FEATURE

A Click Away from Salvation

I had no idea that one sermon series, preached to a group of young people, would travel beyond the church walls and change the life of someone I had never met.

I was invited to preach at a youth and young adults week of prayer. Each night, I shared messages from God’s Word, and by the final evening, I felt a strong conviction from the Holy Spirit to make an appeal for baptism. As a few individuals stepped forward, I silently praised God for using me to help lead others to Him.

The week came to an end, and I prepared to return home. But the story wasn’t over. The next morning, as the pastor drove me to the airport, he shared something incredible. The night before, a woman had come to the church, asking to see me. The pastor explained that I had already delivered my final sermon that Sabbath morning, but he was curious—how had she heard about the church?

Her answer amazed him. She had stumbled across one of the week’s sermons on social media and watched every single message. When she heard my call for baptism, she knew the Holy Spirit was speaking to her. That night, she came looking for an opportunity to give her life to Christ.

Through that experience, God confirmed for me the importance of using social media, technology and various digital platforms to preach the Gospel. In today’s world, many people who are struggling with life’s burdens turn to social media, endlessly scrolling through videos in an attempt to escape. If we do not use these tools to share the Gospel, many may never hear the message of salvation.

That’s where we, as Christians, come in. We bring the Word to them. If we must become influencers or online preachers, let's do it so that we may reach those who need the Lord. Paul, one of the greatest preachers in the Bible, said it best in 1 Corinthians 9:22-23: “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

In this passage, the word win in Greek is kerdaino, a term often used in business, meaning “to make a profit.”

The “profit” Paul sought was bringing both Jews and Gentiles to the Lord. In other words, he ensured that he became the tool God needed to use so that both groups could become “profits” in the great heavenly business of salvation.

I believe this same concept applies to us today. We can use technology, social media and the various digital platforms available to become tools in God’s hands so that others may hear the Gospel.

After witnessing the miracle of someone coming to church and getting baptized because of a sermon I preached that was livestreamed on social media, I committed to using these tools to reach even more people for the Lord.

I have a personal YouTube channel, where weekly sermons are posted for people inside and outside my congregation. Additionally, I’ve made it a goal to post inspiring messages several times a week on Instagram, where I have a Bible club channel with more than 100 people reading the entire Bible in one year. I also use TikTok to share daily spiritual encouragement from the Bible. The content has been viewed more than 100,000 times across all social media platforms.

People I have never met are hearing the Gospel because, as Paul said, “I became weak to win the weak.” May God help us use social media to reach others for His glory. In a world where social media is often associated with negativity and harmful content, let us choose to use it to glorify the King of kings and Lord of Lords.

The Bible says in Matthew 24:14: “And this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

This could mean that, if used for God’s glory, social media might help spread the Gospel to the world— bringing us just a few views closer to Christ’s return.

Let’s take part in the Great Commission in Matthew 28 through social media so that, together, we can hasten Christ’s return and go home.

By Raul Alvarez. Alvarez is pastor of the Lubbock Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Texico Conference. Alvarez lives in Lubbock, Texas with his wife Giovanna Lizarzaburo.