andrew fish

• ministry
• blog
• gallery
• contact

31.7 Tweetheses for the Digital Mission

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his “Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” to the a church door in Wittenberg. God used Luther’s ideas, along with the newly invented printing press, to bring about the Protestant Reformation — a reaffirmation of the authentic, Biblical Christian faith.

In a sense, the church — and all believers — should be in a constant state of reformation. We must continually comparing our lives and practices to the truth of God’s word. And never before has this ongoing reformation been more important. I am convinced that internet-connected technologies are a God-ordained tool that He wants to use in fulfilling the Great Commission. Yet I often find myself con if we — the church, and myself most of all — have the Biblical convictions necessary to meet this opportunity.

Somewhere, somehow, there is a mysterious balance of God’s sovereign will and our free will. The question I see before us is this: how can we be the best stewards possible of this moment in history? I believe that the simple answer is wholly and unreservedly embracing the true Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible, the Jesus that has changed both hearts and history.

A few weeks ago, I was at lunch with some fellow GMO staff members when we started talking about something fun to do for Reformation Day (which, of course, lands on a more pagan holiday). I had been thinking for a while how we can make the whole person of Jesus Christ more central to our online mission work. And thus was born the idea of writing these “theses” for the digital mission; core principle I believe we must embrace to succeed in the opportunity God has given us.

Because the internet makes everything faster (and I couldn’t come up with 95!) I limited it to 95 divided by 3 — roughly 31.7. And in this Twitter-sized world, all are under 140 characters — and I’ll be tweeting them today wiht the #iReform tag. My prayer is that these would only glorify God and advance His saving work, so I humbly present…

31.7 Tweetheses for the Digital Mission

1) We must reaffirm Jesus’ definition of eternal life: All of God lives is in Christ, and all of Christ can dwell in us.

2) Jesus Christ is beyond human comprehension and can never be limited to theological constructs or personal experience.

3) For the sake of all, we must continually ask if the Jesus we claim to love, know, and serve is the authentic one.

4) The Jesus of the Bible is not the Jesus many are following, or want to. Yet he’s the only one worth following.

5) The omniscient God the Father foreknew and predetermined how the internet would be used in His redemptive plan.

6) The digital mission may not reach every person on earth for Christ, but it could facilitate a movement that will.

7) Fulfilling the digital mission may cost more in labor and finances than all previous eras; God is capable of providing.

8) The heart of the digital mission is not technology, but the spread of God’s glorious, holy name to the nations.

9) We must anticipate Christ’s imminent return, acting with urgency because each day hastens His full revelation.

10) Only if Jesus is raised up in all His fullness can this singular opportunity in the Great Commission by fully realized.

11) Fulfilling the digital mission requires virtually connecting local churches to a global, Christ-centered movement.

12) Missional efficacy in every age requires a continual, deliberate focus on the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

13) The greatest strategy and most powerful tool is indwelt, sold out believers recklessly committed to God’s glory.

14) Success is not dependent on business principles or ministry strategies, but clearly, deliberately revealing Jesus.

15) Failure should be neither feared or dismissed; we either didn’t take God seriously, or we misinterpreted the outcome.

16) The mission will succeed if we abandon ourselves to an extraordinary God uses ordinary believers for supernatural work.

17) A true, lasting decision for Jesus occurs when a person is captivated by Him as Savior and abandoned to Him as Lord.

18) Any message, strategy, or tool not centered in the person of Jesus Christ is inherently and irredeemably un-Christian.

19) Strategies that build bridges to the gospel must purposefully reveal Jesus; He is effective, not the strategy.

20) Jesus calls people to himself out of the religions of deception and self worship; He is an unashamed proselytizer.

21) The great barriers to the gospel aren’t culture, language, or resources but the pride and self-will writ in our DNA.

22) The cost of following Jesus may differ across a digital link; we must present the Jesus worth following at any price.

23) Truly sharing Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit results in a personally redemptive revelation of His glory and love.

24) Jesus is not a handyman who fixes problems; He is a redeemer who cuts out the old life and replaces it with a new one.

25) People do not receive spiritual content online as they do secular content; the Holy Spirit changes the dynamic.

26) We anticipate opportunities in emerging technologies, but know that that man’s plans may not be the one God intends.

27) “Secular” knowledge is useful for the mission, but we must remember God habitually confounds the wisdom of the wise.

28) All online believers online are digital missionaries and must consider how every shared bit reveals or obscures Jesus

29) Christ followers should be the most creative, innovative, and brightest of all; in us dwells the Creator Himself.

30) The Holy Spirit’s power and the internet’s reach are not excuses for being a poor, hapless, or lazy communicator.

31) In this great mission, we must remember it began in an obscure region with a homeless preacher leading ordinary men.

31.7) No Christ-follower should tolerate the fact that in the 21st century, billions still have not heard of Jesus.

Sola Scriptura! Sola Fide! Sola Fratia! Sol0 Chriso! Sole Deo Gloria!

© 2001-2012 Andrew Fish. Contact.