Sermon - CoSMI - 1.0.0 - Can a Christian Be an Influencer part 1
1 Corinthians 12:4
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
In trying to prepare sermons for this particular series, I have had reactions from different people that this is impossible. It is impossible, inherently impossible, for a Christian to be an influencer.
Obviously I don't agree with this position, but I think it's important to address the points that these people have made.
Jesus said that in order to follow him, we have to deny ourselves. Paul says to the Philippians that they should do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. I think those who feel that it is inherently impossible for a Christian to be an influencer see influencers as primarily self-centred. Not necessarily solely selfish, but definitely centred on themselves. Their opinions, their reputation, their brand, and the way they present themselves to the world. However, if that position is accurate, then it is impossible for a Christian to be an actor or a popular singer or really any position that puts them at center stage. That would seem to include the position of a mass evangelist. Was Billy Graham wrong in being an evangelist?
As a matter of fact, in taking this position, it would seem to be the case that one could not be a preacher of any kind or a song leader. And there are, after all, certain denominations who take that position. Quakers, or the Society of Friends, do not have anyone at all leading their services. The Brethren do not go quite this far, but they do not have professional ministry or those who lead the singing on a regular and professional basis.
But these groups are in the minority. Most of us, in most denominations of Christianity, accept that we have a professional clergy and professional song leaders. Therefore, we are having people who take center stage and do so on a regular basis and do it to the glory of God. Gloria was a soloist. She knew, from the age of twelve, that her voice was a gift from God and was to be used in God's service. She frequently said that she considered God to be her booking agent. When she was asked to sing, she always said yes. She said that the requests came from God and that her voice was to be used in God's service. She said that when she sang in Christian service, she always knew and felt strongly that there was at least one person in the audience who needed to hear that song.
So, can you be an influencer on social media if you are a Christian? Can you be a Christian social media influencer, apart from trying to be a SMevangelist (social media evangelist)?
It would seem to me that we not only can, but that we must. We are told to go into all the world and preach the gospel. Cyberspace is now part of our world. Therefore, it would be not merely careless, but negligent, to abandon cyberspace to those who are either opposed to, or apathetic about, Christianity.
There is, of course, always a danger, as there is with any aspect of life. Vanity and conceit cannot be allowed to rule, and it would seem that pride and overconfidence are definitely dangers and sins that are not merely present in any activity on social media, but particularly the province of those who have ambitions as influencers. Envy is definitely one of the sins that is going to be associated with social media. Anger is also a sin that is omnipresent in our current social media platforms. Therefore, yes, there is a great deal of danger for anyone who has any ambitions to be an influencer on social media platforms. But, as I have said, we may be negligent if we simply concede it to those who do not wish Christianity to thrive.
I have mentioned Billy Graham. He very definitely achieved a very large measure of fame, and used that fame to influence people, and even politics. The same can be said of Mother Teresa. Of course, for every Billy Graham that we have, we can find a number of counter examples in televangelists who have achieved fame, and riches, and have then achieved notoriety, as they fell into sin. There is a definite danger, and anyone who works in any area where fame and celebrity are part and parcel of the activity must beware of the dangers, and definitely take strong preventative action against them.
In regard to keeping yourself safe from the dangers of sin, in approaching the ambition to become a social media influencer, it would seem that the first and most effective preventative is honesty. Be honest with those that you are influencing; your followers on social media. But definitely be honest with yourself. Are you doing this for the right reasons? Are you willing for your reputation to suffer as a result of identifying yourself as a Christian? Are you willing to trash or diminish your social media and influencer reputation in order to share the gospel with someone who hasn't heard it? Are you willing for your influence, as an influencer, and your own celebrity to be secondary to your responsibility to follow what God would have you do, and say, rather than what may be popular on social media?
This issue of honesty is something that we have to examine very specifically in the next sermon, on authenticity.
Sermon - CoSMI - 1.1.7 - Can a Christian Be an Influencer part 2 - TBD
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