Lisa Bevere Cautions Christians Using Social Media: Just Because It's Viral Doesn't Mean God Approves
In an era of "fake news," Lisa Bevere encouraged Christians to use social media to promote "truth" rather than "opinion," warning that just because something goes viral doesn't mean it has the approval of God.
"There's a huge danger when it comes to social media, because there's often no accountability," the New York Times best-selling author and internationally known speaker told The Christian Post. "The Bible is very clear that many of us should not be masters or teachers, but we can translate that to bloggers and posters. The Bible says we're going to give an account for every idle word, and I think that can be applied to what we post on social media. We need to use social media to declare truth."
Among Christians today, there's a "mob mentality" where "people can say whatever they want to say, and when it goes viral they think they have the approval of God," the speaker and author contended.
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"But that's not the case," she said. "Sometimes, when things go viral, you're not impacting people, you're infecting them. You're pointing out problems and not solutions. If you don't give people an answer and point them to Jesus, you're just creating more of a problem."
Bevere, who with her husband John founded Messenger International, an organization committed to developing uncompromising followers of Christ who transform their world, recently released her latest book, Adamant: Finding Truth in a Universe of Opinions. In it, she encourages believers to look to God for truth and certainty instead of relying on the world's ever-changing opinions.
She told CP that far too many people today have "high opinions" and "low awareness" of what Scripture actually says.
"I believe that when you're under authority, you have authority," she contended. "The number of followers you have doesn't give you authority. The number of people that read your blog doesn't give you authority. Being under the authority of the Word of God and being under the authority of the relationship of a community of believers, these are the things that give us true authority."
Before posting on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, Christians should ask themselves: "Am I actually advancing the Kingdom of God, or am I causing people to recoil? What can I say to challenge people to have a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ?"
"I should be aware of Who I am representing when I post," Bevere said. "I don't have this freedom to post whatever I want on social media. If I am a Christian, I'm an ambassador of Christ, and I don't have the right to take people emotional hostage and process my own pain for everyone to hear."
Within the Church, there are two extremes, Bevere explained: Those who are known for what they're against, and those who claim to be the "cool new people" and reject absolute truth.
"But if we are truly people of God, we are for absolute truth," she said. "Truth is adamant, but it's also tender. Truth without love is harsh, but love without truth is a lie. God is truth and God is love, and so we have to make sure we walk in both of those when we are posting on social media or any platform. The more access you have, the less privilege you have to say whatever you want to say."
Because truth, according to Scripture, isn't fluid, Bevere admitted it's impossible to be both biblically sound and politically correct in today's culture of moral relativism.
"I think Jesus did a great job with it, but the Church gets so wrapped up in small questions when we already have the big answer, we already have the solution," she said. "Do I believe marriage is between a man and a woman? Absolutely. Do I believe abortion is sinful? Of course. But the Church is rampant with divorce and jealousy, and it's very confusing to people in the world."
"We need to live the truth in love so people can actually see our lives rather than just hear our words," she added.
In a culture where truth changes with the trends, Bevere encouraged Christians to not only preach the truth with boldness, but live it with confidence.
"If we can actually begin to live the transformation that the truth provides, it'll be woven into the fabric of our beings, even if we don't understand," she said. "God knows what I need. We the Church must humble ourselves and stop making excuses and say, 'God, we want to live the truth before you and speak it in love.' The Church has a moment to be radically transformed."
To learn more about Adamant: Finding Truth in a Universe of Opinions, click here.
