As I use this Christian blog as a platform for Christ, I sometimes get insulting, and demeaning responses and replies from either atheists, people of other faiths, or believers whose hearts have been hardened.
Before my blog, there was a time when I would engage in argumentative cyber dialogue on social media, Facebook in particular, with people who disagreed with me, thinking I was planting more good seed. This usually only drove them deeper into their resentment and unbelief.
The initial statement(s) that I made which provoked the negative response was the ‘good seed’.
I would also at times tell them, “I’m praying for you”, sometimes out of sincerity, but sometimes I admit I was being ‘spiritually shady, using the statement as a spiritual insult out of frustration and anger rather than love. Either way, it usually pissed them off even more.
As I prayed for God to increase my passion to reach out to those who don’t believe in Him, and give me strategies to effectively touch them…it hit me.
I call it SECRET CYBER MINISTRY.
People don’t have to know you are praying for them for God to hear it and respond.
Negative responses, as well as social pages and groups provide an abundant pool of names – real people to pray for God to touch.
You can stop right now, get on Facebook, search for pages dedicated to atheists. There you will find names (and faces) of people passionate about their unbelief. You can begin regularly calling out those names to God. You can present those names to your prayer groups and prayer partners. You can secretly make these specific people your focus in prayer. Lift these names up to God several times a day during your quiet time.
No matter how deep someone may be in his or her unbelief, God has given everyone a measure of faith and the ability to believe.
Romans 12:3 (NKJV)
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
You can pick out certain individuals and make it a point to consistently pray that God will soften their hearts to believe in Him through our Lord and Savior, Yeshua, Christ Jesus. That, He rebuke the devil and spirits of unbelief out of them. That, they attribute their measure of faith to Him. That they be saved, their faith be established, that it increases and they can bring forth a bountiful harvest of good fruit for God.
Not only do they not have to know you are praying for them, in fact, it’s probably best they don’t.
Facebook, blogs, and other social media is a fertile field for cyber for secret cyber ministry.
You can look at the cyber environment like Jesus did when He saw the crowds…
Matthew 9:35-38 New (NKJV)
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.[a] 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary[b] and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
This is a powerful way to use technology and be a Laborer for God’s Harvest.
Instead of arguing, avoiding or even resenting these people. Sincerely pray for them…BEFORE YOU UNFRIEND, BLOCK OR DELETE YOUR ‘MESSY’ FRIENDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA…
I you plant the seed, God will give the increase.
1 Corinthians 3:6 (NKJV)
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
BE BLESSTIFIED!
Most excellent. So, secret cyber ministry it is.
Be blessed on this most holy day.
LikeLiked by 4 people
I think it’s an awesome, overlooked opportunity!
LikeLiked by 3 people
FAITH IN THE GOOD LORD!
“I you plant the seed, God will give the increase.”
1 Corinthians 3:6 (NKJV)
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hallelujah!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
AMEN!
LikeLike
I can see I am not left out in these situations where atheists and unbelievers destructively criticize my blog.
Praying for them as you said is a good advice. Thank you for sharing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Amen! Don’t let them discourage you. Their resistance reinforces the need for your writing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree. Thanks a lot.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love this!
LikeLiked by 2 people
To God be the glory:-)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like what you have said here. I have only had one atheist talk with me on WordPress. He is very angry at God.
For someone to argue with Christians about God, they are thinking about God at least. The most dangerous thing is to ignore God and just dismiss him. I think they “protest too much” for some reason. At least they aren’t “lukewarm”. Lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Most of the time they talked to me responding to a post shared on Facebook. You’re right, at least it puts God on their minds.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the planting seeds analogy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hallelujah! Thank you. To God be the glory!
LikeLike