@stickyJesus. Toni Birdsong

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СКАЧАТЬ must maintain a holy, heavenly perspective, just as Jesus did, which is perhaps the most critical mandate for a Christ follower online. This connection to the Father is immensely important, and it is a topic we'll delve into much deeper later.

      When Jesus started His ministry, He began to call individuals to "follow" Him.

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      "Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea;for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.'" ................................Matthew 4:18-19, NKJV ..................................

      You will see and hear the expression "follow me" or "I'm following." a lot in the social networking realm, but to date, no one has yet to offer the return on investment (eternity) that Jesus offered. Once the disciples began following Him, Jesus proved worthy of their trust by being consistently genuine and authentic. Basically, He cared, and it showed as He walked, talked, prayed, ate, and lived out the highs and lows of daily life with His beloved tribe of twelve.

      That same trust, built through consistent, real, one-on-one dialogue, is the goal in your online relationships. It will be a steadiness of character, a showing up, and a reaching out with a Jesus brand of sticky compassion that will touch hearts for eternity.

      heart over head count

      For Jesus it was never about the head count of the crowd He addressed; it was about the individual heart seeking Him out and eager to respond to Him. Recognize that value grows in the heart of one-on-one relationships, not in the number of people you're connected to online. Heart trumps head count every time. Be aware that Jesus' approach to relationship isn't the established norm in social networks. Many times people will follow you based on the number of followers, friends, or fans your organization accumulates. Many of these high numbers are valid and based on truly aligned minds; however, many of these numbers were grown by using paid services and aggressive following tactics.

      Jesus proved that the stickier your message, the more followers you will have. Once you followed Jesus, you received His value immediately; you understood this was not going to be a regular hike through the hills. Jesus built His community on the Word of God and equipped His tribe to go out and reach the lost, those people living outside of communion with God. He entrusted His tribe to leave a legacy that would reach far into the future and rock lives until the end of time. You are part of that legacy. The core instructions remain:

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      "As you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." ....................................MatthewlO:7-8,NKJV ....................................

      it's a transformation thing

      The goal of sharing your faith with another person isn't simply to broadcast information; it's to be a channel that aids the Holy Spirit in His work of transformation. In reaching out and building disciples online, look to Jesus and His inner circle. Jesus taught and modeled truth, and then He empowered the disciples to minister to and warn the lost, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse diseases, and drive out demons. Now that's seriously effective empowerment!

      The best part of this promise is that you have the same Leader today. Jesus has drawn you, taught you, refined you, and empowered you to live a holy life set apart from this world. You've been charged by the Father to touch this and the next generation the way He's touched you. In thinking of ministering online, recognize that communities will be the virtual places where God will use you to teach, touch, pray for, and empower others. Sometimes, you may be speaking to nonbelievers; other times, to believers in dire need of God's truth.

      Jesus trained His tribe to get moving beyond themselves. He commissioned them to get involved, to revolutionize their communities and their nation with truth. It was a loaded command. Teaching others would require the disciples to embody and exude the very heart, leadership, wisdom, and fortitude that Jesus had. A high calling, no doubt, but the disciples shared a burning passion to go. Before ascending to the Father, Jesus gave His beloved tribe their final charge:

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       "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

      ...............................Matthew28:19-20, NKJV ...............................

      After Jesus left for heaven, He fulfilled yet another promise. In the book of Acts, we learn of Pentecost and how a wildfire ignited and spread. Pentecost can be considered the tipping point of the Scriptures, the point at which everything changed. The Holy Spirit arrived on cue to complete what was started and to execute the plan for the final finish.

      In sociology tipping points are defined as "the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable."⁵ It's a concept that under-girds the mysteries of the Web and the power and influence of human connection. Business writer Malcom Gladwell defines a tipping point as a sociological term: "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point." In his book The Tipping Point, Gladwell explains the "mysterious" sociological changes that mark everyday life and end up spreading throughout communities like viruses.⁶

      when God hit "send"

      The book of Acts explains the mysteries of Pentecost in a similar way, only in Holy Spirit terms. Acts is the account of the beginning and spread of Christianity. It's a book that would not exist without the infusion, guidance, power, and protection of the Holy Spirit. Acts bridges the gap between the Jesus of history (Jesus preaching in the Gospels) and the Jesus of faith (the risen Christ being preached in the Epistles). It's an exciting moment in Christian history that explains exactly how the messenger (you) becomes central to the communication of the message even today as you sit in front of a computer screen:

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       "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

      Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit a nd began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

      .........................................Acts 2:1-4, NIV.........................................

      Filled and enabled by the Holy Spirit, Peter took to the streets along with the other anointed disciples; and with astonishing boldness and authority, he preached to the crowds that gathered.

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      "With СКАЧАТЬ