In his letter to the Corinthians the Apostle Paul offers a weighty admonition for Christians to “examine [themselves] to see whether [they] are in the faith (2 Cor 13:5).” A number of personal assessments could be applied. The apostle John offers several in his first epistle: Do you live an unholy life while claiming to be a Christian (1 John 1:5)? Do you refuse to acknowledge your sin ( 1:8-10)? Do you show love to others (2:10)?
One that I think is particularly helpful is this: do you think and speak often of your Christian faith? Do you talk about your adoration for Christ? Do you speak highly of the Church and the mission to make disciples? Do you speak often against the horrors of sin, and the desire of a holy life? Do those in your community know plainly how much your christian walk means to you? If one was to peruse your social media pages, listen in on your daily conversations, observe your regular musings about life, would they discover a heart that is completely sold out to Christ?
A true, regenerated, born again Christian will inevitably express his love for Christ, his passion for the Church, and his sorrow of sin. The Christian cannot help but speak of Jesus. As the early Christians agreed, “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard (Acts 4:20).” Therefore, the Christian’s social media thread will inevitably be a platform for proclaiming Jesus, his conversations with others will eventually lead to spiritual things, and repentance of sin will be confessed regularly.
When Paul urges us to “examine ourselves” we may want to do some personal inventory on how much we speak publicly about our Christian faith. If upon reflection you discover that your conversations, private thinking, and public reputation admittedly lacks mention of Jesus, you may want to ask the question “why?” If, in fact, you are a Christian who has “taken up his cross and followed Jesus (Matthew 16:24-26),” why doesn’t it come up in conversation? If you are “unashamed of the Gospel (Rom 1:16)” why do your unbelieving friends not hear much about Jesus? Examine yourself fellow Christian. If you are truly saved, your mouth will prove it. As Jesus said, “out of the heart the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).”
From Genesis to the Maps 