Is social media like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace (etc.) just another fad, or is it a fundamental shift in the way we communicate?
I’ve leaned toward the latter for a good while now, and videos like this only strengthen my opinion. Check it out:
Still think social media might be a fad? Yes?
Okay, how about this: did you read the news yesterday?
The President of the United States said this to schoolchildren in a formal speech:
“Be careful what you post on Facebook. Whatever you do, it will be pulled up later in your life.”
I for one am VERY GLAD social media wasn’t around just a few years ago (the dirt on me would be public domain), and whether you like Obama or not, his assumption is correct: social media isn’t going anywhere. It’s here to stay.
Social media: absolutely nothing like Vanilla Ice.
Profound shifts in the DNA of our society don’t come along very often – what we’re witnessing with the insurgence of social media into everyday life is akin to the industrial revolution or even the invention of the printing press.
Ours will be a moment that historians point back to saying, “That was a time when a new technology changed the whole world.”
Why am I making a big deal about this? Because social media is about connecting with people, and Jesus is a big fan of that.
I can tell you a few stories about people I’ve been able to connect with through social media who are now connected to Jesus as a result.
Perhaps you have a few you can share too?
Brainstorm with me:
1) How could social media be used to impact the world for Christ?
2) How do you use social media to impact the world for Christ?
I’ve got to teach a group of ministers about this subject in the coming months – your feedback will help me do a good job of that. Thanks 🙂
Opening line introduces the hero, God. Throughout the pages of the Old Testament God is revealed. In the closing line of the New Testament Scriptures we’re reminded that God who is the hero of the whole story is embodied in Jesus. Thus, Jesus Christ is the true hero of the entire Bible.
Jesus Himself taught us that the Old Testament was primarily about Him (John 5:37-39).
Following His resurrection, Jesus opened the OT to teach others about Himself (Luke 24:27, 44-45).
Jesus’ own words about Himself as the central message of the OT are pointedly clear (Matthew 5:17-18).
Jesus was completely aware He was fulfilling the promises of the OT.
Simply put, when the OT is correctly interpreted you will find it’s about Jesus as God, our Savior, the object of our faith, forgiver of our sins, and giver of eternal life. To correctly interpret the OT you will need to connect its verses, concepts, and events to Jesus.
The Old Testament Foreshadows the Coming of Jesus
Representative figures, institutions, or events that foreshadow Jesus. Examples include:
Adam who foreshadows Jesus as the second Adam
The priesthood which prefigures Jesus as our High Priest
David and other kings who prefigure Jesus as the King of kings.
Moses and prophets who prefigure Jesus as our ultimate Prophet
animal sacrifices which prefigure Jesus as the sinless lamb of God slain for our sins
The temple which prefigures God’s presence dwelling among us in Jesus
Shepherds who care for their sheep which remind us we are as foolish and vulnerable as sheep, but Jesus is our Shepherd who cares for us and keeps constant watch over us
Judges who foreshadow Jesus as the final judge of all people
We also see people in the OT who perform various kinds of service analogous to the service that Jesus performs perfectly.
Unlike the first Adam, Jesus is the Last Adam who passed His test in the garden and in doing so imputed righteousness to us to overcome sin imputed to us through the first Adam.
Jesus is the true and better Abel who, although he was innocent, was slain and whose blood cries out for our acquittal.
When Abraham left his father and home, he was doing the same thing Jesus would do when He left heaven.
When Isaac carried his own wood and laid down his life to be sacrificed at the hand of his father Abraham, he was showing us what Jesus would later do.
Jesus is the greater Jacob, who wrestled with God in Gethsemane and, though wounded and limping, walked away from his grave blessed.
Jesus is the greater Joseph who serves at the right hand of God the King, extends forgiveness and provision to those of us who have betrayed Him, and uses His power to save us in loving reconciliation.
Jesus is greater than Moses in that He stands as a mediator between God and us, bringing us the New Covenant.
Like Job, innocent Jesus suffered and was tormented by the Devil so that God might be glorified, while his dumb friends were no help or encouragement.
Jesus is a King greater than David, who has slain our giants of Satan, sin, and death, although in the eyes of the world he was certain to face a crushing defeat at their hands.
Jesus is greater than Jonah in that he spent three days in the grave and not just a fish to save a multitude even greater than Nineveh.
That’s just a sample – there’s a lot more good stuff in this book.
Driscoll nails the reason behind the existence of the Old Testament: it’s all about Jesus! That’s a conclusion I drew for myself a long time ago.
The Overflow 