Online Witnessing

[Gina B]

I'm asking because I've had a COUPLE of people lately seem to be of the opinion that I'm wasting my time when I go on message boards/chat rooms with non-Christians....
Here's the thing. I'm pretty much an alone mommy with kids, and don't really get a chance to go out knocking on doors and such to witness. I've found I can reach more people when I go online. I've gone to Catholic, Adventist, Satanist, Atheist, etc., chatrooms and message boards.
I don't understand the people who are saying that it's not a waste of time to talk to these same people if you knock on their door or meet them at work or at the store or some other way, but if you do it on a message board it's a waste of time because they aren't going to listen?
What's your opinion?

da Gina

 

[Chris Temple]

It is never - NEVER - a waste of time to share the gospel: anywhere anytime. God's word does not return void; it saves, and it condemns. God determines the purpose; our mission is to "preach the word".

Heb 4.12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

[SaggyWoman]

Gina;

I agree with Chris--it is never a waste of time sharing the gospel whereever you are. In fact, the Bible tells us to be salt and light as we go.

 

[Brother Adam]

Amen to Chris on this one! My ministry is almost entirely online at this point. And I think the internet is a great way to reach people. You don't have to fly across the world to reach people half and earth away. It is important however not to spend too much time on this thing so that you are neglecting other responsibilities

UNP
Adam

 

[Barnabas H.]

No, Gina, it is not a waste of time to be a light to the world, but be sure you do not throw pearls of great value to swine, for the Bible says that they will trample it. Use your discernment where to share your faith. For example you wouldn't go to a disco place, a sex parlor, the den of Satan, and other wild places to preach the Gospel would you? So, why would you go to their websites? Why not shed your light on a board where people are open and looking for answers, like the BaptistBoard.com? The Lord leads people to this site in a miraculous way - just read some of the introductions on the Welcome forum.

BTW, you can see some of the results of the effectiveness of the BB in the following link (there are others I am sure). Read Betty's response to the post, "Pray for the BB."
http://www.baptistboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=26&t=000165

 

[free2know]

There is always that chance that you could help change someone's life....but, depending on whom you are communicating with, it may be a little like trying to teach a pig to sing....frustrating to you and annoying to the pig

May God give you discernment on your witnessing quest.

 

[Gina B]

" Use your discernment where to share your faith. For example you wouldn't go to a disco place, a sex parlor, the den of Satan, and other wild places to preach the Gospel would you?
_____________________________________________

Gina says: YES, yes, and YES! Just don't leave your church's name on the tracts,lol, since in most places it's illegal to actually go into the establishment to do it. It IS however, perfectly legal to stand on their sidewalk and do it!
_____________________________________________
"Why not shed your light on a board where people are open and looking for answers, like the BaptistBoard.com?"
_____________________________________________
I'm here! And it looks like you guys got some pretty good people already in the "other versions" forum. I do jump in occasionally...but as far as telling the story of Jesus to the Baptist Board? Most of the people who seem most in need of aren't BAPTIST, for some odd reason.
da Gina

 

[SaggyWoman]

In fact, the kind of witnessing I like to do is when I leave my instant messaging or ICQ on and people chat with me. I use this as an opportunity.

 

[Helen]

Hi Gina,

After five years on the boards, I can say it is not a waste of time.

Unless you make it a waste of time. This was a lesson the Lord was faithful to teach me, but I was a little slow and it took some precious time! Getting involved in giant hassles over things IS a waste of time.

Also, ask the Lord in prayer to show you how much time HE wants you to spend on the boards. It's a wonderful missionary outreach, but if it is out of proportion to your 'off screen' life or not what the Lord is asking you to do at that moment, it's wrong.

Results? I have been amazed. "Only" two of my staunch opponents (or seemingly so) have converted to Christianity, but the 'lurkers' have emailed me at the rate of sometimes ten a week thanking me for things I have said. There are always more people reading than posting, and it is usually to those people we are doing our witnessing. The on-board opponents simply give us a stage from which to speak.

So say your piece, answer questions, and try very hard not to get into the pigpen fights, throwing mud. I've been trapped into that sort of thing a few times and it never has any positive results, either inside of me or for others.

Whatever you do, follow the Lord. Pray for guidance. Each day belongs to Him, as does each minute and hour. Through you He is probably reaching a lot of lost people -- and some of them will be looking for the truth.

It's an excellent outreach for a stay-at-home mom. I'm one now, and the adult 'company' on the net is personally very needed at times!

God bless you.

In Christ,
Helen

 

[Larry]

Gina,

Seeing as how Jesus was criticized for spending time with publicans and sinners, I would take such criticism as a compliment.

Helen,

Has it been that long? I remember years ago you were debating with an atheist on a page called Science and the Bible or something like that. If I remember correctly his name was John and he was in Finland or going to Finland? You probably don’t remember but you were the one who taught me to cut and past. I have cut and pasted the Gospel to hundreds if not thousands of non-Christian web pages and boards by now.

 

[Cindy]

Gina, I tend to agree with those who are encouraging you to continue your online ministry, while being careful not to neglect your family and discerning about casting your pearls before swine.

At least when someone is participating in an online forum, they're prepared for someone to challenge their thinking and present an opposing viewpoint. Are they,really,when someone knocks on their front door?

Elizabeth

[ December 14, 2001: Message edited by: elizabeth ]

 

[Helen]

Oh my goodness, Larry! It's a small cyberspace!

I first got on the internet because I wanted to know more of what was going on politically than I was getting in the news and press prior to the 1986 elections. My first foray was under the old name of 'tuppence' which my son gave me because I was always sticking my two cents' worth in and because it was androgenous. My email for years was tuppence@ns.net! It is not now, due to massive spamming and porno that was coming in and stuff -- including death threats!

I started on the New York Times political forum then. Then it was the University of Michigan's Why Files for science. When it was known I was not only a Christian but, horror of horrors, a young earth creationist, I was so roundly and so often ridiculed that I quit there (it was also starting to take so much time to load that it was not worth it).

Since then I have not been on more than two forums at a time (always Christian except for brief answers when someone emails me something and asks for a response on another forum). It takes too much time. I am on two science listserves and that, with normal email, is over 100 emails a day to sort through -- so I thought I was going to quit forums altogether. Then John Wells emailed a friend of mine asking for help here on the creation-evolution board and he emailed me and here I am again!

If you knew me always as Helen, then it was after I got brave enough to drop the 'tuppence' as a posting name and that would have been about four years ago, I think.

Many blessings! So glad you are still working the web!

Helen

 

[Robert J Hutton]

Warm Christian greetings!

I believe it is an excellent idea to witness on-line. Personally I am not keen on chat lines but I would like to put Gospel messages on message boards. However, I am not sure how to find secular message board web sites. Can you advise?

Kind regards

RJH

 

[Clint Kritzer]

Gina -

I'm sure that you recognize me as a HUGE proponent of the internet as a witnessing tool. I can tell you personally that Margie and I have kept in touch even to this day with a young lady who came through here once and had some problems. This ability to "go into all the world" is absolutely unprecedented! Much of what we do here is banter, but have no doubt that some of our talks have an incredible audience. How many of us do you suppose post here? 100? 200 max? Look at the counter on BaptistTop1000 and look at the incredibly high number of lurkers there must be in here! Yeah, ain't no doubt. This is for the good if we choose to make it so!

May God bless you

- Clint

 

[Gina B]

Robert,
What exactly are you looking for? Is there a particular group you are better at witnessing to? Such as mormons, atheists, satanists, etc? What I tend to do is pick up on these first through a Christian message board, and follow through the links to their sights, and join the ones that welcome Christians for debate on their sites. I won't go to one that is solely for them, as that would be pointless and I wouldn't be welcome. You can do a search on different sites and posting boards where you like their formats, such as Yahoo boards, or Delphi forums, etc., and look for the topics and names of places that interest you. (Satanist vs. Christian, which version, Judaism and Christianity debates, etc.) And go from there. If you're not comfortable with public chat rooms, you can use private invites to your own "room" on your computer and invite a few people you've been talking to in and make it more personal and friendly and on your own terms. I've found it helpful to do it that way also because you can copy and paste text to them (Bible verses, info from other sites, as your talking). I love online witnessing, lol! You have a ton of info. right at your fingertips as you're talking, it's awesome! Just don't ask me to copy and paste on the BB!
da Gina

 

[butterbloom]

Gina,

It is effective. There is a guy on the ebay messageboards that was very against Christianity but by the fervent witness of others via the messageboards and sending him literature he is now saved!

It was wonderful watching his transformation as his posts became less and less cynical and you could just see how he was changing.

Keep it up! Paul said he used all kinds of lures to catch the fish, (paraphrased).

It works!