Social Networking-A Call to be Truly Separate

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you," (2 Corinthians 6:17)

This is one of the most quoted scriptures in the Bible and almost anyone knows the excerpt of this scripture "be ye separate." Well I have a question for those who claim to be conservation, and claim to be pro-separation, and even preach separation. How are you "out from among them", how are you "separate", and how are you not touching "the unclean [thing]", when you are endeavoring into the world of social networking. It was confirmed that Facebook has nearly 500 million users and still growing daily. Myspace has anywhere from 150 to 250 million users. And Twitter has about 26 million users and is growing daily. My question today is, how separate are you when you are apart of a worldwide phenomenon that contains more people than the United States of America. Now do not get me wrong not everything that the majority of the population has is bad thing. Such items like computers, phones, iPods, and many other items are not necessarily bad. The problem with Facebook and all those other social networking sites is that, it is full of gossip and wastes your time. You may say that those items that I stated a few sentences ago are equally bad. I can tell you right now that with those items I can get closer to God and find out more about Him and do something for Him. On the computer I can research and create documents that can help me be a "good investment" for Him. With my cell phone I have the ability to be in direct contact with anyone I need to be. With my iPod I can tune out the environment that I am in with some good ole' gospel music or a an anointed sermon. I do have to say that those can be harmful to our salvation and some people do not use them properly, but they do have good uses for them, if used the right way. With that being said, there is very little good that comes from immersing yourself into the world of social networking. People waste precious time that they could be spending with God on those sites. Also people plunge themselves into a world of gossip. There has been many incidences where preachers have been talked about in a negative way, and there is no reason to even be apart of something like that. The sad thing is that, people are not asking how much closer can we get to God, they are asking how far away we can get from God and still be saved. Now, I am not saying that this is a heaven or hell issue, but Hebrews 12:1 says, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us," in this day in age, we should be in no shape or form adding more weights to our lives. It is already hard enough to live righteous in this carnal world we live in. We need to be taking off these weights that tie us down to achieving that next level with our relationship with God. Using these sites are not necessarily sins, but if you spend more time on these sites than you do in prayer or reading the Bible, then I am sorry, but i have to call sin, sin, and my friend that is idolatry.

Let's be a truly separate people, a truly peculiar people, a truly righteous people. Now, I know I did not go too in-depth in this post, but if you truly seek God about this situation, I am almost positive you come to the same conclusion as me. Like I said before, let's take off every weight possible that we can. My pastor always says this, "God has no limits, we just limit God." "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." Galatians 2:20-21