Facebook evangelism.

[Gypsy]

The Day of Pentecost

[2:1]*When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. [2]*And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. [3]*And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. [4]*And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. [5]* Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. [6]*And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.

have y'all noticed the little 'link to facebook' icon at the top of the screen?

I found out in today's sermon, that there are over 500 million registered facebook users. That means that if facebook was a country, it be the third largest country in the world. I really had no idea!

Do you elect to use the option of posting the threads you begin on Bible Forums to your Facebook page? Why or why not?

Would you be comfortable if everything you posted here was visible on your Facebook page and vice versa? Did you have to think about that?

To my knowledge, the gospel has been spoken in ever modern language known to man. What about the language of facebook. Do you share your witness in the country of Facebook? Do we even speak that language?

Do you see Facebook as a viable tool foe evangalism?

[Athanasius]

Do you elect to use the option of posting the threads you begin on Bible Forums to your Facebook page? Why or why not?

No, it almost always initiates pointless debate with the same people.

Would you be comfortable if everything you posted here was visible on your Facebook page and vice versa? Did you have to think about that?

Yes, but I wouldn't want it to happen.

To my knowledge, the gospel has been spoken in ever modern language known to man. What about the language of facebook. Do you share your witness in the country of Facebook? Do we even speak that language?

My Christian friends do, and it results in me thinking a few words: pushy, annoying, suffocating, forced....

Do you see Facebook as a viable tool foe evangalism?

Only if it were an extension of what we were doing 'irl'. Otherwise, no.

[moonglow]

Alot of my friends on facebook post scriptures...praise music, etc all the time on there and I have been in some discussion with nonbelievers on our faith too. Facebook though isn't the best for this sort of thing in my opinion..its rather limiting. Its set up for small posts, games, photo sharing..is suppose to be a way for family and friends to stay connected....not for lengthy discussions like we have on here or studies like we have on here. Right now I am not linked from here to facebook because I like my privacy on here. Sorry if that sounds selfish ...

I do post links to many evangelism articles on facebook that rarely ever get read or commented too...I think because people expect 'short and sweet' on facebook. I for instance don't want to spend alot of time on facebook myself..I scroll through...quickly read what people are doing...might comment, might not, then I am on my way to usually here... I think also part of the problem with facebook is its so boring to look at with no background colors at all...the whole right side is taken up with adds and just 'junk'...

From what I have heard most of those that spend alot of time on facebook are playing their games anyway. I am not a game player so not interested in that sort of thing. Plus facebook is a mind field to go through with viruses everywhere... Anytime I get some random post with a link from one of my friends I ask them if they posted it and they didn't..its a virus and if I had clicked on the link I would have the virus too.

To be honest the only reason I got on there is my church, pastor and youth pastor use it to updated church members on activities and events and too keep an eye on my son who uses facebook... Our youth pastor even told parents to join it if their teens are on it TO keep an eye on them on it...

Oh I should add this information...more and more young teens (some friends with my son or through church) have friended me and I think that gives me a chance to be a good example in Christ to them...so they do see any scriptures I post or Christian video's and I reply to their comments and joke around with them...I think being 'friends' first makes a better witness. Though here I am 50 reading what random things 13, 14, etc are posting... Some of their conversations are ....er...different....lol. lol anyway I do try to post alot of funny and random things myself...which isn't hard to do since I am an airhead.. so they can relate to be on some level...

What I am trying to say I guess is being a 'friend' to even a young teen that will at some time in their life go through some hard time, gives me a chance to be there for them in Christ hopefully during those times instead of only having other very young and immature friends to lean on. many do not feel comfortable in going to their parents for different reason though I always encourage that first! But it is difficult because as an adult I have to be very careful what I say to minors ...I see all sorts of lawsuits happening because of something said or shown on facebook. So no its not the easiest place to witness on ..that is for sure.

God bless

[tango]

have y'all noticed the little 'link to facebook' icon at the top of the screen?

I found out in today's sermon, that there are over 500 million registered facebook users. That means that if facebook was a country, it be the third largest country in the world. I really had no idea!

Do you elect to use the option of posting the threads you begin on Bible Forums to your Facebook page? Why or why not?

Would you be comfortable if everything you posted here was visible on your Facebook page and vice versa? Did you have to think about that?

To my knowledge, the gospel has been spoken in ever modern language known to man. What about the language of facebook. Do you share your witness in the country of Facebook? Do we even speak that language?

Do you see Facebook as a viable tool foe evangalism?

Some of us don't use Facebook. I only realised I'd even created a page when someone sent me a friend invite. To date I think I have three Facebook friends and I don't think I've logged in once in the last six months. The only reason I created an account was to have a look around, but I decided I couldn't be bothered with a stream of mostly inane comments and everybody who has ever stood within 50 yards of me wanting to be my Facebook friend and taking it personally if I declined.

[Gypsy]

Yeah. I'll be the first to admit that I've linked one of my posts on here to Facebook and then cringed a little after who on facebook may have read it. There are people on there who I haven't seen since High School or longer - well before comming to Jesus. I agree facebook isn't the most ideal set up for evangelism, but then again neither is the check out line at Pigly Wiggly or at the gas pump or really countless other situations where the Holy Spirit might move us. 500 million members is alot of people - that's a billion ears! If 499,999,999 of them brush past a post but only one keeps reading...

[moonglow]

Yeah. I'll be the first to admit that I've linked one of my posts on here to Facebook and then cringed a little after who on facebook may have read it. There are people on there who I haven't seen since High School or longer - well before comming to Jesus. I agree facebook isn't the most ideal set up for evangelism, but then again neither is the check out line at Pigly Wiggly or at the gas pump or really countless other situations where the Holy Spirit might move us. 500 million members is alot of people - that's a billion ears! If 499,999,999 of them brush past a post but only one keeps reading...

But its not really 500 million or even remotely close that would see our linked posts actually because most of us have 'wall' set on friends only...not open to the general public. I only have 68 friends...not even close to 500 million. So only 68 could see a post on here if I did the link. They recommend people have these privacy settings due to hackers, ID thief, etc...

In order for many to see Christian walls they still have to 'friend' them too.

Now I do Christian video's on youtube and I think that works better because they can work for me 27/7 for years!

God bless

[andrew_no_one]

I usually try to post a scripture on my facebook page every day. I think people have come to expect it because if I fail to do so for a couple days even my unsaved friends will mention that I "slacking off". I think they look forward to it.

[Gypsy]

Sure, I understand that status updates are only seen by my friends. I think those 68 friends have more to do with why I don't talk more about Jesus then why I do. I guess I'm talking more about the 'Johnny just became a fan of...' stuff. I just did some test searches on facebook with my cell phone. I set the search to search facebook pages. When I typed 'does Jesus exist' the search returned three pages. Two of them had the same avatar depicting Jesus with a ghost busters style red circle and line through him and were titled 'no Jesus does not exist' the third had something to do with music.

When I searched 'does Jesus love me' the search returned one page titled 'No God and Jesus do not love me, you *expletive*!' the page's avatar depicted Jesus Christ extending his middle finger to its viewer. That's it. No other page to choose from in response to searching facebook for 'does Jesus love me?'

500 million people on facebook. 500 million souls. Do you think that I'm the first to search the term 'does Jesus love me?' I'm saying that this is a culture and we're not getting it. We think we are because we log on sometimes and post some cute pictures of the kids, put down there that we're Christians on our info page and try not to cuss so much or repost raunchy material. But that is all it is to us, because frankly we see it all as kind of neat, but a bit silly and trivial. Our teenage kids are living in there - to the tune of 30+ hours a week. Compare this to how many hours a week in church, youth group, or family devotion and prayer? To some of them it's their whole world; I saw a statistic recently which said that the average teenager would prefer to go a week without speaking than a week without their cell phone. What's worse is the teenage kids that arent ours, the ones without Christian parents to turn to with their questions, will gladly turn to facebook to do so. Who's answering their questions?

[karenoka27]

Every Sunday morning I post on FB encouraging people to come to church. This week four people came that don't usually go.
A couple of weeks ago, someone told me that had been thinking about going and after reading my post...went!You never know who is reading what you post.
I had never thought about putting what I start here on FB...Great thought!
Hide it under a bushel? No!
I'm gonna let it shine! Let it shine..let it shine..let it shine!

[Dizzytimes7]

I click these threads on facebook all the time.

I figure everyone posts what they want to say on
facebook so I will too. Maybe some of the interesting
threads will get them to read more of the bible.

I don't post the threads that are harsh with attacks or
fighting on facebook.

[NHL Fever]

the harvest is plentiful (500 million subscribers), but the workers are few!

[moonglow]

Sure, I understand that status updates are only seen by my friends. I think those 68 friends have more to do with why I don't talk more about Jesus then why I do. I guess I'm talking more about the 'Johnny just became a fan of...' stuff. I just did some test searches on facebook with my cell phone. I set the search to search facebook pages. When I typed 'does Jesus exist' the search returned three pages. Two of them had the same avatar depicting Jesus with a ghost busters style red circle and line through him and were titled 'no Jesus does not exist' the third had something to do with music.

When I searched 'does Jesus love me' the search returned one page titled 'No God and Jesus do not love me, you *expletive*!' the page's avatar depicted Jesus Christ extending his middle finger to its viewer. That's it. No other page to choose from in response to searching facebook for 'does Jesus love me?'

500 million people on facebook. 500 million souls. Do you think that I'm the first to search the term 'does Jesus love me?' I'm saying that this is a culture and we're not getting it. We think we are because we log on sometimes and post some cute pictures of the kids, put down there that we're Christians on our info page and try not to cuss so much or repost raunchy material. But that is all it is to us, because frankly we see it all as kind of neat, but a bit silly and trivial. Our teenage kids are living in there - to the tune of 30+ hours a week. Compare this to how many hours a week in church, youth group, or family devotion and prayer? To some of them it's their whole world; I saw a statistic recently which said that the average teenager would prefer to go a week without speaking than a week without their cell phone. What's worse is the teenage kids that arent ours, the ones without Christian parents to turn to with their questions, will gladly turn to facebook to do so. Who's answering their questions?

Sounds like we need to make a page that says, "Yes Jesus loves you". You can't find these on private individual walls though since the searches show names of facebook pages and most of us have our names on there. So I could put in my status "Yes Jesus loves you" but it won't show up on the search you did because its just a comment...not the name of my wall. Now I did see when I searched like you did three more results that did say, 'Yes Jesus loves you' but those links went outside of facebook...so I have no idea why they showed up on facebook...

There is alot of stuff on facebook I am afraid I am ignorant about though but when I see people 'liking' some page....then go to that page to see what its about..its nothing but a 'name' most of the time...no one posts comments on it or anything. Now I did join a page that says something like 'lets see how many Christians are on facebook' and that person does do Christian posting on it...usually links for Christian video's...and everyone that 'likes' that page then sees those video's.

Our teenage kids are living in there - to the tune of 30+ hours a week. Compare this to how many hours a week in church, youth group, or family devotion and prayer? To some of them it's their whole world; I saw a statistic recently which said that the average teenager would prefer to go a week without speaking than a week without their cell phone.

I am confused...they are on facebook or their cellphones that much? I know teens text to each other alot...probably more then they are on facebook. They use the 'chat' on facebook which is like Yahoo IM to chat to each other cause seriously most of their posts are pretty boring...it wouldn't keep their attention very long at all. Now chatting I could see ...texting on their phones to each other, for sure!

And I would certainly hope none of us were cussing on facebook! Or repost raunchy material...I certainly don't. I am the same on there as I am anywhere on the net including here. We are to represents Christ where ever we are.

Anyway I guess I will look into making a page for Yes Jesus loves you...it has to be seperate I guess from my page...(I mean wall) cause that is the only way it will show up in searches. Like I said I don't know everything there is about facebook so will have to see how that works...

God bless

[Gypsy]

I am confused...they are on facebook or their cellphones that much? I know teens text to each other alot...probably more then they are on facebook. They use the 'chat' on facebook which is like Yahoo IM to chat to each other cause seriously most of their posts are pretty boring...it wouldn't keep their attention very long at all. Now chatting I could see ...texting on their phones to each other, for sure!

Actually, I just went back and reread the statistic I found on Google and it was 31 hours/week accessing the internet. I'm sorry for misrepresenting that. I think though that for this generation of kids, the distinction between text/internet is blurring. It's all right there on their phones. Where you used to have to go home or to the library, find a computer, log on and update your status on MySpace, now you can update your Facebook status without getting up from your desk in science class.

[moonglow]

Actually, I just went back and reread the statistic I found on Google and it was 31 hours/week accessing the internet. I'm sorry for misrepresenting that. I think though that for this generation of kids, the distinction between text/internet is blurring. It's all right there on their phones. Where you used to have to go home or to the library, find a computer, log on and update your status on MySpace, now you can update your Facebook status without getting up from your desk in science class.

could be...though my son can't get on the internet with his phone....but he has a friend who can only access facebook...nothing else on the net with her phone. Those with full internet...that costs alot of money. I don't know how many teens have that.

[halabira]

I think we shouldn't limit God. He can use anything for His glory if He chooses. Be it facebook. To those who are lead by the Spirit to post Christian/evangelical material on Facebook and is not ashamed to introduce Jesus to their friends, then let them post! On the opposite side, if God chooses to speak to the unsaved individual because of a christian post on Facebook, God will allow it. Let's use the internet for God and winning souls!