By All Means, Reach Some

Bob Loudermilk

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A glowing screen in the palm of someone’s hand may seem a long way from the dusty roads Paul traveled to preach the gospel. Yet the opportunity before us is remarkably similar. People are still searching. They’re still carrying their burdens, asking questions, yearning for hope, and searching for a place to belong. The cool thing is, these conversations are now starting in places that were unimaginable for previous generations—on social media.

The question facing the church is not whether we should chase every new trend or imitate everything the culture does. The question is whether we are willing to go where people are, speak in ways they can understand, and use every faithful means available to introduce them to Jesus Christ.

That missionary spirit is at the heart of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:19–23:

“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more… I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake.”

Paul was free, yet he willingly made himself a servant. He did not insist that people first enter his world, understand his customs, or communicate in his preferred way before he would attempt to reach them. Instead, he made the effort to enter theirs. 

With the Jews, he began with what they knew. With those outside the law, he approached them from within their cultural understanding, while remaining firmly “under law toward Christ.” With the weak, he identified with their weakness.

Paul adapted himself, but he never altered Christ. He changed his approach, but never the truth. He built bridges without moving the foundation.

When Paul wrote, “I have become all things to all men,” he was not suggesting that Christians should participate in sin, conceal difficult truths, or reshape the gospel to please their audience. He was describing the willingness to surrender personal preferences for the sake of another person’s soul. Paul’s controlling question was not, “What method is most familiar or comfortable to me?” It was, “How can I help this person hear and understand the good news of Jesus?”

We recently saw one example of this in our study of Paul’s message in Athens. Paul did not approach the Athenians in precisely the same way Peter addressed the crowd on Pentecost. Peter spoke to people who knew the Scriptures, understood the prophets, and were awaiting the Messiah. Paul stood before an audience shaped by Greek philosophy and pagan worship. The gospel remained true and uncompromised, but Paul chose a different starting point because he was speaking to a different culture.

The church has continued to face that challenge in every generation. There was a time when a congregation could place a sign in the yard announcing, “Gospel Meeting This Week,” and people throughout the community would attend. As radio entered our homes, churches began broadcasting sermons and Bible lessons. Television opened another door. Advances in printing made tracts, correspondence courses, newspapers, and large-scale mailings possible. When the internet emerged, we built websites so that people searching for spiritual guidance or a church home could find them.

The tools changed, but the purpose remained the same: reach people with the gospel.

Today, a great part of our community is gathered on social media. People use Facebook, Instagram and other online platforms to discover what is happening nearby, connect with neighbors, ask for recommendations, share their struggles, and search for places where they might belong. If that is where people are gathering, how can the church wisely and faithfully meet them there?

The encouraging news is that two men have been carefully exploring how congregations can use Facebook to reach the specific neighborhoods surrounding their meeting places. Chris Jones of Abilene, Texas, and Noah Howard of the Green Oaks congregation in Arlington, Texas, have connected targeted Facebook outreach with active congregational pages. Their efforts in several cities have produced encouraging results—from people attending gospel meetings to individuals becoming involved in Bible studies.

Their work reflects the heart of Paul’s words: “that I might by all means save some.” Social media is not the gospel, but it may help us carry the gospel to someone who would never notice a yard sign, hear a radio broadcast, receive a mailing, or search for a church website. 

“I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ….” Romans 1:14-16