Something odd but amazing happened to me this week. One morning I got to preach in Pakistan, and that same afternoon I was back in the Carolinas, hanging out with my grandkids.
Perhaps you’re wondering if I boarded some kind of supersonic plane to make this possible. After all, the normal commercial flights would take 25 hours or so—not to mention the $2000+ expense.
No, there’s a much different explanation…
I was contacted a few weeks ago by a precious Pakistani couple who pastor a small church. Although we’ve never met, they invited me to preach to their congregation via Facebook Messenger.
Hmmm… I was initially skeptical. I had tried something like that many months ago with a church in Kenya, but we were never able to get the technology to work. Even though I had prepared a great message, we were never able to make connections that day. It was very disappointing, both to me and to the Kenyan pastor.
Yet I decided to give it a try with the church in Pakistan. To my delight, it was a remarkable experience. They projected me onto a screen, and my message was translated by the pastor.
The Lord gave me a powerful message. Christians in Pakistan are a tiny minority at this point. According to ChatGPT, only 1.27% of the Pakistanis profess to follow Jesus.
Although they were small in number, I was deeply impacted by the dedication and zeal of these believers. My message was on the ultimate triumph of God’s people, an encouraging word that seemed to resonate with them. Yes, we may be surrounded by hostility and persecution at times. It may be tempting to feel ineffective and hopeless.
But in the end, JESUS WINS! The earth will one day be filled with His glory, as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). He’s going to set everything right and make all things new (Revelation 21:5).
My allotted time was just 35 minutes, which included the translation time. The pastor later gave me this beautiful feedback:
“You explained the whole Bible in just 35 minutes! The church was amazed by how you explained it so clearly. God increased their faith by your word from God!”
Thank You, Lord. What a great opportunity.
Pastors on Screens
This was the first time I had ever preached on a screen. I’ve always scoffed that pastors on screens are not actually “pastors” at all. Yes, they may be great Bible teachers or motivational speakers, but genuine pastors have a personal relationship with their flock. People can’t have much of a personal relationship with somebody on a screen.
Recently a friend told me he and his wife had spent several years serving faithfully in a megachurch. Although they were deeply committed to the ministry there, they never personally met the “pastor” even once. I love what God is doing in some of America’s large churches, but I find stories like this troubling. There often seems to be a lack of spiritual growth in the congregation, as well as a lack of accountability for the pastor.
Nevertheless, I’ll admit: I found it rather addicting to preach on a screen. I momentarily felt like a bigshot, and God had to bring me back to my senses once again.
The Limits of Technology
This experience has got me wondering about the possibility of having a worldwide ministry, but with plenty of time to see my grandkids as well. Several friends of mine have already embarked on fantastic initiatives of discipleship and leadership development without ever leaving home.
Even before the Pakistani experience, this year I posted a leadership course on www.Udemy.com. And I also post devotional videos on TikTok nearly every day. Hundreds of people I’ve never met are watching me share Biblical nuggets on life and leadership.
However, I believe there are limits to the effectiveness of this newfound technology. Even if the apostle Paul could have used the internet, I’m sure he still would have valued having personal time to pour his life into young leaders like Timothy and Titus. From my perspective, there’s no real substitute for in-person mentoring.
Whenever I start to get excited about the opportunities brought by the technological revolution, I’m reminded of a sobering story in 2 Samuel 6. God had instructed the Israelites to have Levites carry the ark of the covenant on poles. But the innovative Israelites had a “better” idea: technology! I’m sure they felt quite clever when they created a “new cart” so the ark could utilize wheels instead of relying on the strength of the Levites.
If you read the story, it had a very sad ending. Technology may have seemed like a sensational idea, but King David learned a tough lesson that day: God always prefers to utilize frail humans to carry His glory.
“By All Means Possible”
I honestly don’t know what the proper balance is here. Is it possible to humbly use technology without continuing to fuel the church’s growing Celebrity Culture?
The apostle Paul said he preached the gospel “by all means possible” (1 Corinthians 9:22). It seems like that should be our objective as well. Some of us “old school” preachers may need to learn some new ways to reach the TikTok generation.
But I also learned another important lesson this week: If we’re going to have a vast worldwide ministry, it’s important to hang out with our grandchildren as well. There’s no better way to stay grounded and be reminded of the personal legacy we’re called to leave. I’ve found that it’s hard to get bigheaded when you’re pouring your life into four and five-year-olds.
Love that feedback about you explaining the whole Bible in 35 minutes. You are a gifted teacher, Jim. And I know a few people that take advantage of every opportunity, “open door“ to share God‘s love.
Jim, what an exciting experience! As odd as technology is, the opportunity for doors to be opened has presented itself to you. Do t slam those doors.
You never know who’s life or how many lives you will have touched. God has many ways to reach his people. Thank you Jim.