Communication with God Through Technology
美佳之窗 His Window 97（ Jan - Mar 2022 ）
Text by Rev. Matthew
It is undeniable that living in the 21st Century, especially with the recent Covid-19 pandemic, has served to speed up technology for communication purposes. Many companies have turned to apps for phones, tablets, and computers as a medium for buying, selling, and delivering information. As believers, how can we leverage on technology to grow closer to God? As an avid user of technology, this is one area that we as Christians can take advantage of and use these tools blessed to us by God to grow in our love and knowledge of God.
Bible Reading Applications
We always speak of reading the Bible in a conventional sense - buy a Bible (hard copy) and read it. However, in today’s times everyone has access to a Bible, without even having to pay a single dollar (RM) for it. While I would still encourage every believer to have at least a hard copy of the Bible, I would also encourage believers to download a bible application in their mobile devices. Having a Bible on your smart devices gives you instant access to God’s Word wherever and whenever you need it. I cannot count the number of times where I am called upon to share a short message in an impromptu setting, and having a Bible application with me, with certain scripture passages already highlighted and bookmarked, has certainly been a lifesaver in such situations. I can easily pull up the Bible app, get to the Scripture and begin to preach from it. As believers, while we may not always be presented with such scenarios, there is a different scenario where a Bible application will be of great help. For instance, if a friend is looking for a Scripture to serve as an encouragement, or a colleague at work is asking for a specific verse, you can immediately pull up your application, type in the verse you are looking for, and share it.
But, apart from that, Bible applications today also contain many other tools that help us understand God’s Word better, or assist us in developing a discipline in daily devotion. Bible applications nowadays come packed with commentaries, articles by renowned authors and scholars, and even devotional materials that are constantly updated with different themes each week or month. And the amazing thing is that most of these features come together in the free Bible application. What you once have to spend hundreds of dollars in purchasing books or commentaries, or in a monthly subscription, now is provided to us free-of-charge. Speaking of developing a disciplined devotional life, Bible applications nowadays often times comes with a daily Bible reading plan to guide you and provide you with a road map to building discipline in reading the Bible. Apart from that, apps also sends you notifications when you start a Bible reading plan and notifies you daily when it is time to read your Bible. I think the pros certainly outweigh the cons of using a Bible application. While an application does not cancel out or remove the necessity of a hard copy Bible, it certainly provides us with another option to read God’s word, understand Scriptures better, and grow in our love for Truth.
Podcasts
Today, we are so accustomed and acquainted with Spotify, the number one music and podcast application on the web. I myself am an avid user of Spotify and while I use it to listen to music, I primarily use Spotify to listen to podcasts. In a nutshell, podcasts are conversations with specialists on certain topics and subjects. A podcast is attractive and garners audiences because of its down- to-earth, and widely informative nature. There are many podcasts online that relates to the Christian faith. It is very easy to find podcasts on anything related to the Christian faith, on Spotify or Youtube and these podcasts can provide us with information and also knowledge on issues relating to the faith. Sunday sermons are important, but, outside of the church, one can turn to podcasts to provide supplementing lessons that will grow our faith in God and knowledge of Scriptures.
Another reason why I am an advocate of listening to podcasts is because podcasts tackles hard issues that are sometimes rarely spoken of in church. These issues are important issues, but, due to time constraints, it is impossible to touch on such subjects in the Sunday sermon. But, a podcast can be a place where it sheds light on such issues and topics, thus providing us with an answer that we may have concerning contemporary issues surrounding our faith.
Micro Learning
Micro learning is not something new, but lately it has surged in popularity. The concept of micro learning is learning in short bursts of training material.1 Today, while we are encouraged to attend Bible studies, or even join certain programmes or classes that teaches us on the Bible, not everyone can afford to commit to several hours in a day or in a week. Micro learning addresses the need of learning, as well as the lack of time and condenses what may be an hour or 2-hour long lesson into a 30-minute or even lesser programme. Micro learning is beneficial for most urban, working Christians as it provides you with quality learning minus the time. However, micro learning is not a substitute for conventional learning (Bible studies, theological courses, conferences). It is an option for us to choose when we are short of time, yet, want to learn more of the Bible. Today, in Malaysia there are quite a number of micro learning sites where you sign up and learn about the Bible at your own pace. Seminari Theoloji Malaysia is one such seminary that offers micro learning for the busy student who cannot find the time to attend a 3-hour course. I would sincerely encourage Christians to take advantage of micro learning and begin to go deeper in your understanding of God’s Word.
Conclusion
In short, technology can certainly help us draw closer to God and grow in our faith. I pray that as believers, we tap into the wealth of technological advances, make full use of these conveniences and use these tools to glorify God in our lives.
1. Nikos Andriotis, https://www.efrontlearning.com/blog/2015/09/everything-you-wanted-to-know- about- micro-learning-but-were-afraid-to-ask.html; Internet.