Matthew 5:14-16 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be
hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven”.
With the world of computerized age being so
popular, where does a Christian youth fit in? How should he “behave”
on most social medias that we find ourselves into like: Facebook, Whatsapp,
2go, MySpace, twitter, Badoo etc? Is he a hypocrite or does his love for the
Lord show through?. I say this with much sadness but only few youths represents
Jesus Christ, our Lord in the manner that is spoken of in the verses above.
What does your social media account
look like? Is it a place that your friends see Jesus through you
or is it basically the same thing as your unsaved friends? Do you curse on it?
Do you post worldly pictures? Do you have pictures of yourself dressed
immodestly so you can impress your “friends”? What kind of friends are they if
that is what it takes to keep them liking you?
What would your saved parents say if they
accessed your account? The best way for you to avoid temptation is to stay
accountable all the way. Why not let your parents have total access to your
emails and social media accounts? This keeps you guarded and protecting
your spiritual walk. You may think I’m “over
the top” and unfair, but your parents were given to you by God as your
protectors and teachers. You are to honor them and obey them (Ephesians 6:1,
Colossians 3:20). This also sets your foundation as a Christian adult.
Jesus said that we are to be a light to a lost and
dying world, teen girl. Most teens I have on my Facebook are busy posting
things that no saved youth should be posting. They have pictures of themselves
with tops that reveal their breasts for the girls and boxers for the boys. What
do you think the teen boys are thinking when they see these pictures?.
How will your unsaved friends learn about Christ
if they look at your Facebook and see posts about ungodly issues?. I mean
ungodly issues that don’t care about Heaven or Hell.
What kind of a light are you for the Lord Jesus Christ?
Picture yourself in the dark with an unsaved friend with only one flashlight
between the two of you. It is so dark, you can’t see anything in front of you.
But then you turn your flashlight on and it lights up the whole room. Now you’re
able to walk without stumbling into furniture and you and your unsaved
friend can easily get around. You had the light that he so desperately
needed. Now picture your Facebook page as your flashlight. Is it shining on
Jesus Christ?
Do you want to have a positive effect on your
friends? Then stay away from worldliness – you don’t have to act like your
unsaved friends. Jesus gives us the ability to say no to these things.
1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God
[is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to
bear [it]”.
You may not think so, but everything in our lives
is a reflection on Jesus Christ: music we listen to, movies we watch, books we
read, how we act, words we speak, etc., etc. If unsaved people see you acting
like they do, talking like they do, and dressing like they do, they won’t see
anything “different” about you. You’re not pointing them to Jesus Christ
– you’re just pointing back at them! You can say you are a Christian but if you
act like the world, you’re no different than they are. You are no different
than the Pharisees that Jesus called hypocrites! Why should they want to hear
about salvation from you if
you act just like them?
Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable,
and perfect, will of God”.
We are to point the lost to Jesus Christ and
explain to them how to be saved! Other youths are your mission field. You may
be the only one that God has appointed to reach them! Most teens don’t want to
listen to adults but they will listen to you! Do you know
that people watch you all the time? They constantly look out for everything you
continually do.
Just as you can recognize a hypocrite, so can the
lost. Are you a hypocrite youth? Do you go to your Sunday School’s Class and
act one way then hang out with your friends and act another way? Which of these
two lives does your Facebook reflect? You should be shining your light to a
lost and dying world, which includes your lost friends. By the way, it includes
your saved friends, too. If you act like the world, they will think that it’s
OK for them to act like the world as well. You are causing your
saved friends to sin just as you are sinning.
John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:
he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of
life”.
Jesus is our light and we are to be a light to
others – pointing others to Him. We are to be different,
pure and sincere.
1 Peter 2:9 “But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out
of darkness into his marvelous light”.
If you are like the youth described here today,
ask God for forgiveness. Then allow the Holy Spirit to work through you for the
benefit of your friends. They need the Lord desperately! Change
your Facebook and make it God honoring. Make your Facebook and every other
social media a mission field to reach the lost and to guide the misguided
wayward Christian youth. Each of us has a ministry of some kind for the Lord
Jesus Christ, yes, even you.