PR. DENIS KALUNGI

KIREKA CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

12/7/2021 SERMON

TECHNOLOGY ADVANCE 

There is no doubt that modern technology is an issue that you and I will have to face in this new era. The world is changing at a rapid pace. All around us we hear of new developments in technology: Microelectronics, cybernetics, and artificial intelligence - perhaps very soon computers will not need people to program them since they will be able to program themselves and correct their own errors! Communication has reached such a high level through the use of the internet and email that E-commerce is fast becoming the defined standard for all commerce and business. 

People are already anticipating the day when the world will become one big market and all the world's trading houses and exchanges will be consolidated into two or three (Europe, America, and Asia) in which large volumes of trade will take place at a dizzying rate!

Another realm where modern technology is rapidly growing is biotechnology - the application of technology to medical science. You have probably heard of the use of laser technology in surgery, the gamma knife, which can destroy lesions in the brain as small as the size of a pea, and can do it without affecting the surrounding healthy tissues. Medical technology has made such progress. The genetic DNA code is now being decoded. 

Some scientists even believe that we are close to discovering the secret of immortality - and those who have the means will be able to prolong their own life indefinitely. Soon, parents-to-be may be able to design their own children - to choose the sex of the child that will be born to them, as well as all the physical features such as the color of their children's hair and eyes!

Genes 1:27-28, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'” 

So we see that God is a creator – he makes things. And one of the pinnacles or peaks of his creation is that he created men and women, and he created us in his image so that we too will be creators. As we master the world around us and bring our ingenuity or creativity to bear on the problems that we face, we’re actually reflecting something of the image of God, and that’s a good thing and a right thing. It’s part of how we’re going to fulfill that creation mandate that God gave to Adam and Eve, to “fill the earth and subdue it” and rule over it.

So our ability to create technology is a good and a positive thing that reflects something of the image of God. But we also need to recognize that we live the other side of Genesis 3: in Genesis 3 we see humanity rejecting God’s good purpose for our lives, and in judgment, God puts a curse on his creation.

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil, you will eat food from it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17)

But ironically technology is to be used for man's benefit and for God's glory. We see the building of the ark, a huge wooden structure that God commanded Noah to build. This ark benefited not only the human race but also all the species of air and land creatures that God had made. It also brought glory to God - manifesting His mercy and grace to sinful man.

Things are now distorted and warped or changed. The creation order is turned upside down, the things we created to help us master the creation now try to master us. Few chapters later that we get the first clear example of technology in the Bible, in the hands of one of the murderers Cain’s descendants, “Tubal-Cain who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron {Genesis 4:22}”. 

Then we see the first major building project in the history of humanity in the form of the Tower of Babel {Genesis 11:1-12}, which again is not exactly portrayed in an overwhelmingly positive light. There it’s an example of technology being used to exert independence from God – making a name for ourselves apart from our relationship to God in other words it was built in disobedience.

The tower of babel was designed only for man's benefit, and not for God's glory. The tower of Babel was built by men for the purpose of making a name for themselves. It was an attempt at self-glory and perhaps even self-deification. Thus, it fully deserved the curse of God. 

The last book of the Bible tells us that there will be another instance of this in the time of the Antichrist. And I believe that the Antichrist will use some aspects of technology for his own ends and not for God's glory {Rev 13:1-18}. And therefore when he is finally revealed, Christians must be careful not to participate in his ungodly use of technology. 

So the basic principle which we need to establish when thinking about technology is this: Technology by itself is neither good nor evil like lots of things in this world it’s something with both great power for good and bad in that if not carefully taken care of it can lead to human fall. What’s important is how we use that technology – what we use it to do, and what we allow it to do to us.

But there is nothing wrong with a godly use of technology. Do you know that some of the greatest advances of modern technology have been pioneered by godly men whose aim was both to benefit man and to glorify the Lord? Let us look at a few of them: The first is Blaise Pascal a Frenchman (1623-1662), who invented the first mechanical calculator, the syringe and the hydraulic press, and discovered many important principles of physics (e.g. Pascal's principle) and mathematics (still used by statisticians and insurance people today).

He was a devout Christian who wrote this prayer: 'Almighty God, who gave your servant Blaise Pascal a great Intellect, that he might explore the mysteries of your creation, and who kindled in his heart a love for you and a devotion to your service: Mercifully give us your servants, according to our various callings, gifts of excellence in body, mind, and will, and the grace to use them diligently and to your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.'

I think this is a topic which Christians ought to be encouraged to think about, a lot more than we do because it’s something that’s both really important as we will see but very dangerous if we give it a chance to use us. Personally, I am an IT specialist but without technology, we cannot go anywhere, I have been able to reach you because of technology. 

The fact is that technology is absolutely everywhere. Even if you think you’re someone who’s hopeless with technology, there’s a chance that you own a phone well, that’s technology. We either learn to use it or we leave it to use us. See me and technology now who is using who? Let us change our minds.

“Technology” is basically anything that is created by human beings to help us reach beyond what we would be able to do without it – whether that’s just doing an old thing more efficiently, or whether it’s doing something that was entirely impossible before. Technology is all around us, and it’s so deeply woven into the very fabric of our lives that we barely even notice it’s there. That’s precisely why it’s so important that we do take time out to consider it from a Christian perspective – because technology is able to change us positively or negatively.

The internet is quite a challenge, and our generation is the generation trying to figure out how to use this thing while it’s going to exist for the foreseeable future. But as a new technology, we’re the ones who are thrust into trying to figure out what it is, what it can do well, what it can’t do well, and how to use it in virtuous ways instead of sinful ways. 

So, as I speak to people about using the internet well, I really want them to think about it biblically, to even develop a biblical way of looking at technology in general, and to understand that technology is a good gift of God that’s given to us to carry out our mandate in this world. 

As we see the importance of the technology we can also bear in mind that technology led to the downfall of man Genesis 3. And so, I encourage people to understand that there’s a battle going on due to using of technology and that we need to be very, very careful to ensure that we’re using these things for good, not using them for ignoble purposes. Let us use it to serve God by serving others or to harm others by dishonoring God.

To highlight the importance of embracing modern methodologies in the faith community, I’ve put together some key ways technology can help spread the gospel.

Sound Equipment

Historically, congregations have used analog sound systems, which provided little differentiation between mics and sound equipment for preaching, singing, and playing instruments. Today, sound equipment technology has advanced to the point where individual speakers are made with built-in equalizers to optimize the sound quality of each distinct input. 

In addition, the mixer has been upgraded to a digital board, which can be adjusted from a smartphone or tablet from anywhere in the room. This is very helpful for sound engineers because they no longer have to be locked into one placement. It also allows much more output, which means the person on the pulpit has a tremendous amount of control over their volume, tone, and timbre. Should we embrace technology?

Text-to-Give

During the moment of giving or generosity, we now have the ability to allow members of the congregation to use text messages to contribute financially directly from their smartphones. It’s easy and it’s confidential. A side benefit is that people give more. Should we abandon technology or revise the way we should use it?

Giving Kiosks

At one point, people referred to use “ATM Machines,” but nowadays Christians prefer credit, debit cards or flutter wave account which enables them to make donations in church’s lobby or hall area, where users can simply insert or swipe their card, input the amount, and get immediate feedback or appreciation for their donations or donate from flutter wave without moving from his or seat.

Online Giving

Online giving technology, can be used by people sitting in worship or people participating remotely anywhere in the world. Just like text-to-give and giving kiosks, this allows people to give safely and securely with credit or debit cards, as well as allow real-time appreciation and accounting. Does anyone see the use of technology?

Projection Technology

Many churches continue to struggle with projection technology, either because it can’t be accommodated by their physical space, or because they believe it’s inappropriate to have screens or projectors in a place of worship. However, we find that this technology is beneficial in a number of ways. 

It helps regular churchgoers who may struggle to read smaller fonts in the Bible or from a hymn book. For those who aren’t regularly a part of the faith community—and may not be well-versed in certain songs or Bible texts—it helps them avoid having to flip through literature because they don’t know song numbers, song names, or the location of a particular book in the Bible.

Church Management Software

Church management software (ChMS) helps retain a database of attendees. On a given Sunday, a first-time guest can sign into a management system, which inputs their information into the software. Then, the church can respond with a thank you note or video, as well as record their giving so they can be appreciated throughout the year. In addition, it can also be used to help volunteers sign-up for different areas of ministry.” Let me know your idea please”

IPads

IPads are particularly helpful for checking in children. Using a touchscreen, parents can easily check in with, their children when they arrive at church. Then, the information is sent to a printer, which provides a badge that includes the child’s name, emergency contact information, and any allergies the child may have.

Text and online bibles.

One of the internet's strengths is its ability to help Christians find the right books and the text they for example sermons.

Awareness software’s and sites

I have reached a thousand people using awakeningsaint.org won’t it have been technology you would not have read this. Actually, it’s a pulpit for me before I go to church I preach first through awakeningsaints.org Can I abandon technology? I have used my Facebook account appropriately and WhatsApp to serve God’s people spiritually.

There you have nine great ways to help spread the Gospel with technology. What would you add to the list?

As we praise technology it has got also its pro’s

Addiction

This example of a South Korean couple starving their child to death while caring for a virtual child is at the extreme end of the spectrum. But the need to be plugged in, to know what’s happening, to read updates, to share updates is a modern and unhelpful phenomenon that has the Center for Internet Addiction. 

If only we felt the same eagerness to read God’s word and pursue our relationship with Him. On a more light-hearted note, wondering if you’re addicted to Twitter,? Try this fun quiz. Apparently I’m 45% addicted to Twitter. It’s a fine line between engagement and addiction. Other posts I’d recommend include: ‘Addicted to tweets‘, ‘Excessive internet use linked to depression, and ‘Enabled or enslaved by technology? ‘.

Laziness

Some things are best-communicated face-to-face, or at least over the phone. Technology allows us to be lazy and laziness is never good. For example, send your Bible study leader a text message to let them know that you won’t be coming tonight. That’s lazy – if you are not going to be there, it’s courteous to pick up the phone and apologize and explain. It’s easier to send a text, but for the benefit of your leader who has spent hours preparing and who is responsible for caring for you, it’s not a good option.

Potential to Sin

I’m not sure if our opportunities to sin have increased with technology, or if we’re simply more aware of them. But take for example Facebook – it can prompt jealousy and envy (I wish I had what she has), pride (posting status updates to promote ourselves), lust (looking at unhelpful photos of people), gossip (sharing news on Facebook, or that we heard on Facebook) about others. Sure, Facebook didn’t invent jealousy, envy, pride, lust, and gossip – but it sure makes these sins easy to fall into!

And of course one of the great temptations of our day is – there’s a reason why one of the most visited articles each day on this site is a list of tools for online accountability.

Wasting Time

Nielsen recently revealed the extent of time spent on Facebook, and how this is increasing. On this site, check-in  I shared how Australians spend 29% of all time online, on Facebook. I know I seem to be picking on Facebook – I’m not, it just provides lots of good examples! Technology can make us more efficient and productive, but it can also just help us to waste time. “If I was spending my time on Facebook you would not be able to get this message.”

We should always remember that modern technology is a good servant, but a terrible master. Therefore, we should make good use of technology as a tool for God's glory, and we should not let it use us and distract us away from God. Obey the Word of God, which is given in {Colossians 3:1, 2} 'If Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm! {Psalms 20:7-8}

Be blessed