How Do You Represent Christ on Facebook? Tim Conway

Just based on my pastoral knowledge, which definitely is not omniscient by any stretch, but just based on my pastoral observations, I want to do what Paul did. I want to address ten sins that I think have become increasingly a problem in these last days. I want to admonish you as beloved children.

First one. You may think that this is a small matter, but I don't think it is. Facebook.

Scripture has various things to say about the identity of a person. Think with me here. Proverbs 20, verse 11.

Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright. A child makes himself known by his actions. On Wednesday, somebody visited the church who told me, admitted wicked deeds in his life, and said to me, but that's not who I am.

And I said, that's not right. Here's my wicked actions, but that's not who I am. Our Lord Jesus knew nothing about that kind of logic.

A farmer can tell you the logics of, you walk out into the orchard, the tree has apples, the tree is an apple tree. That is the basic manner in which Scripture argues. Matthew 12, verse 37.

By your words, you're known. By your words, you will be justified. By your words, you will be condemned.

If I look at a general rule, at your words, how you speak, I can tell whether you are going to heaven or hell. That is exactly what that verse is saying. Exactly.

You can tell a person by their words, by their works. How about this? Who your friends are. Do you think Scripture says anything about that? Listen, Proverbs 13, verse 20 says, Whoever walks with the wise, becomes wise.

If you walk with fools, fill in the blank. Do not be deceived, Paul tells the Corinthians. Don't be deceived, bad company ruins good morals.

Look, there was a day when your words, your works, your friends, were pretty much concealed to your family and to your immediate social circle. Maybe whoever you would write letters to. But then, telegraph came, and then telephone came, and then computers, and internet, and email, and Facebook, and all the social media.

Guess what? Your words, your works, and your friends are now known to the world. It is not concealed in any little corner any longer. Who you are, what you are, is being demonstrated to this world in Facebook.

Your works, your words, your friends, they're visible there. Who you are. You represent Christ just as much in person as you do in your Facebook account.

It's got your name on it. It identifies who you are. If you have pictures on there that are worldly, it speaks about you.

It is your fruit. Your friends on there speak about you. They are your friends.

You've allowed them to be your friend. You've allowed them to post to your page. If your words are filthy, or you allow filth on there, if you allow pictures that are worldly or pornographic, that's representing you.

And you are supposed to be representing Christ. Listen, if you find that others in this church have Facebook accounts that are not faithfully representing Christ, you go to them. And if they don't hear you, you take two or three.

And if they don't hear them, we'll bring it before the church. We are going to eliminate Facebooks that are not faithfully representing Christ. Get the filth off and look at your own heart.

Because what you're allowing there says everything about who you are. Look, the root issue obviously isn't the Facebook account. It's you.

It's your heart. It's who and what you are that is being expressed by your Facebook account. You say, well, I can't help what my friends put on there.

Well, then don't have them as a friend. Anyway, it's out of place. Filthy, inappropriate language.

Brethren, let there be no filthiness, no foolish talk, no crude joking, which are out of place. Instead, let there be thanksgiving. They're out of place.

Some of you put stuff on your Facebook accounts or you allow others to post stuff there. It's out of place as a Christian. It's not befitting of a saint of God.

It's a bad representation of somebody that's saying, look at me, I'm a follower of Christ. Look how I represent Him. Out of place.

Second thing.