There is a cost to intermingling with pagans and atheists you don’t really know, it can hurt. I have kept an online blog for years originally starting it with the intent to witness to others. It started with an interest in an art project a teenager had done. It was a stunning piece, made the papers, and I began a search for the art. I found her online blog. I began to read stories of her life, her daily thoughts. It was shocking to me to see the world of teens. I came from a small town and had sheltered myself really. I was a goody two shoes so to speak, and though I did see some bad things in my young life, I had not intended to see these things, I had not sought them out. This teen was involved with a man older than she, and her friends were wild. They lived in an art underworld, their parents often approved, but some had no idea. They dabbled in drugs, sex with multiple partners, parties, and the like. They ran their own lives, and were extreme in what they did. They also interacted with me, a Christian, for a while. Soon, they grew bored and angry with me. I represented a stupidity they didn’t want anything to do with. I was banned from several blogs as a troll. I had attempted to witness, and it appears I failed.
Through friends of friends on the blog, I began going back and forth with a man who is agnostic/atheist. He created his own symbol for his non-religion (or maybe it is a secularism/humanism so actually a type of religious system). He began a sort of religious think tank blog where people could make a point and it could be picked apart by others. No one just accepted anything a Christian or even a theist of any type would say. It was all fairy tales to most of them. There were times when the discussion was interesting, but was it helpful? Some people came in as Christians and fought hard, some made fools of themselves. There were hateful jokes and angry statements made by pagans and atheists alike, but to be truthful, there were some claiming Christ who did not speak kindly. Did anyone really change? Not really. I made the attempt to reach out as a believer in Christ, shared what I could, and eventully the postings died down on the page from everyone. I do think the agnostic/atheist did respect me in some way, but that was not my goal in any way.
A few people popped into my life from communities formed on the blog. A few have actually been online “friends” for ten years now. They have even followed me over to my facebook page. One man works in his community, lived without a car for years, and has not been attending a local church. He became a Christian a few years after I met him. His focus in his posts is on the simple things in life, and on scripture. He reads his bible daily. He avoids churches I believe becaue everything he’s been to has been seeker friendly or some other sort of weakened/false gospel. He fellowships mostly with those he knows online. Only recently did he get a vehicle, and he began in Genesis once again. I consider him to be a brother in Christ, and see how he’s grown in the last few years.
One more woman has remained. There was a community that began as a Christian discussion area, and she began posting there. Initially, we got off to a bad start, and began to argue online. We stuck it out though, and she’s been in contact with me for about 10 years. When I was banned from the teenager’s pages, she was there to tell me they were idiots. She lives a very sad life, it seems she cannot get a leg up. Her parents are mean to her, she’s an adult, but makes bad choices. She has had bad relationships with men, and she is generally depressed. She also escapes with alcohol at times. She’s gone to psychologists and they have labeled her with a mild mental illness. She’s moody, opinionated, and often lashes out if you step on her toes. I have a few times, and I’ve been put out of her life for a while. Usually, it’s when I post about abortion. She’s had two abortions and was with a man in a bad relationship. She’s wounded, she gets hurt and angry when I mention abortion. Recently, I began posting a lot of pro-life videos and links on my facebook as a reaction to the doctor who had been doing murders on babies after being born alive in his “botched” abortions. He had also killed a woman, so now he is seen as evil by more than just pro-lifers. Well, my long time online friend reacted with anger. She thanked me for opening up old wounds and making her feel like, well, to put it less sharply, like dung. All because I posted links on my facebook. Links that showed survivors of abortions or clever comments about how those for abortions are all born now…just like those for slavery in America weren’t slaves. I had not even thought of her when I posted, and had not intended to bring up bad memories. Fact is though, she doesn’t feel guilt because I posted these things. She doesn’t feel depression and torment because of anything anyone else has done. She is tormented, depressed, and feels terrible about herself because she’s being confronted face to face with the consequences of her sin. She says she worries what religious people (she used colorful curse words) think of her, what I think of her. I do not think she is anything but a sinner. I am a sinner too, but I am saved by grace and I trust Christ because He drew me for some reason I cannot explain. I am NO better than she is, but I am better off as I see it. I know how to ask for forgiveness.
My online friend blames actions like mine for her rejection of the church, for her rejection of Christ. The fact is, her own sin is what keeps her from God. Her own blindness and hardened heart. For some reason, the Father broke through mine. I pray for my online friend (who really is seperated from me by a great chasm, but I have had a shot to share the gospel with her). I cannot fellowship with her, I cannot be yolked with her, and it makes me sad that I cannot do anything to save her. And yet, I know that I am also free in this truth. It’s only up to me to be an ambassador for Christ. I may not do it in the perfect way, I may not really help anyone, but I am glad I care about this woman. I pray for her because I believe I am supposed to. I know I am not good at this, I also know I just have to keep doing the best I can.
I am a C...I am a CH...I am a CHRISTIAN 