Several years ago, one of our elders got up to give a lesson on Sunday morning instead of our normal preacher. A few minutes into his talk, he stopped and told us the thoughts he had been sharing were not his own. They had been written by AI, artificial intelligence. I remember being shocked. I also remember slyly smiling to myself. He is someone who always asks thoughtful and challenging questions. There was a point he was trying to make here, what was it? He admitted to giving AI a few sentences to get it started and explained how it had spit out this sermon for him to preach. He did not use AI as a way to evade his responsibility to deliver a message from God’s word. Instead, he used it to show us how it could put thoughts together that sound like they are from a human. This was my first exposure to AI and I wondered at its capabilities. This could open up new possibilities in evangelism. It could also create new challenges.
I’ve been thinking a lot about technology lately. I’m sure we all have, it is a hot topic right now! It is rapidly changing the world around us and if we are being honest, it is changing us. It has changed the way we interact with each other- we can get a hold of each other almost instantaneously, no matter where we are or what we are doing. We can make appointments, order dinner, and schedule a new washing machine to be delivered all from the palm of our hands while we wait in line at the grocery store. If we still go to the grocery store because groceries can be ordered from our phone and delivered too.
Technology is being used more within the church. Since Covid hit, we have been recording our services and Bible classes live and they are available for our members who can not attend due to illness or for visitors to watch virtually. We put these recordings on YouTube and social media so we can tell others about Jesus. We have a website and a blog (Hi! Thanks for reading this!) so we can be found on the internet and hopefully encourage people looking for a church to come and visit us. Our preachers use PowerPoint to make presentations and add visuals to their sermons. We have air conditioning programmed to run when we need it and to shut off when we don’t. This modern world gives us many great things and keeps us very comfortable.
Yet, technology can be a stumbling block, stealing our attention away from the reason we have come to church in the first place- to be together and praise God. I am noticing members looking at their phones more before worship. During worship. After worship. Yes, I know they could be looking up scriptures, jotting down sermon notes, or adding someone to their prayer list. Smart phones can be a really great tool and it’s important to recognize that. I am also increasingly seeing phones used in distracting ways- visibly scrolling during the assembly or keeping it in their lap so they don’t miss a notification. Instead of mingling with other members, they sit quietly in a pew, eyes glued to a screen full of people they don’t know vs. getting to know the people sitting next to them within arms reach. How can we claim church service is time devoted to God but has us looking down at a screen instead of up at Him?
One of the most obvious ways we can use the internet is to find information. I love being able to put a phrase into the search bar when I can think of the content of a scripture but can’t exactly remember where to find it in the Bible. I will also use the internet to find multiple scriptures talking about the same topic or read commentary about something I am struggling to understand. It is time efficient to quickly have our questions answered. Our time is limited and expediency is a gift! Yet when we are constantly crowd sourcing to get information, we are losing the opportunity to stretch and grow our own minds. We don’t work as hard mentally to retain what we have skimmed because know we can access the same content again and again, anytime we want. When I was a kid, cell phones did not exist for the common man. I had to memorize my home phone number and my friends numbers so I could use a landline to call them. Now, I have a much smaller group of numbers memorized because the rest are programmed into my phone. I have lost the ability to remember multiple numbers because I don’t need to. Could this be happening to us with scriptures and Biblical knowledge? If we continuously rely on the search bar to give us the answer, we aren’t retaining God’s word in a way we can readily recall on our own. It takes work to keep our minds focused on retaining any type of information and this is the most important content we need at a moment’s notice.
Perhaps you are unbothered by the idea of relying on the internet for all of your Bible facts. The Bible is a large book with many words and it can take a lifetime to master them, if we ever do. But what if we can’t even speak to basic concepts or facts when asked by those around us? We need to have a continuously growing bank of knowledge of God’s words and commandments, not just for ourselves, but also to share with others. If we are proclaiming that we are living our life modeled after Jesus but can’t articulate what He says or how He has commanded us to live without looking it up, how deep is our faith?
“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” I Peter 3:15 ESV
I would not be compelled to listen to someone “preach” to me about how I should change my life who couldn’t answer elementary questions without having to consult a search engine for guidance. Being able to quote scripture and Biblical commands without assistance is important, showing our understanding and spiritual maturity. Following Christ asks us to live our lives much differently than those around us. They will have questions for us and we should be able to answer them intelligently using our own words and thoughts. We are living out a faith we need to understand in order to share it with others. We should be able to articulate the basics of “why” and “how” without having to take out a pocket sized computer to help us do it.
While technology is threatening to take over the need for us to use our brains, it is also trying to convince us we can use it as a social companion. We don’t need to interact with people in the flesh, we can interact with people over a screen or in the words of a chat. Yes, there are times when being able to talk to people without being physically in their presence is necessary and makes the most sense. We have many members who live far away from their extended families and being able to call or video chat keeps them connected in ways that weren’t previously possible. However we need to prioritize in person gatherings, especially with our church family. One way to do this is to come to church service and participate thoughtfully and distraction free.
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV
When we come to church service and are fully engaged- with the singing, praying, listening to the service and interacting with the church members before and after, we are encouraging each other. Our distraction free presence shows we care; we know coming to church is meaningful and we recognize what a gift being able to praise God is. Not everyone in the world can meet together freely and openly to worship God! It’s important to note, attendance at church isn’t for God. He wants us to praise and revere Him which we do in worship and God created the church because He knew we needed it. We need time away from the distractions of the world to focus our minds and hearts on Him. We need to be reminded of His goodness, His promises, His words so we can take them with us throughout the week. Coming to church helps strengthen our faith and brings us closer to each other because we are doing it together, in each other’s physical presence.
God knew we would need fellow church members to walk with us through life. The challenges we face, the suffering, the heartbreak, is too heavy to do alone. God gave us each other to lean on. For some reason though, asking one another for help is difficult for many of us, even active Christians. We perceive our request will burden others or perhaps risk us looking weak. Asking for help from someone you know well is hard. Asking someone you don’t know at all feels impossible or at the very least, awkward. Building a relationship with our church family takes engagement and time. We need to show up physically and also be present in mind- being attentive when others speak, asking questions, and remembering what they tell us to build rapport for our next conversation.
The book of Galatians reminds us of how we should support each other.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 ESV
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:9-10 ESV
We can’t hold hardships or assist each other if we don’t know one another. We can’t know each other if we don’t see or engage with each other. The depth of the relationships we have with our church family has a direct correlation to how much time and effort we put into getting to know our church family. We can’t know and love our church family well if we are constantly distracted by our phones while in their presence.
Finally, we are commanded to “take each thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5). We have to be in charge of our minds and hearts. We often think only of the output- our speech to be gracious (Colossians 4:6) or being a light to the world (Matt 5:14-16). How seriously do we think about the input? The internet and especially social media expose us to worldly values God does not want us to emulate. This content can show us violence or explicit images which can make a lasting impact on our mind. Even clean content means we are watching other people live their lives instead of living our own. Time is one of our most valuable resources we can never make more of, we must use it wisely. We need to seriously and thoughtfully monitor what we are consuming and consider if it is bringing us closer to God or further away from Him. We need to create boundaries for ourselves about what we will watch and read and at what time is appropriate to do these activities.
While we can think of many positive ways we can use the internet to further God’s work, we must not lose focus that He has given us, humans, the job of spreading the gospel.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…” – Matt 28:19-20 ESV
A few months ago, this same elder sat in the front pew during worship service. He was on the roster to preach. When it was time for the sermon, I saw him stand up very slowly, leaning on a crutch before grabbing another crutch and placing them underneath his arms. My first thought was…”oh, he has props for this sermon! I wonder how he is going to use them!” Then I watched him limp up the three stairs and hop behind the podium, whincing in pain. It was then I realized the crutches were not a prop and he was truly injured. He gave his sermon on one leg, while holding the injured up behind him, preserving through, sharing all of his own, original thoughts.
The easy thing for him to do would have been to call someone else to preach in his place while he sat in the pew with his leg propped up. The harder option was to complete the sermon he had prepared before his last minute injury and follow through with the commitment he made to preach. While technology can enhance and make many tasks in our spiritual life “easier”, easier is not always better. We should not give the responsibilities God has given to us over to a machine to complete. We also must value and guard our time, not allowing us to be drawn into the virtual world but instead prioritize being present in the people around us. It is important for us to do the work God has given us with our human brain and talent He has given us.
