On September 27, 2020, the CMC Global was held online. Pastor Cheng, one of the speakers, spoke about how Christians can and should use new media to share the gospel effectively. The Christian Times provides the main points of his talk.
A Pastor Shares How to Make Good Use of Multimedia to Spread the Gospel: Turning Friend Circles into Fields of Ministry
Pastor Cheng said during the CMC Global conference:
We live in an incredible age, the age of the internet, and various multimedia tools are available to everyone. We need to make full use of those tools to spread the gospel online. We cannot be represented by others in our calling, mission, and actions. Everyone can be an internet missionary, making missions our way of life and making our friends the mission field.
Pastor Cheng shared that most believers prefer to provide background support, leaving gospel work to the elders and leaders in the church. To most believers, it seems that mission has nothing to do with them. However, we are chosen. This is about identity, calling, and mission. We are God’s chosen representatives, and no one else can represent us in our mission of evangelism and calling. There are many ways to do evangelism, and online evangelism has gradually been accepted by people, especially since the pandemic. More and more people benefit from the convenience and efficiency of the internet.
Three Ts
How can we make good use of the new media to serve? Pastor Cheng shared three Ts.
First, Turn to God, Our Heavenly Father.
The modern world is filled with confrontations, obstacles, and curses. When we forget the mission God has given us and forget our identity as chosen ones, we are easily controlled and led by the media and turn our hearts to this world. How to get rid of this curse? The best way is to go back to the Bible and turn our hearts to our heavenly Father.
Second, Turn to God’s Work.
Our time and energy are very limited. When we turn to God and work for him, we hardly have enough time and energy for Satan. So let us work well for God and walk with him and leave no opportunities to Satan.
Third, Transfer Information.
Every day, a lot of information is posted on the internet. We need to pay attention to the good and beautiful information and transfer that to people in need. God might use one reposted piece of information to save your friends. All of us can do this work since we are all netizens.
Four Points to Consider When Evangelizing
Pastor Cheng also summarized four points that we need to consider when doing evangelistic work.
First, Use Different Entry Points for Different People.
To introduce the gospel, we should take people’s culture, language, and tools into consideration, and use different ways for different people. For example, if they speak the same dialect as you do, you can use this advantage to share the gospel and build a close relationship with them. If they prefer to use WeChat, then of course you should use WeChat as a tool to communicate with them. On the contrary, it would be more considerate to make phone calls to elderly people who don’t like to use smart phones. If you meet some people who pay special attention to formalities in daily life, then you must behave more politely.
Second, Deliver the Complete Gospel.
The gospel is complete and indispensable. When we share the gospel, we must be careful not to share a diluted, or partial gospel. For example, we must mention that: God is true and perfect. He gave us a special revelation through his only son Jesus Christ. Human beings are sinful, imperfect, and finite. Only through Jesus Christ can they be reconciled to the God in heaven. Jesus is the savior, the lord, and the ruler of our lives.
Third, Explanations Should Be Targeted.
Like the first point, no matter how well we understand the gospel, when we share the gospel with someone, we need to consider their educational background, their emotions at the time, and their environment.
Last, Pay Attention to People’s Emotional Response.
When we lead others to believe in the Lord, we should also pay special attention to their emotions. If they are particularly moved at a certain point, we should then grasp this emotional moment and invite them immediately. Don’t wait to invite them until after you finish all your explanations, since the moment might be over.
Five “Minutes”
In the end, Pastor Cheng suggested that before sharing the gospel, we should carefully prepare three “five minutes:” five minutes for gospel explanations, five minutes for personal testimony, and five minutes for personal invitations. This allows for more personal interaction and provides an opportunity to grasp the moment, use specific ways to target people, and share the gospel more freely.
Original article: 牧者分享善用多媒体传播福音：将朋友圈变成我们的牧场,, 基督时报
Translated, edited, and reposted with permission.
Image Credit: camilo jimenez on Unsplash.
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