The work of a Christian believer on the web is not really any different than the work of most Christians in everyday life. We have a responsibility and a privilege to shine as lights in the world. Our own faith comes from the walk we have with Jesus Christ. He gives us hope and even peace in all circumstances. We have the confidence of knowing that we are His and that we will be with Him when this short life on earth is over.

Paul writes in the New Testament that we are able to help others with the help that we also have received. We are not like the counselors of this age that tell people whatever it takes to simply make them feel better. We share a spiritual and eternal truth that works a profound change inside the individual heart and life. That change is real, and it continues to work its way through all the many areas of a person’s life.

The work of change, the transformation that takes hold of anyone who believes the gospel, is not a merely psychological phenomenon. It is nothing less than the divine work of God’s own Holy Spirit, entering into a human mind, heart and soul to give one new and eternal life.

Our work, then, as witnesses of Jesus Christ, is to share the good news, to tell anyone around us what God has done for us. It is not really so different from anyone sharing the tale of some wonderful that has happened in life.

If I am able, for example, to get a new home for less than $100, it will not take long for the people in my family and where I work or go to school, where I play sports, etc., to start asking me about it. People will want to know how I managed to accomplish something that most people would want to do, and many never will. When I tell the secret of my good fortune, I am sharing valuable information.

Telling people about Jesus makes many of us nervous. Most people already think they know whatever they will ever want to know about God and what they call religion. They either accept or reject the notions held by their parents and friends, and have reached conclusions that seem to be working for them in everyday life. A great many people have little or no desire to know very much about what Christians believe because they think they already know enough to get them by.

Part of this is our own fault. If real Christians (people who really have been born again of God’s Holy Spirit) keep their mouths shut, then the only “witness” the world will have to Jesus Christ is the message and teaching of the established religions, many of which are far off the mark.

The world has its religions (including its religious equivalent to vital Christian faith) while we who know and love the Lord Jesus have the truth. Many of us who now know Christ also started out with nothing more than religion. In fact, most Christians started out as children raised in homes that attached themselves, in some way, to a religion. And in many cases, that religion was Christian, at least in name.

But what we witness to, as genuine believers, is not merely another form of religion. We point to Jesus Christ Himself as the answer to the spiritual needs of all humanity. We have discovered something (and Someone) that the world at large does not understand. We have discovered real life, real meaning, real answers to the difficulties faced by all humanity.

Our work on the web, then, needs to always include some reference to what we have discovered in Jesus Christ. If we build websites, we should use them, if possible, to help people find life in Christ. It isn’t always possible. If we build sites for others (who may or may not be Christians) it may not be possible for us to use the site to share our own message of hope and truth. But we can certainly build sites that will help in some way to share that hope and truth.

I appreciate the various methods believers use to share the gospel message. Some use direct evangelism of one kind or another. I like the approach of sharing one’s own life story, and the care taken by many not to use terms and phrasing that are meaningful mostly to other Christians. I also like the bold approach which simply tells it like it is.

Christian believers use games, graphics, stories, services, free software, and all sorts of other things to make their sites and their message inviting to other people. Some even sell books, recordings and other popular media. Whatever God directs you to do, according to your unique gifts and skills, make the most of your time on earth and on the web. Tell the story, share the message, give others an opportunity to receive what you have already received from the Lord of Life.

Life on this planet is short. Only God knows how long any of us will live. Never assumes as we all tend to do) that we will have another tomorrow, another opportunity to tell our friends, our website visitors, our neighbors about the Lord. We owe it to others to share what God has done for us in Jesus. I know that my own life cannot possible be more valuable to God than the lives of other people. if I have received the message of eternal life in Jesus Christ, then everyone everywhere needs the same opportunity.

Jim