face to face discipleship is the only method of discipleship that makes a lasting impression. This is the kind of discipleship that strengthens believers against nominalism. All of our modern technologies, including social networks cannot take the place of face to face discipleship.

Churches have abdicated their responsibilities. One by one churches have abandoned education and entered into entertainment. The “line” dividing education and entertainment has been breached. An article states that American students spend approximately 9hours a day in from of electronic media devices and yet score lower than eastern counterparts in science, math, language acquisition, and proficiency.

The internet was a great accomplishment and addition to the information age. The internet had been developed in 1969 but did not come into its own until 1989 when Tim Berners-Lee developed the World Wide Web. (Sorry Al Gore. We really didn't think you invented the inter-net) When the World Wide Web went on line in 1991 it made the internet a global network. The internet can place a wealth of information into the hands of the average Christian, yet it has not made the impact upon individuals as the simple one on one face-to-face method of discipleship. Face-to-face discipleship provides the avenue for quality disciples.

Facebook has come along as the newest media to romance the church. Face-to-Face Discipleship now competes with Facebook discipleship. Facebook discipleship is failing and will fail. I will develop this proposition and provide the biblical remedy in this four (4) part series, Lord willing. Stay tuned! 


To be continued...

What's In Your Heart?

In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words with out a heart.

--John Bunyan

People Who WILL NOT Go to Heaven (Part IV)

Biblical preaching declares that men are not born again by the will of the flesh, (deciding) nor by the will of man (praying a prayer), but of God. (John 1:13)

Decisional regeneration does not save men any more than baptismal regeneration does. Now, I will admit that at times some men have been converted through these false and inadequate methods of evangelization. However, these men have been saved in spite of the methodology not because of it. The bible is very clear that only the Holy Spirit of God can work salvation in the souls of the unconverted.

True repentance and faith comes as the result of being regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Repentance and faith are NEVER the cause of salvation or the resulting change in a man. Repentance and saving faith are the acts of a man who has been born again or born from above by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. Do not confuse the issue, God does not act for us, He does not believe for us, nor does He repent for us – but a man who has been made alive by an act of God will respond in repentance and saving faith. A man must acknowledge his sin against God, must acknowledge the judgment and condemnation he is under and with this understanding turn from that sin and turn to God asking for mercy and redemption.

The bible teaches that God saves His elect through the “foolishness of preaching.”  We must preach the gospel, which includes not only the good news of proffered salvation, but the reason for the need of salvation. We must preach that men are condemned sinners who are dammed and doomed to an eternity separated from God in divine punishment.

There is no more damaging and destructive doctrine as what is taught by decisional regeneration than that of the fact that sinners can be saved when they want to be saved by merely deciding to be saved and praying a prayer. This is why local churches are filled with both men who lead as pastors and those who fill the pew who have never been redeemed by the working of God. This is why churches are anemic, lifeless, in-grown, in turmoil-strife, and or dying – they are filled with “dead men.”

Man is spiritually dead in his sin and he cannot please God. (Ephe 2:1) A state of death and helplessness cannot be changed by making a decision for Christ and then praying a prayer. A man cannot make or will himself to be a Christian in this manner. Those who think so or trust in such will be people who do not go to heaven. God must create a new man in an individual in order for that man to enter into heaven. God gives men a new heart by his grace. He makes a man a new person with a new nature. He works a change in a man who know has the capability to live his life as Christ lived his life.

See your sin! See your condemnation! See your need of a savior and savior and turn to Christ, call on His name, begging Him for mercy. Do not confuse these words to mean you must clean yourself up before you come to God. You never will because you can never change on your own. What you must do is come to Him now. Recognize yourself as dead in your sins and apart from the grace of God you will remain there. Throw yourself at the foot of the cross and cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ to save you! Trust in Him alone and surrender to His rule and reign over your life. Give up on yourself, give up your control, give up your own will, cast your sin before Him, and give it all, your very life, to the Lord Jesus Christ. He will accept nothing less than unrivaled allegiance. He demands it.

What will you do now? This could possibly be your last warning. Once your conscience is seared, it will be too late. The longer you run from this message and refuse to heed to God’s mercy, the more difficult it will be for you to respond to His grace. These are the last days, my friend. Stop playing games with your eternity. The world is not worth it, nor is the temporary fulfillment of your sinful lifestyle. Run to Christ and never look back. Surrender to the One who was nailed to the bloody cross and who reigns at the right hand of God today. Is He not worthy? Does He not deserve your unwavering devotion? Does He not deserve your love, which is evidenced by obeying what He teaches?

Run to Him!

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. – 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

People Who WILL NOT Go to Heaven (Part III)

There is a fifth problem that usually arises from those who propagate decisional regeneration. This very system often combats any and all teaching of requiring or inspecting Christlikeness and holiness from someone who has made such a decision. Many people have deceived themselves into thinking that they are Christians and have eternal security and yet have no evidence of regeneration ever having taken place.

Salvation is a very precious and priceless gift given to men by God. Salvation is a work of God in the souls of men and not a work of man achieved by man’s desires and decisions. In all fairness, most if not all of those who utilize this man-made system of decisional regeneration will also state that salvation is a work of God and not a work of man. They will be very quickly to state that man’s efforts cannot enter the mix at all. What is the problem?

When a “decision” is made or a prayer is prayed regardless of sincerity, one is depending upon a presentation of a gospel message to “convict” the unconverted of his or her need for Christ. One is then told to “sign on the dotted line” by praying what is commonly called “the Sinner’s Prayer.” After one prays such a prayer, one is pronounced saved. In many cases the response is based upon the pressure and persuasion of the gospel presenter and the desire of the recipient to enjoy the treasures of heaven and as an escape from hell.

Only God work salvation in the soul of man. Only God can open the heart in His timing. When Paul preached the gospel to the women by the riverside in Philippi it was God who opened Lydia’s heart where he worked salvation in her soul. Lydia did not make a decision or pray a prayer. The Philippian jailer after hearing the praise and prayer of Paul and Silas asked, "What must I do to be saved?”

The bible teaches that the way to salvation is very narrow. The bible also teaches that not everyone who says they are a Christian or believer actually are saved. Paul made it clear that when sin seems to be so prevalent in our lives and there is no Christlikeness present we must examine the evidence and reasons that we claim to be Christians and see if the evidence is present. John made it clear that when one says he knows Christ must live as Christ lived.

Here is the greatest part of the deception of decision regeneration – this is where one places their confidence. When one is caused to doubt their salvation or when asked when it was accomplished, one often goes back to a date, a place and moment in time when a prayer was spoken and a decision was made. Many people hang their eternal security on this “act.” The assurance of salvation comes from the knowledge that God Himself through His Holy Spirit based on the sacrificial work of Christ has wrought salvation in one’s soul. How does one know that one knows Christ? How does one “proof” salvation? Where does assurance come from?  “By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”  (I John 2:5)

How can we destroy this heresy of decisional regeneration? We need to quit thinking man can make a decision and pray a prayer in order to be saved. We can quit calling a man to an altar or decision and call him to Christ. We can put back some missing components into our gospel preaching.

Why desire salvation in the first place? Is it merely to escape hell and go to heaven? No. Salvation is necessary because man is born with a sinful nature that is absolutely offensive to God. As a result man is born judged and under the condemnation of God. In order to be saved and forgiven man must repent of his sin, his offense to God, and cast himself on the mercy of God. We cannot leave out the awful condition of sin and the need for repentance from that sin in our gospel presentation. A man must know why he is requesting salvation and from what is he being saved.

Men must be told of their horrendous sin. They must feel the weight and the judgment of that sin in order to sincerely see a need of salvation and to desire salvation. God must give that conviction and God must open the heart of such an individual as they cry out for salvation for offending God. One cannot decide they would like to go to heaven for some mansion just over the hillside and pray a mechanical prayer at any time they deem to be right.

To be continued…

People Who WILL NOT Go to Heaven (Part II)

MESSAGE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE MADE A DECISION OR ACCEPTED CHRIST

And for those who are professing Christians yet living a lifestyle guided and controlled by "self."

I want to be very frank, not because what you read is the truth, but because of how seriously deceived you may be. Regardless of what decision you have made or what prayer you have prayed, if your lifestyle reflects one of sin, disregard for holy living, and a lack of spiritual maturing it is quite possible that you will never enter the kingdom of God. Listen to John the Apostle as he writes, "...by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."  (I John 2:4-6, ESV)

It may come as a major surprise and shock to you that neither "making a decision for Christ" nor "accepting Christ" are even biblical terms or concepts. First of all, you must come to fully understand that salvation is a complete work of God and not a "work" or "decision" by man. One cannot will himself, decide himself, or make himself a Christian. Again John the apostle makes this clear when he wrote, "But to all who did receive him who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13, ESV)

Jesus Christ make is very clear that new birth, or really birth from above, or spiritual birth is essential to enter the kingdom of God, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) Regeneration or salvation is a work of God not a work of man. Salvation is not something a man can do but it is something that God does. Salvation is a new birth by the Holy Spirit that God works in us. It is not an act that is performed by us.

The church has always been under assault from various errors concerning salvation and redemption. The nineteenth century the church battled the false teaching of baptismal regeneration. Baptismal regeneration teaches the salvation is extended by being baptized.

Today's error (heresy) is decisional regeneration. This heresy has infiltrated the church and is just as damnable and deceptive. Decisional regeneration in a nutshell is where someone shares a few "gospel" verses with someone, and then this unconverted individual is asked to pray a prescribed prayer and make a decision for Christ. Then this individual is pronounced "saved" and told never to doubt it. Many so called evangelistic campaigns and services promote this method shamelessly and prolifically. The end result is this person is supposed to have been made a Christian by making a decision for Christ.

There are many variations and versions to this scenario but the end result is that they end in a mechanical element requiring one to make a decision and prayer a prayer. Many people today trust their eternal outcome on this system. Many people fill our churches today who believe they are eternally secure by such a method. Yet, their lives remain unchanged, they remain loving and living in their own sin and they show no evidence of ever having been born again. When they doubt their "salvation" or are called into question concerning their lifestyle they are told to "never doubt their decision" for Christ has to make good on it.

There are a number of problems with this so called system of decision regeneration. First, one can make a profession and pray a prayer without ever having his or her confidence in themselves ever broken. Second, one can make a profession and pray a prayer and never be regenerated at all. Third, it leads to strife and difficulty in local churches as a number of un-regenerated people try to "live together" and operate spiritual principles without ever having the indwelling Holy Spirit present at all. A fourth and disastrous problem is that these individuals never experience the radical change in nature necessary to be admitted into the kingdom of heaven.

To be continued in Part III