5 More Reasons I Love Doing Businesss, No, Ministry, Online

Over on my blog design site, I just posted 5 Reasons Why I Love Doing Business Online … but after reflecting on a couple of incredible months of business online and a year of blogging here), I thought I’d give 5 More Reasons Why I Love Doing Ministry Online …

Here they are:

1. I’VE MADE SOME INCREDIBLE, AMAZING FRIENDSHIPS

I count some of my closest friends to be “virtual” friendships … all of whom I’ve never had the privilege of shaking their hands.

These guys and gal could be my five reasons alone: Brian, Nathan, Nate, Ryan, Penelope …

There are many, many more … but these five are the ones I chat with the most ….

[And I'm meeting more and more each new day!]

2. GOD HAS USED ME DESPITE ME, BEING ME

I’ve been blessed monetarily beyond my wildest expectations as I’ve done business online … and, honestly? I didn’t run onto the business playing field with my Christian evangelist hat on. I didn’t plan on making ministry my no. 1 priority through my business.

I just wanted to live my faith THROUGH my business … and if and when the opportunity arose … I would share the love and grace of my Lord.

But I just literally “fell into” my online business stuff … and been totally blessed in the process (see No. 1).

And amazingly, despite myself and my total unworthiness to be used in His work, along the way, God has opened doors to sharing my faith with many people. In fact, I believe several times, He just drop-kicked the door open and said, “OK, here you go, captain oblivious.”

3. THE WEB IS RIPE FOR MINISTRY

Bobby from LifeChurch.tv re-opened my eyes to this when we had lunch a couple weeks ago. He said to me that the web (and technology in general) is literally allowing us to have access to the entire world (read: almost every tribe, tongue here) …

Can you imagine?

I’ve had contact with people in Australia, Japan, India … all over. I need a map with thumbpins to plot them.

And like Bobby and LifeChurch … I believe the church needs to be there. Online. Listening. Loving. Sharing. Praying. Being.

Did you hear that? Yes, we, the church, need to be there … we need an active, living, constant presence on the web. We need to claim this technology for the Gospel. We need to redeem it for the Lord and His Message.

We need to use it to take that amazing Message, virtually, to the ends of the earth ….

4. THE LORD CAN AND WILL BE GLORIFIED … THROUGH CODE.

I don’t mean Bible code …. I mean, He will and must be glorified through HTML, XHTML, CSS, PHP, Ruby, whatever … He must get glory through us … as we wonder into this world of organized code we call the Internet.

Reread No. 3 for a second …

OK, welcome back …

God must get glory online. Are we to abandon and forsake the web as “vile and evil” and retreat like we did so many institutions?

No! No! No! No! Never!

Let us take the banner of Christ online … together. Let us live out our faith online to all those God intersects our lives with.

We must charge into it … sure, we will make mistakes. We will cross lines. And sometimes stumble and fall flat on our face. But we must not let that fear stop us … we must, with discernment, GO.

Let us do it with humbleness and love … and truth, wrapped in grace. Let it ring through with our Savior’s touch. Let Him be our theme!

But we must go.

5. YES, WE MUST GO

Again, we must go.

I believe … I see … this grand field for ministry laid open for us.

Sometimes I feel as though the Lord has led me to a mountaintop and allowed me a glimpse of amazing opportunity. At times I want to run away from it and bury my head. I want the safe and security of familiarity, where others have made all the mistakes before me and I follow the worn path.

But my friend Brian reminds me of Moses. He told me, “God equips the called, not calls the equipped.”

[Refer back to No. 2.]

This opportunity is not just for me, or a select few, though. It is for you. The Bride. The Church.

We must go.

Come with me …

Join me in staking the flag of Christ on the Web …

… that all the nations may rejoice …

… in the goodness and greatness of the Crucified God!