Using the Internet as a Tool of the Gospel Part 1
Using the Internet as a Tool of the Gospel
Part One:
The Internet is a Mission Field
As technology advances, people around the world are given increasingly more access to the Internet. This has led to the Internet being so woven into the fabric of society that are lives are enhance by it and, conversely, life would be altered dramatically without it. The Internet goes beyond being a one-way communications medium. Television is a medium. Radio is a medium. The Internet goes to the next level because it created a community in which people live, interact, and have a choice as to what content they will consume. The Internet leverages and connects the various mediums to form communities where people can find their identity, persona, and brand so much so that they can be a completely different person than they are in reality. This presents the Church, and ministries like Network211, with an amazing opportunity to present the Good News of Jesus Christ to individuals around the world; to everyone, everywhere.
The vision of Network211 is to proclaim Christ to all people, build a global community of believers, and work with our partners in ministry. Our mission is to use 21st century technology to communicate the 1st century Gospel by helping people discover and grow in their journey with God. Our strategy is to join individuals in their journey as together we search, present, connect, grow, and belong. We can leverage the Internet to journey with individuals as our motto states, “ from searches to churches.”
As we seek to use the Internet as a tool of the Gospel, we must understand four foundational concepts. First, the Internet is a mission field. Second, “Internet Users” is a people group. Third, “Globalism” is a world system. Fourth, “Global Individuality” is a mindset that empowers the individual in the global marketplace.
According to Internet World Stats (www.internetworldstats.com) there are an estimated 3.8 billion Internet Users as of 30 June 2017. That is over one-half of the estimated world population. The Internet has reached over 31% of the total population of Africa, 46% of Asia, 79% of Europe, 61% of Latin America, 59% of Middle East, 88% of North America, and 70% of Oceania and Australia.[1]
Individuals from every continent, nation, economic status, religious belief, gender, political viewpoint, language group, marital status, parental status, and ethnicity go online for the same reasons: business, news, entertainment, social networking. But, they are searching also for answers to the dilemmas of life that trouble them. Like the marketplace of old, the “agora” in antiquity, the Internet is a place of commerce, interaction, and exchanging of ideas.
The Internet is becoming so woven into the fabric of society that a new phrase has been created and that is, “the Internet of things.” This is when almost anything electronic can be operated in an existing Internet structure. Televisions, refrigerators, vehicles, and lights can all intersect via the Internet. People around the world are embracing the Internet and discovering ways to embed it into their lifestyle.
Soon, the Internet will be available for everyone on the planet. Some companies are working diligently to get power wirelessly to every location on the globe. Others are lowering the cost so that hand-held devices will be affordable even to the poor. Competitors are attempting to be the first to bring artificial intelligence to everyone, everywhere and will take Internet usage to a whole new level. The Internet is not a passing fad but it becoming a necessity of life. In fact, in July 2016 the United Nations condemned Internet access disruption as a human rights violation.
Individuals are going online for their personal reasons. Most are ready and willing to voice their opinions and interact with others. So many people are willing to answer them such as people of different religions, political views, and with various motives. We, as the Church, must be online to tell them about Jesus.
Previous outreaches meant that the Church would proclaim the message of the Gospel and pray that the intended audience would listen and respond. The Internet reverses this communication from “pushing” the message to others to “pulling” as the audience is in the online marketplace seeking someone to engage them in conversation. As individuals reach out, seeking solutions to their needs, we can present the Gospel as the Answer. We can place our presentations in front of their faces on their computer monitors and on their hand-held devices.
Using the Internet as a tool of the Gospel allows for Indigenous Principles to be active in full force. A ministry such as Network211 responds to people seeking solutions to life issues with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Network211 response teams are comprised of believers located in the nations of the world who answer with truth and with an invitation to a local church. Thus, Network211’s motto of the Journey from “searches to churches” involves believers and builds local churches around the world.
The elements needed to proclaim the Gospel in the nations of the world are active in the virtual world just as it is in the real world. Someone is needed to proclaim the Good News, to respond with immediate follow up, and to provide discipleship. The Internet allows for this to be accomplished online and without restrictions of geography, nationalities, and borders. Plus, individuals are in the Internet marketplace seeking someone to interact with them and so, again, we are not “pushing” the message onto people but responding to them at their point of need.
The Church has an unprecedented opportunity to present the Gospel, interact with individuals at their point of need, proclaim the Good News, offer discipleship, and direct people to local churches around the world. Thus, the Internet is a mission field.
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