About two months ago my social life effectively stopped for a week. I unplugged the house phone and blocked out the diary (for everyone apart from Stephen Avery). Yep, I can say without shame that I was one of the many people caught up in the frenzy that was Netflix’s, ‘Making a Murderer.’
I will put my personal opinions aside about whether or not Stephen Avery committed the murder of Terasa Halbach, (“he’s innocent. As each discrepancy and revelation came out over the ten episodes I felt compelled to share the experience, either on social media, with my fiancé, my colleagues at work and even my hairdresser. I found enjoyment in sharing the experience with others and if someone hadn’t seen the program I suddenly turned into a “making a murderer” evangelist/ salesman that sought to get the person hooked just like me.
Why did this happen, and why did I want others to experience the emotions I experienced? Well I can safely say that I isn’t because I receive commission from Netflix. This isn’t only limited to ‘Making a Murderer’, but includes other topics like football, golf and most recently ‘Peaky Blinders’. It is clear that there is something instinctively in me: that longs to share the things I enjoy. C.S. Lewis states that:
“We delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.”
Lewis’s comments make sense as to why we are compelled to share. Timothy Keller highlights that if we relate this in a Christian context “true enjoyment of God must lead naturally to mission” and the the process of enjoying God is somehow incomplete without leading to mission.
This raises a question: ‘if we aren’t sharing Jesus, why?’ Is it that we aren’t really finding enjoyment in God? If that’s the case maybe religion has taken over relationship, maybe you’ve just lost touch with God in the busyness of life and He feels like a distant relative? If that’s the case, realign, take time out of your diary and prioritize time in his presence, meditate on his word and abide in Him. Another reason maybe fear. You feel anxious about sharing your passion about Jesus. This is something I can empathize with and continually come up against. ‘Will I be mocked, ridiculed, or even rejected?’ I encourage you to take a step of faith even if it’s only a baby step and trust in the Holy Spirit’s power to do the rest.
Sharing is powerful! The best example I can give occurred last weekend. Candice Payne, a relatively unknown mother from Texas went from obscurity to become one of the most talked about stories of the week. With the help of $20 Chewbacca mask, over 130 million people viewed her 4 minutes complete joy.
Imagine if a video of the good news of Jesus went viral! How amazing it would be for people across the world sharing videos of hope and restoration. This of the reasons I love working for CV, we make resources that make sharing Jesus online easy and relevant to today’s culture. I would love to see a movement of believers sharing Jesus. I’d love to Jesus going viral on social media like Candice Payne did this last weekend.
Download the free yesheis app, and share Jesus today.
