“And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” ~ Mark 9:9

“And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.“ ~ Mark 8:29-30

“And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” ~ Luke 5:14

I remember ministry long before social media. At that time you could not immediately broadcast your good deeds to the world or tell what great things you are doing for Jesus. No one could find out within a few hours how many came to your church, how many came to the altar, or show live videos of how so-and-so really brought the heat this morning. You would never know about the awesome worship band with all the effects of a live Broadway show or those perfect pictures that are positioned just right so that it looks like there are more people than their really are. (guilty) Of course this was long before church planting and marketing classes that taught how to promote Jesus to the marketplace.

As I watch social media each week and the many churches that post the most exciting photos, memes with the picture of the cool pastor saying something dynamic, fun dance routines, over the top mission trips that simply changed the world, and all those incredible costly stage presentation that brought the house down, I always find myself going back to the bible. For the life of me I just cannot find anything close to any of this anywhere in scripture.

Okay, sure, I am old, but I think I still can be generally cool, I can adapt to the culture more than you might think, but truthfully, if you look in the pages of the bible at all those in ministry you will find a pretty humble bunch of people. They just follow Jesus and obey the call on their life without a lot of self-promotion. Speaking of Jesus, well, He too cared very little for anyone knowing much about how many were healed, saved or what great deeds He happened to do on any particular day. Matter of fact, Jesus tells many people to “tell no one.”

I must admit, I like social media, I think it can be used for some very good purposes. We can encourage, build up and share general information about events, family, friends and even scripture verses. But I have to say, I am getting a little weary of ministries boasting about what they have done even if it is in the name of Jesus. Sometimes I wonder every time someone brags about what they have done in their ministry, even though they are getting hundreds of people praising them for their good works, do they realize that at the same time they have just lost their reward in the sight of God the Father?

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” ~ Matthew 6:2