Do people feel social media has a positive or negative impact on society? That was the question at the heart of a Pew Research poll conducted a few years ago. The results showed most Americans felt social media had a negative impact on society. What is interesting is despite these overwhelming feelings, the use of social media remains prevalent. You can boil down why people feel social media has a negative impact on society into two words – useless talk. Lies, divisive speech, hateful words, selfish talk, etc. It is foolish to think the church hasn’t been impacted by this trend. The apostle Paul often described the gospel as shaping in the hearts of Christians a different type of culture – living and thinking in a manner consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ (Cf. Eph.4:1ff; Php.1:27; Rom.12:1-2). The question we need to ask ourselves is, am I allowing the useless talk of this world to negatively impact my efforts to live in a manner worthy of the gospel?
Useless, worldly talk was just as prevalent in the world of the early church as it is today. When Paul wrote his epistles to the young evangelists Timothy and Titus, he repeatedly warned them to avoid this kind of talk and to teach others to avoid it. In 1 Timothy 6:20 and 2 Timothy 2:16, he calls this kind of talk “worldly and empty chatter” (NASB95). This kind of talk has no value to speak of. In 1 Timothy 4:7, Paul warns Timothy not to concern himself with “worldly fables”. This kind of talk is defined as easily accessible and devoid of any significance (BDAG Lexicon). In Titus 3:9, Paul lists various kinds of useless talk which are to be avoided. His warning was clear: Don’t loiter around useless words that result in worldliness rather than godliness!
Church, are we hanging around useless talk? Are we making an intentional effort to avoid the worldly “chatter” that directs hearts toward worldly matters? Could it be the lack of zeal for godliness is a result of too much focus on this kind of talk? Have we convinced ourselves that dropping a Scripture here or there justifies spending hours loitering on social media around discussions unfit and unfruitful to the kingdom of God? We need to be diligent to check ourselves and ensure we are not caught up in the habit of loitering around useless talk. “Things that are higher, things that are nobler, these have allured my sight!”