Awesome Power of Cameras

Accountability is why NGOs like GMA-7 have their relief operations videoed and posted on social media. People donate to them for the purpose and they have to show themselves honest and trustworthy with the donations. Secondly, it encourages more people to help and donate. I'm all for this. [Picture above by ShareGrid, Unsplash].

But it's different with church. Church has clear directives from Jesus not to display or showoff its good deeds "to be seen by men," no matter if it "glorifies" God, done with a clean heart or with pure motives, or "inspires and encourages" others to do likewise. It's so plain and clear:

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. [Matthew 6]

It's self explanatory, doesn't need any further clarification or discussion. You don't need to add anything to it, especially not your opinion. If you have common sense, you'll easily get it--more so God's common sense. The Father is particular about doing good deeds in secret. Quite a simple thing and yet so many fail. Churches and pastors manipulate or doctor this truth, adding in a lot of their own ideas, saying that as long as we have "clean motives" (whatever that means) and inspire others to do the same, it's okay to showoff on social media. In effect, it's okay to disregard what Jesus said.

Almost no one in church believes God's Word anymore. They believe their own words. What's even scarier is that video cameras have the power to make Christians disregard God's Word.

Letting Our Light Shine

Earlier in Matthew, Jesus talked about letting our light shine. Probably, showoff Christians refer to this passage to support their videoed good deeds. Here's how Jesus said it:

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

It actually supports Jesus' statement about keeping our good deeds secret. If we're genuine lights of the world, we don't need to showoff. Our deeds will naturally be seen (without effort, without announcing or posting anything) precisely because "a town on a hill cannot be hidden." It's a fact. The town need not shout and announce itself. Even if you keep it secret, God will make sure it's seen by the world for his glory.

A lighthouse need not shout, bark, or promote itself as thus, especially in the dark. It simply needs to shine.

That is, if we're really the light of this world. If not, we're going to do it ourselves, with our own efforts (and our cameras on) to make the world see. This is called, hypocrisy. It's Pharisaical. Parading our good deeds. Remember the prayer of the Pharisee? He enumerated to God his good deeds in public. If we do it ourselves, it's religious big pretense, or pietism, which feeds our ego, whether we admit it or not. If God does it (promotes what we do in secret), it's not hypocrisy. It's glory to the Father.

Jesus didn't say, "MAKE your light shine before men." He said "LET your light shine." The shine should be natural, not artificial or man-made. This means we allow the light to shine without any effort on our part. This way, it is God who makes people see and it brings glory to the Father.

Somebody Else Should Put the Lamp on a Stand

A lighted lamp is put on its stand to give light to the house, not put under a bowl or bed. Someone's going to put you up on the stand, not you yourself. A lamp should not (and cannot) put itself up on a stand. That's scary. Someone else should do it---particularly other people who see what you're doing and "light up" your lamp (make other people see it). I remember the Samaritan woman discovering Jesus as the Messiah and "lighting" him up (giving him the limelight) to the people of the village by promoting and talking excitedly about him. It wasn't Jesus or his disciples who did it. It was the people the Father had inspired.

I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.[John 8.50]

All over the Gospel, it was the public that put Jesus and what he did in the limelight. He didn't go around telling people that he fed 5,000 men or healed multitudes of sick people or brought back the dead to life. Church today give away some small groceries and announce it to the world via social media.

Churches Have Been Doing It

Well, they've been doing it for decades, actually. They advertise the name of their churches and ministries, making sure people know who they are. When they serve a community, they display their names on big tarpaulins and distribute leaflets to promote their good deeds. They make sure people know it was their church that did it. Jesus never did these things.

If you are a genuine light, people will promote you. They will post what you do on social media, not you yourself. Believe me, you won't need to focus your cameras on yourselves.

Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips. [Proverbs 27.2]

Do They Talk about Jesus?

Once, Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" Don't apply this to yourselves or your church, being concerned about what people think about you after doing them a favor. The principle here is--your secret good deeds should make people talk about Jesus and know who he is. Does your ministry make people talk about Jesus and know who he is, or do they just remember the name of your church?

Why You Can't Do It Without a Camera

Why can't church simply do it without posting a video on social media? Senator Tito Sotto said people do this to feed their ego. And he's right. There's no other reason. Jesus didn't do his ministry with fanfare or ads. He wouldn't have videoed it if cams were already around. It was kept to a limited audience, like in "secret." This was why his unbelieving brothers told him to do what he did in Jerusalem if he wanted to be a star.

4 "No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him. [John 7]

But no secret is really secret. Jesus himself said this.

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. [Luke 8.17]

But it shouldn't be you yourself who'd disclose your "secret" good deeds. It should be other people blessed by your deed as the Father prompts them.

Video Cameras Control People's Behavior

Cameras are powerful. They control how people react and behave. People become super spiritual and pro-poor in front of it. They become kind to old people and the sick. They shake hands with the working class and market vendors. They carry dirty kids in their arms and kiss them. They become intense worshipers and serious prayer warriors. But I wonder if they do the same when off cam. Do you worship as intense in your bedroom without video cams?

The church must learn to go back to pleasing the Father "who watches what is done in secret." The Word declares how secret things belong to God, and that includes what we do for him, not just the things of prophecy. Secret good deeds kill the flesh, and that's what really counts in our service and worship. The flesh cannot please God. "Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God," [Romans 8.8].

Continued here....