Well, the title of this blog should tell you its topic, so I’ll ask you a question. Should the internet be a focal point of modern evangelism or is it a cesspool of corruption? Is it an endless fountain of possible Christian conversions or literally “sin in your pocket”? The answer is yes.
The internet is both corruption and possibility. When God created food, sex, material items, and an endless array of other “things”, He created them with a proper human use.
However, when the devil saw these “things” he also saw infinite ways to corrupt and disrupt the proper use of them. When God created food then the devil shifted that good thing into gluttony and lack of contentment. When God created sex the devil shifted it into pornography and the sex trade.
The devil can create nothing – but he can corrupt the wonderful things that God has made for our benefit and enjoyment. Our job is to learn to use the things God gives us in a Biblical way.
I see the internet as a new type of God-given blessing that must be used with responsibility and for the good of mankind. With the power of the internet we can look up Bible verses and commentaries in seconds. We can evangelize in ways we’ve never dreamed of (check out my YouTube channel to see just one of the ways we can reach people).
However, we all know that with the power of the internet we can also look up pornography and horrible photos of death and corruption in seconds. We can communicate with others across the world in sinful and improper ways.
The choice is yours. Will you use the power of the internet for good for for evil? Will you choose the path of light or the path of darkness? Let us all choose the path of light. This is, after all, the new frontier.
I find it extremely interesting that some folks see Christianity as a way to solve all of their problems after they live their life any way they please. They do not want to follow the meek and lowly life presented to us by Jesus yet they still want the great reward that Jesus has promised to all who follow after him.
Um, this is clearly a logical contradiction. If someone says that they will pay you for playing professional sports then it is quite obvious that they expect you to…um…actually play. Why is it different with Christianity? Jesus has given us a set of commandments that we need to strive to keep (while staying in a repentant state) and then, and only then, can we reap our reward.
In no way am I saying we earn our salvation – it is a gift from Jesus. However, we must adhere to the prerequisite commands of our Savior in order to receive that gift. You have to sign your check to cash it and the bank has every right to ask you to do that. It is the same with salvation, Jesus has every right to ask you to stay in a repentant state, confess, be baptized, and live faithfully. He is the one giving the gift and he has a right to ask you do do certain things in order to receive that gift.
Universalism, the belief that Jesus will save everyone on earth no matter their belief or religion, is such a doctrine. This video might better help you understand what I’m talking about. If you get a chance subscribe to may channel because I hope to be making more videos soon:
I believe we all battle something that is seldom mentioned inside our churches (or in life in general). This thing is there…lurking…and it has an effect on us all. This “thing”, which is the subject of today’s article, is our immense interest in the things of the world and our lack on interest in the things of God.
Now, I understand this may not apply to everyone reading this article, but I do think it applies to me more often than it should. Too often we fail to read our Bibles daily, too often we go though slumps in our study, too often we put the things of the world ahead of the things that concern God (and thus our eternal life).
Think about your media viewing habits for a minute (T.V., books, YouTube, etc.). Do you make more time for television or YouTube than you do Bible study? Do you read more worldly books than books concerning God? If you say “yes” to this question I do not think you are alone. In fact I think that we all face this to some extent. We all sometimes let our earthly interests outweigh Godly interests.
So how can we solve this? Well, I think it starts with taking just a small action towards the Godly and away from the worldly. This is a complicated topic, but here are a few steps I think will help:
Set aside time to read and study the Bible each day.
Attend all of the church services that you can.
Learn to “love” theology, and yes, apologetics (the defense of God’s Word). Apologetics is becoming more and more important as we engage with more agnostic/atheistic secular people in our daily lives.
Push worldly things aside whenever possible. Whether it be the television or the internet. Begin to push away the worldly and embrace the things of the Lord.
I also believe that prayer is often overlooked and that we should all pray for God to help us to keep our interests in the correct (and proper) order.
Finally, remember that this is a process. It will take time to develop new habits and interests. Still, I believe if we dedicate ourselves to the development of these new “Godly” interests our lives will be much richer both now and eternally.
In today’s world it’s quite difficult to find resources and media that fit a Christian lifestyle. This is especially true if you are looking for an educational program that teaches sound doctrine.
In this week’s article I’d like to focus on internet content that I have found to be high quality and suitable for members of the Lord’s church. All of this content may not be your cup of tea but it should give you some nice educational options.
These resources are all produced by various congregations and individuals within the Lord’s church. While that fact alone doesn’t mean everything taught on these channels is correct, it does give you peace of mind that you won’t get on secular media channels.
Before I dig into the content I would like to repeat something that we all already know: the Bible is our number 1 resource for Biblical information. I recently wrote an article called Setting Aside the Time that was all about making time to study our Bibles. It goes without saying that Bible study should be our top priority. Still, I hope that these media channels, podcasts, and websites will further edify and enrich your Christian life.
Below I have listed various YouTube channels, podcasts, and websites that I feel meet the criteria of providing sound doctrine. These websites are safe and secure and offer a ton of free services to enhance your Biblical learning. I will give a brief description of each and then provide a link to the website or channel.
Apologetics Press is a website dedicated to defending the Christian faith with science and rational thought. They have been around since the late 1970’s and are widely recognized amongst the brotherhood. The word “apologetics” is derived from the Greek word apologia, meaning a speech of defense, or to “give an answer”. Peter used this word in the following verse (highlighted):
1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
The Gospel Broadcasting Network is a non-profit organization that teaches sound doctrine to believers and non-believers alike. They play video (via YouTube) 24 hours a day. They also have great YouTube videos that cover just about any church of Christ doctrinal issue you can think of.
World Video Bible School is a Free Online Bible School that produces great content on various doctrinal matters. I have personally participated in the school and I learned a lot from the classes. They also have a great YouTube channel (possibly the best church of Christ resource on the internet) and a store where you can buy church of Christ related materials (books, DVD’s, etc.).
The Light Network is a network that is produced by church of Christ minister Robert Hatfield (Gold Hill Road Church of Christ). In my opinion the strength of Robert’s website is the Podcast variety, but there is also a YouTube channel for additional content. The doctrine here is sound and there is sure to be something you will enjoy:
While there are various other resources on the web that provide sound doctrine, the resources above are the ones I most often use in my personal life. I feel that these media channels are doctrinally sound and teach the truth. I think these resources are valuable whether you are looking to enrich your own Christian life or that of others.
