How Engaged Are You?

When many people hear the word engagement, they naturally think of the promise made between a man and a woman to get married. They may picture a man getting down on one knee and offering a beautiful ring to the woman they love, who excitedly accepts the proposal.

However, there is another type of engagement in the context of social media. Social media engagement refers to how actively involved and emotionally connected users are to a certain piece of content, such as a post or a video. This engagement is determined through a series of measurements on how users interact with social media content.

The spectrum of engagement runs from completely passive to actively committed. The same spectrum is useful for examining how involved we are with the things of God. The comparison is not exact, but it is revealing.

Levels of Engagement

The various levels of social media engagement can be measured. While this is not an exhaustive list, the five primary levels of engagement are view, like, comment, subscribe, and share.

View

A view is the lowest form of engagement. It is passive. Often the person did not even seek the content; they were randomly exposed to it while scrolling through social media. They may linger for a bit, but often will continue scrolling to the next post.

Spiritually, this is someone who has heard the gospel but has not responded. They may be aware that Jesus exists and that the Bible says certain things, but they have taken no personal step. Jesus described something like this in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:18–23). Some hear the word, and the wicked one snatches it away. Others receive it with joy for a while, but it never takes root. Still others let the cares of this world choke it before it can grow.

Exposure to the truth is not the same as understanding, and understanding is not the same as trust. When someone is first exposed to the gospel, they may not immediately understand it or see their own need for salvation. That is why we must be faithful to continuously spread the gospel, give others every opportunity to trust Christ as their Savior, and ask the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts.

Like

Likes are the next highest level of engagement. When someone “likes” a post on social media, they are showing alignment or agreement with that social media post. The person is saying, “I approve of this.” It costs almost nothing to ‘like’ something.

Spiritually, this is intellectual assent without personal trust. A person may believe the facts of the gospel and even speak well of Jesus, yet never come to Him as Savior. They have a “head knowledge” but not a “heart knowledge”.

James 2:19 puts it plainly: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Agreement is better than indifference, but it is not faith.

Subscribe

Subscribing is one of the strongest signals of commitment. It says, “I want an ongoing relationship with this person or this message. I intend to keep coming back.”

Trusting Christ is the beginning, not the end. The Christian life is meant to be a continuing walk with Him — learning from Him, obeying Him, and abiding in Him (John 15:4–5). A one-time decision that produces no ongoing relationship is not the discipleship Jesus described. Following Him is not a single click; it is a settled direction for life.

The most important decision you will make in your life is to accept Christ as your personal Savior. Once you hear the gospel and realize your need, accepting Christ as your Savior is simple! Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” If you have not already made that decision, call on Christ today. (To learn more about salvation or let us know you have trusted Christ, CLICK HERE.)

Comment

A comment requires thought and public participation. The person is no longer only watching; they are responding. They are publicly identifying themselves with that social media content.

Once a person trusts Christ, the Christian life is meant to be participatory, not silent.

• We publicly identify with Him through baptism – “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” – Galatians 3:27
• We should speak to Him through prayer by consistently praying – “Pray without ceasing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17
• We should let Him speak to us through the Bible by regularly studying God’s Word – “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17
• We should join a local church and not be a spectator, but a worker – “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” – Hebrews 10:24-25

Share

When someone shares a post, they put their own name and reputation behind it. They see the content as valuable enough to tell their social media friends about it, saying, “This is worth your attention.”

What we have found in Christ is something of infinite value, and we should not keep it to ourselves. Jesus commissioned His followers to make the gospel known (Matthew 28:19-20). Sharing the gospel is not an optional task for those of us who are especially bold. Rather, it is the normal overflow of a life that has been changed. What we truly value, we talk about. If we see something as valuable, we do not hesitate to share it with others.

How Do You Measure Up?

Some social media applications have dashboards that allow you to see how engaged users are, but the Christian life is not as transparent. We can put on a convincing facade that we have everything together, while inwardly we are doubting, struggling, and disobeying.

The next time you scroll through social media, notice how easy it is to view, like, and keep moving. It requires no commitment. Many of us are more intentional about our online habits than we are about our spiritual ones. We will refresh a feed, chase a notification, and return to the same accounts again and again. Do we follow Jesus casually, or closely? He did not call us to admire Him from a distance. He called us to follow Him faithfully every day. “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

So how “engaged” are you?

• Are you only viewing, passively aware of the things of God but not personally responding?
• Do you like and agree with what you hear, but stop short of personal trust?
• Have you trusted Christ, and are you now participating in praying, reading, gathering, and serving?
• Do you share the gospel with others, or keep it to yourself?
• Are you committed to an ongoing relationship with the Lord, or has your involvement become occasional and passive?

Wherever you find yourself on that spectrum, take the next step. Do not settle for passively scrolling past the most important relationship of your life.

(Click here for additional ideas on how to use social media.)

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About David Pack

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Resources:

Social Media and the Great Commission