Have you ever read the story of the first social media Pastor?
He’s found in Judges.
Have you ever read the story of the first social media Pastor?
He’s found in Judges 17.
Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim 2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.”
Then his mother said, “The Lord bless you, my son!”
3 When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make an image overlaid with silver. I will give it back to you.”
4 So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol. And it was put in Micah’s house.
5 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest. 6 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.
7 A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been living within the clan of Judah, 8 left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.
9 Micah asked him, “Where are you from?”
“I’m a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he said, “and I’m looking for a place to stay.”
10 Then Micah said to him, “Live with me and be my father and priest, and I’ll give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and your food.” 11 So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man became like one of his sons to him. 12 Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. 13 And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.”
The Levite was disconnected from the priesthood but that didn’t matter because his audience wanted to worship where they were.
The Levite became a priest because of the desires of people who were already committed to idolatry.
The Levite entered his service because of what he could get out of it.
The Levite became a good luck charm for the people he stayed with.
“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.”
Social media ministry is curated by algorithms based on people’s interests and attention.
Social media ministry offers financial and social incentives that entice the wrong kind of minister.
Spiritual social media and the illusion of digital discipleship is a deadly replacement for the Living Word and real relationships.
Can social media be used for powerful good? Absolutely! But don’t underestimate our ability to fall into Micah’s trap.
The secretly curated and physically dislocated ministry of people you never met, whose character you can’t confirm, must never replace the living people of God and the Word of God in the local church.
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” 2 Timothy 4:3