I MUST INCREASE, so that he may increase!
The reasoning goes something like this… If I know I have important things to say and I am going to get others to listen to me, then they have to want to listen to me. In order for them to want to listen to me, I have to be someone they want to listen to. It is important therefore, that I sell myself via writing books, blogging, tweeting, preaching, etc., so I can get the message out. My ministry needs attention so I can more fully minister. I need Klout to kick it into high gear. I have to get street cred to go out into the streets. And, of course, it’s really Jesus’ message and mission, so the end justifies the means.
Do we really have to develop a following
in order to help others follow Jesus?
Take John the baptizer for example, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!” (Matt. 11:9-11, Matt. 3:3, Mark 1:1-3, Matt. 11:10, John 1:23, and Isaiah 40:3) Didn’t John make a name for himself before he was considered credible to make a name for Jesus?
Is there any warrant for self-promotion in order to make a Jesus proclamation?
Some may respond with a resounding “NO!” to both questions, and they may be right. Others may say “YES,” with confidence because they know that it is for the “greater good.” Still others, and I think most would say both “yes & no,” but there needs to be a balance. After all, Christ must increase as we decrease right?
But in order to reach the Social Networking World, I have to develop a following, don’t I?
Look how many people use the internet and engage on facebook, twitter, google+. Look how many are listening to podcasts and reading blogs and sharing pictures to positively affect people for the Lord. How can I not enter this world and do my part? The more facebook, twitter, and linked in friends I have, the more people I can reach for Jesus, RIGHT?
So, what’s the answer? If yes, then how do we do it biblically? If no, then why not?
Oh, and one more thing before you go, don’t forget to:
follow me on twitter, add me as a facebook friend, encircle me on google+, or just follow this blog LOL!
Missionary in the Andes Mountains Cloud Forest Region of Ecuador. My last name, "Labrador," is the word that's used for "Vine Worker" in the Spanish Bible, and it's OK with me. 
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Very interesting post. I believe the answer is a qualified ‘yes’. Proclaiming Christ in an empty room achieves nothing. To fill the room, there needs to be a reason for people to be there. If the speaker is someone that people like to listen to, they’ll listen better and invite their friends. More people will come if the speaker is someone they’ve heard of.
The same goes for social media. As long you keep God’s purpose at the forefront, humble self-promotion helps fill the room.
Peter,
Thanks for stopping by. I like your analogy about the empty room. Although admittedly a bit uncomfortable with attracting people to a local or an event, or “creating a reason” to fill a room. I don’t suppose I would have this problem if I was “going” all the time and inserting myself into full rooms that were already full. I want to bat your apropos analogy around in my pea brain a bit more before commenting further.
I don’t think that it is necessary at all. He can do ANYTHING He wants, to reach people in any way. If we do use Social Self Promotion….we need to constantly be checking our heart and make sure that it stays SELFLESS. If it is ALL about Him, then it should be fine.
Ben,
Hey! Hope all is well with you and the family. If we are to penetrate culture with the Gospel, and the Gospel is the good news of Christ, then shouldn’t we consider the Social world as a culture to be reached? If so, then is it completely unnecessary? Just a thought.
Of course you should and you do! I wouldn’t have seen this thoughtful post challenging me to ensure I am pointing people to Christ if I didn’t follow @missionaries and I followed him because he chose to enter an electronic relationship hub where he could speak into our (his followers) lives with the things he wants to say which is to encourage us to love and good works. In doing so he was promoting himself, Countless people came to see the wild one in the wilderness preaching repentance. He drew a crowd. And then he pointed that crowd to Jesus. Do the same. Draw a crowd even it’s a crowd of one. And point them to Jesus.
Bobby,
You know you are one of my twitter heroes, right? Appreciate your comment. I’m curious, what kinds of things, do you, as a consumer of social media, find distasteful?
It’s a slippery slope to reason that I may increase for the sake of Christ. Anytime I mix “me” in to the scheme I bring it down to my level and that’s never as powerful a place as sitting back and seeing the majesty of the Spirit glorify and reveal the Father.
That doesn’t mean I can’t openly and enthusiastically share publicly something that impacted me or an area God is leading me. But promoting “me” so people will then listen to me and believe God on account of who they view “me” to be is so dangerous because what happens when I inevitably sin? I’m then accountable for those who I stumble, right? It would frighten me to no end if people were drawn to God because of how great I was!
The Gospel draws people, the Spirit draws people and He does that often times through men who are proclaiming Him and not themselves. Men must be above reproach but God will reveal that through the testimony of their lives and not the self-directed accolades of their lips.
TGaines,
Some wise advice from the other end of the spectrum. The slippery slope argument, while sometimes valid, is often used as a control tactic over people. I am not saying that you are doing that here, but I like your warning of “Mixing ME into the Mix.” We tout that Jesus + Anything =Nothing, but then mix ourselves into it anyway. Wow, heavy hitting comment and one that requires some thought. Appreciate it.
As a foreign missionary, I am very aware of the need for people to be aware of who you are. However there’s a fine line between ‘creating an awareness’ and blatant self promotion.
God doesn’t just drop everything into our lap, there is certain about of leg work on our part, but that comes in tension with the fact that God is totally capable of causing people to hear the good news. If we are busy proclaiming, God is more than able to provide people the opportunity to hear.
Its good not to hide yourself away in fear of being accused of promoting yourself, however its not okay to hide behind the banner ‘its for Jesus in the end’ when actually we just want to enlarge our pride.
…my appologised, i haven’t explained myself well, i hope you get what im trying to say.
1 Cor 12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
1 Cor 12:22 On the contrary, the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are indispensable,
1 Cor 12:23 and those parts of the body which we think less honorable we invest with the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,
1 Cor 12:24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior part,
1 Cor 12:25 that there may be no discord in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
Regardless of whether one feels the “inferior” or “weaker” part is the attention greedy one or the humble person toiling in obscurity, our Lord uses us all and understands how to get the best out of less than perfect people. (Me, too.) Whoever I look down upon in the body of Christ … whoever offends my values … well, they might be inferior or weaker than I, but …
they are indispensible.
This is one more thing we’ve GOT to get the Lord to take out of the Bible… or learn to live with it.