By Joel Harris, Communications Team Future Leader

Who would have ever thought social media could be used as a way to reach people for Christ? I didn’t think this was possible through social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter, nor did I ever consider using these popular networking sites for this purpose. While in college, I had a Facebook page and was all about it. After graduating college, I dropped the page thinking that it would be a fad that would eventually fade away. Five years later, it is still around and growing stronger than ever. You would think being a graphic designer I would be up to speed with social media but it wasn’t the case at all. When I started working here at MBC on the communications team, one of my first assignments was to create a Facebook page for myself. I’m glad I was given this assignment because God knew how he wanted to use this tool in my life to reach others.

Facebook quickly connected me again with family and friends I’ve known since middle school, some who are nonbelievers. One friend in particularly (I’ll refer to him as Brian) recently sent me a Facebook message asking me questions at McLean Bible Church and expressing an interest for him, his wife and two daughters to attend a satellite location in their area. He mentioned that my wife Kristina and I have inspired him and his wife by the way we’re living life. This message came to me as a surprise but not a surprise to God. You see, my friend Brian is unsaved and we’ve had several conversations before about starting a relationship with Christ to which he has always replied I’m not interested in that. At the end of those conversations I would be disappointed that he did not give his life to Christ, but when it didn’t happen God just used those encounters to plant seeds. After several more encounters of the same thing happening I finally
came to the realization that if I was to reach my friend Brian I needed to change my style of evangelism. I simply started praying for him more. At the start of FLP back in July we were given index cards to write the names
of five people in our lives right now who don’t know the Lord and he was a person on the list. Receiving that Facebook message was encouraging to know that God was moving in the heart of my friend Brian and that prayer is truly a powerful form of evangelism. I’m encouraged even more to continue to pray not only for my friend Brian but for the rest of my unsaved friends.

Even though I was doubtful about joining Facebook, I wouldn’t have never seen this message if I didn’t have a page. I’m glad my wife and I are able to be in Brian’s life and see how God will use this relationship to bring Brian to him. Throughout all this I think about a verse that is a core value of how ministry is done here at MBC/Frontline. 1 Corinthians 9:22 says “To the weak I became the weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some”. This is one more way God continues to surprise me and if I can continue to embrace social media and use my skills in graphic design to save some from eternal damnation to advance the Kingdom, then let me use these sites to their full advantage and with that specific intention.