It’s been almost two months since I saw the tweet that inspired this topic. The individual wondered if Christians were more transparent would more people be saved? Many people said they believed so, and others answered (paraphrased), “No, because it’s the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes.” Which I agree with the latter.
Upon going through the conversation, I saw a statement from the questioner, which makes all the difference about the perspective of where the question comes from. They wondered if being open of struggles could allow others to see God’s glory. I think the question would sound clearer if presented like this, “If we are open about our struggles, and point to Jesus through them, would that not be a testament to others of Jesus? Would that perhaps make them desire to learn more about Him?”
I think desiring others learn about what Jesus is doing in our life, and how we are growing through hardship is important. We are to be encouraging to one another and give God the praise. However, a look at the New Testament shows us also that the life of a Christian is difficult, and we do not want to mislead anyone either with signs/wonders and experiences. Packing Christianity into a nicely wrapped box with a bow isn’t truthful. Not saying everyone presents Christianity in this way, just that we need to be careful. Thus, the questioner came against this position as well.
On the flip side, showing others how Christians aren’t perfect and struggle like anyone else… well, I want to ask what’s the purpose of sharing? If it is to point out our struggle with the sinful nature and being born again, how the Spirit and flesh are always at war, this could lead to some awesome scripture sharing. I’m almost positive the book of Romans would be brought up multiple times, which I’m excited for!
If we are sharing for the sake of being relatable and nothing else, I would caution against it. Only being relatable about our struggles is not helpful to our readers because we are not encouraging them with the truth, and it is not helpful to us because we are not being encouraged with the truth as well. It easily can lead to us wallowing in a woe is me mindset, and we do not want to encourage our readers (or ourselves) that this is okay as a Christian. Falling into condemnation of self is the complete opposite of the truth in Jesus. It is certainly a trial Christians experience, but we have hope in Christ. We can turn our feelings of condemnation over to Him and rest in His truth. He is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:01)
In addition, there is something else I think we all should keep in mind as well regarding our transparency and how we use it in blogging. The truth is no matter what we share with others we cannot save them by our words or stories alone. We can point them to Jesus, but we cannot go to the cross for them.
The Gospel is what our listeners need the most. Christ came to set the captives free.
Scripture does indicate that our eyes must first be opened to the truth in order to accept Him. In order to follow Jesus Christ, we must believe and have faith in Him. How does one acquire faith? Through hearing scripture. (And not everyone will believe but find the word of God foolish. Keep sharing anyway 🙂 )
(NIV) Romans 10:17, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
(NIV) Hebrews 4:02, “For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.”
What’s The Purpose In Being Transparent For Social Media
Transparent– clear enough to be seen through, readily understood.
Communicating. Encouraging. Relating. Transparency has its place in blogging and sharing with others. Yet, being transparent comes with its own temptations. People might desire to be transparent on their blog knowing numbers could increase. People might desire to be relatable for others’ approval and praise. Some might feel like ranting and complaining. Getting a weight off of their chest.
As a Christian blogger, our blog posts are not diary entries. By that I mean, if we must complain, rant, lash out, etc. we need to take it to the feet of our Savior first. If we have questions related to our struggles, it might be wise to first seek out trusted sources after handing these issues to Christ in prayer before seeking out a public audience.
The purpose of being transparent for a Christian blogger should relate in pointing to Jesus.
If faith comes through hearing the word of God about Jesus, then our testimonies alone cannot give anyone a solid foundation in Christ, unless we are thoroughly going through scripture. The word of God does not need our help (by sharing stories outside of scripture) to produce faith in others. It is the word of God alone that opens the eyes of people. But God can certainly use us as mouthpieces for sharing His word. Essentially, it all needs to go back to Him, not us.
Remembering the fruit of the Spirit, 1/9th of the fruit is having self-control. We need to restrain some emotions, thoughts, and words we might want to share. Being transparent does not mean we can be utterly open with no boundaries.
We need to ask ourselves a few questions with every post.
- Does this post point more to me or Christ?
- Does this post share the Gospel in an easy way?
- Why am I writing this post? For numbers? To be liked? For God and His truth?
- Do I expect people to immediately be persuaded?
- What kind of tone am I am setting in the post? Am I accusing others and setting myself apart? (This often happens when we use “you” statements, instead of “we”)
- Am I complaining? Am I venting? Am I too emotionally attached as I write?
- If I am discussing a false teaching or teacher is it slanderous?
- Do people need to know the details I am sharing?
- What is the purpose of what I am sharing?
- Do I need more research? Should this post be postponed (or not written)?
- Have I prayed about it? Have I studied scripture on the topic and have done other research needed?
If our goal is to reach others for Jesus Christ as a blogger, then we should be willing to look at our posts and see if they point to Jesus or not. I’m not saying every post will be about Christ, though I hope every Christian blogger sees the importance of it. But in reaching others, are we giving them a solid Gospel? Are we seeking others for numbers, in which case, are we watering down the truth? Are we seeking others and yet we ourselves do not have the answers and have not studied the Christian topics we want to discuss?
Being honest can be a wonderful thing, but being unprepared is not. Sometimes we might be passionate and heated about a topic we need to cool down on. Sometimes we need to do more research and reading of scripture before instructing others on the topic. Sometimes drafts need deleted. Other time published posts might need to be privated.
The goal is Jesus. In all ways we need to acknowledge Him. (Proverbs 3:5-6) If we want others to see Jesus in our writing, then we need to give them the word of God.
We can be transparent, but with self-control. We can share testimonies, but we don’t want to encourage people to only seek after emotions and experiences. Being a Christian is not only about the positives of what we get out of it. God does not answer our every beck and call. True Christians suffer persecution and go through trials for refinement. This is not our best life now for a reason.
Rather we should encourage and share the atonement of Jesus and repentance of the sinner which is only through the Savior. We need to be willing to share the whole Gospel and we should desire eagerly to do so for the rest of our lives.
Eternity has consequences. Let’s keep our priorities straight.
(NIV) Mark 12:30-31, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Monthly Scripture – (NKJ) Psalm 85:10, “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.”
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Thanks so much for this post. I’m just starting out, so I appreciate the advice and the insight.
In Jesus and Mental Health
PB
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Glad this is helpful 😊
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Thanks a lot for this post. I really loved those questions you bull pointed at the concluding part of your piece. I think I’m going to use them as templates for my posts. God bless your works🙏
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Praise the Lord! I am so glad the questions are helpful!!
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Love the questions to ask yourself at the bottom of this post!
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Me too 😊
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I feel a need to write more about myself; pointing my readers to the sustaining power of God. Thanks for sharing this. 🙏🏼
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There are ways to do it 😊 our goal is to point Jesus. I’m glad this was helpful.
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This is such an important topic and I so appreciate all you shared about it because I had actually been wondering about whether I needed to also share more personal stuff on my blog, which to me is for helping equip women to grow in passion for Jesus.
I never felt pushed to share personal stuff though until someone on Twitter mentioned it (I wonder if it’s the same post you are referring to!)
Thanks for sharing on this topic! Excellent post!
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Some personal stories can be great illustrations. Sometimes though we can struggle making our posts mostly about us and tagging Christ on at the end. I think a lot of women’s studies sadly do this, too.
If our goal is Christ as a blogger, we can ask ourselves why is this needed? And some personal posts are totally ok 🙂 I like sharing updates occasionally. But it’s important we analyze what we are doing and why. I’m really glad you enjoyed this post.
The secular world is often all about feelings. But Christians need to be more focused on Christ. 😊💗 It is something I want to work on.
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Ooh, good subject with thoughtful points to consider! When I write Christian posts, I try so hard to iron out any snarkiness because I know I’m imperfect and I don’t write them perfectly the first time around–emotions are often involved. I take it seriously that Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Of course, some topics are controversial (like how American Christians tend to mix faith with nationalism), but I really try not to leave anything slightly rash, petty, etc. so people won’t get distracted from the Gospel. I’m sure I could do better if I measure myself against the criteria at the end. We must try to be stepping stones instead of stumbling blocks! Also, super rant-y posts that don’t turn to God make me uncomfortable!
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Honestly, we all can do better 😊💗 the more we grow in Christ. I hear you! Topics regarding varying opinions can be tough but with focus on scripture so very often needed. Humility must accompany our pen in hand. I have learned a lot about my posts and my approaches and it seems no matter what I learn there is always a better way or points that I would like to make a few months later 😅😅 Love what you said! Be a stepping stone instead of stumbling block best we can. 😊
Ranting really has a place solely for the individual and less for an audience. Else we encourage the same thoughts and emotions out of our readers.
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I really believe that there is power in the testimony of a life changed by Christ. There’s something about vulnerability that makes people see Jesus behind. I agree, it all boils down to the intention. Although sometimes, the impression we receive from a post can really be different from how the writer supposed to mean it. And we can’t cancel other’s posts either, despite whatever purpose s/he has, because, as Paul said, as long as Christ is preached then we continue to rejoice (Phil 1:18). May your post be a reminder to all of us to be intentional in leading people to Christ, not to make our name magnified.
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I think for sure when we share our testimony and share the Gospel alongside of it, like what Paul did with King Agrippa in Acts, it really is not only powerful but helpful. 🙂
It’s kinda like leading someone to a lake and they know they need to be in the lake, but not giving them what they need to get out there. The person can be so excited to be out in the pond like us, and desire to experience what we are experiencing, but without proper tools and a boat, they just look on from afar.
This is why when the Gospel is shared it needs to be on fertile ground as Christ shares in the parable of the seeds. And if we do not fully know the Gospel (fertile ground) of why we need faith in Christ it might be an indication of a false conversion. I think many false converts have amazing stories which can make others emotional and desire the same stories for their lives but the converts themselves didn’t understand they were sinners, that Christ died for them, He resurrected, He was and is God, and we need to put our faith in Him. To fully grasp these things, it isn’t going to happen in one night prayer. I wish I knew that when I was younger because so many I knew who “came to Jesus” because of powerful testimonies they heard had no true idea of the Gospel.
False teachers sadly often use vulnerability of the audience through emotional connecting and story telling, what is itching to the ears, to lead people away. Many I’m sure are sincere in what they are doing but they are deceived, just like the congregation they are deceiving.
I didn’t mean to go on like I did, but as you see this topic really is important to me. And yes, the spotlight needs to be Jesus so very much.
Yes! I have had posts read in ways I didn’t expect 😅
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Only today that I’ve heard about false converts. It might’ve been hard to share a testimony of a changed life when they didn’t even had faith and hadn’t known the gospel to begin with? So maybe it’s just plainly based on emotions that people can easily get along with. (Tho don’t get me wrong, God gave us emotions too as one medium to connect with people and with Him but it’s all should be grounded in faith and wisdom that He gave us). Glad I stumbled with your post. I learned so much.
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The sad part is antichrists can give us signs and wonders. Incredible testimonies from demons. Christ means Anointed One. And I believe Matt 24 talks about false christs.
We have many people today claiming they are “anointed” ones. They have these incredible and powerful stories. They sell books. They sell their secrets. They have this “special” connection with the Lord and we can, too, for three payments of $19.99.
These false teachers push experiences and feelings onto their congregations and listeners. What they won’t do is preach scripture in context. But cherry pick verses to boost their theology. Most of the “sermon” is focused on story telling and connecting to people’s feelings. Not scripture. Many push gnosticism and mysticism. They claim we need to understand what God is saying to us outside of the Bible and we need secret knowledge.
These are all itching to the ears which we are warned against in scripture. Myths. And when we go outside of scripture we then becone trapped in wondering is this God? Is this Him? Am I not hearing Him enough? People become so distraught, hurt, confused, and they eat up more stories about how we can connect to God. I used to be there and the amount of tears I’ve gone through from these lies I don’t want others to experience.
Hebrews 1 says in the past God spoke through the prophets but now God speaks through Christ. Jesus is the word of God. The word of God is what we need the most. It is the only way to fully discern anything in this life and to know if something is of God and if it isn’t. Because wolves come from within the church walls. Satan and demons appear as angels of light.
We need God’s truth to discern.
(False teaching is something I have been studying for about a year currently. So… you hit anothee topic I care deeply about 😊💗)
I’m really grateful my comment to you was helpful. Honestly, I didn’t realize how bad the false teaching is in this world and now that I know what to look for…. it’s everywhere.
Two women I recommend are Michelle Lesley, she also has a WordPress, and Alisa Childers (Twitter, Facebook, Youtube). Michelle has amazing topics for women and she gently goes over many false teachers and helps identify why in light of scripture they are false. Alisa helps explain what Progressive Christianity is and the danger of it.
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Wow. I’ve heard that they exist I but never really encountered those who sell something for you to connect with God. 😱
Though I can relate with those verses not taught in context. I’ve seen many “Christian influencers” on social media who teach “Christianity” but never mentioned that it is through faith on the gospel of Jesus that we are saved. They teach healing but never mentioned Jesus and His work of love on the cross. And more of those self love topics and taking verses like how they want to interpret it. It’s just a waste with the following they have. And it’s sad, too.
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ve been wanting to learn theology, too. I’ve been reading Lewis and Tozer for the past months and they changed the way I read the Bible. I really want to learn more and be deeply rooted in God’s word to avoid consuming false teachings.
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I’ve been reading Mere Christianity by Lewis and wow!!! Okay, girl!
Here is who I recommend. Melissa Dougherty on YouTube. She came out of New Age thinking. She is a Christian Apologist (I recommend her book recommendation videos especially for guidance I got two from that list currently). Doreen Virtue came out of Christian Science, New Age. She has recanted and repented. She has a YouTube channel and interviews an assortment of people.
Mike Winger (especially Mike, he helped me a lot in the beginning, very thorough, researches tons of topics) Justin Peters. Paul Washer. Pastor Tim Conway all great pastors I have found on Youtube. Justin Peters covers a bit of false teaching. All of these guys you can find on Youtube. Tim Challies I believe is his name, he has a YouTube and FB. He covers a variety, including some false teaching and how to identify it.
And then like I said Michelle Lesley, and Alisa Childers as well. There are more people I could recommend but I hope this is helpful, oh and the website Got Questions.org They cover tons of various topics for Bible questions and false teachings, why is ____ wrong? They also have a YouTube channel, quick vids really helpful. 🙂
I desired to know the truth but I didn’t know where to turn and that’s the sad part about this. We can’t trust everyone and I hope the resources I shared are helpful to you!
It is sad many promote self help speeches and self love. The sad part is they don’t know any better a lot of the time and if corrected they have so many other wolves around them they look up that the truth is rejected. Keep praying for them and keep studying His word 😊💗 God exposes the darkness!
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I am so sorry, once last suggestion is RAD Apologetics they have an Instagram and FB. You might enjoy how they cover various arguments against Christianity and break them down.
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*and yes, God did create emotions 🙂 there is good that can be in them for sure. It’s sin that abuses our emotion and focusing on self.
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Christ says He will separate the sheep from the goats. Many false converts genuinely believe they are saved. That’s why Christ says in that day they will say Lord, Lord and He answers He didnt know them. To say Lord indicates a form of care.
Children believe in an eternal Santa who comes to serve them gifts once a year and their belief is as real as the lie they believe in.
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This is a great post TR! Amen! I especially appreciate what you mentioned about sharing just to be relatable which can lead to a “Woe is me” mindset. We can share but I do not enjoy or think venting/ranting blog posts are edifying to the body at all and I shy from reading them. I love that we can share our experiences as Christians in the context of always pointing to Jesus, what He is doing in our lives, and His grace alone being the focus. Bless you friend and thank you!❤
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It is really easy to fall into a negative mindset that we coddle ourselves and others with. No one is free from never experiencing this but it helps the more we recognize and turn to Christ.
When I first became a blogger I followed some negative blogs and eventually had to stop. I also have been guilty myself of some posts. I’ve either had the posts never see the light of day or edit them.
God be you, dear Viv!!
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I feel like God has been wanting me to write more about my personal experiences lately. I also would not be surprised if what I`m working on never sees the light of day. Sometimes I need to write things down to understand myself. God can use my writing to heal me from things I didn`t know were inside me.
You are right that not every thing we write is for everyone. It takes a lot of prayer to know the difference sometimes.
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Prayer is essential alongside scripture. Studying the fruit of the Spirit. Studying how we are told to act toward others. The things we need to stay from (anger, slander, gossip, sexual immortality, etc). If our post is edifying and in love these are things we are told to do in scripture. We don’t have to wonder about it 💗😊. 1 Corinthians 13 the love chapter is a great way to look at what we are writing. Ephesians 5 I like to think of the other love chapter for guidelines. Ephesians 2:10 we were created for good works. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord in all your ways and lean not on your own underatanding. (James 1 tells us we can ask God for wisdom and have full confidence in faith God will provide wisdom. The more we are reading the word of God the more we will be able to retain His truth and help rightly divide because we know what His word is.) In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path.
This is a promise. 🙂 If you think you should be more open, hold up your writing to scripture, that’s how you know. And you are so right, sometimes writing reveals things. Sometimes we vent and delete. Sometimes it is something that is helpful to others but too personal to share with others, and that is completely ok, too. 😊
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