One evening, while having a shower it suddenly dawned on me that God made the Internet! Yes, God created the Internet for His purposes and ours. . In everything God has a plan, and God uses man to fulfil this plan. Many condemn the Internet saying that it contains a lot of pornography and would therefore, on that basis, have nothing to do with it. I agree that there is a lot of pornography on the Internet but the same is true of the newsagent. Does that stop us buying our daily paper? ...No! Does the fact that there is a lot of filthy talk in our offices stop us from working? No! There is certainly a whole load of unrighteous acts on the television, yet the gospel is still preached through the televised media. A large number of Christian ministries spend close to 60% of their income on proclaiming the gospel via the television.

A new tool has become available for the proclamation of the Gospel. Many ministries are already online, while others are still thinking about it. I hope they catch the vision very soon. Most organisations wanting to be successful are now using this global tool to buy and sell goods and information. Major corporations are doing close to 40 –50 % of their trading online. This is not just computer companies. More and more companies are being drawn into buying and sell online. If you visit this website there are some outstanding facts about the Internet: http://new-website.openmarket.com/intindex/index.cfmand http://www.statmarket.com/ .

People of God, the Lord through man has created one of the most powerful tools available to use for spreading the gospel. By Internet, I mean websites, email accounts, Intranets, Extranets… etc. In our offices and churches today, email is becoming more and more an essential tool rather than the luxury that it once was. Missionaries in remote lands can now communicate with their home churches very easily via email. In the coming years as bandwidth increases and WebTV and Internet phones become mainstream, families living far part will be able to communicate using live video images of their loved ones.

This is a good thing, yet a lot of Christians still say this is the work of the devil and Bill Gates is the antichrist. Wake up folks and see what is happening, God is changing lives via the Internet. It is not yet realised its full potential but believe me it is growing. Why am I writing this? It is because I want you to get involved and be a part of what God is doing, changing lives and saving souls. The Internet is by no means the only tool for propagating the gospel but it is certainly one of the most exciting. . While it cannot replace the more traditional means of sharing the gospel it will most certainly enhance those methods.

According to Forbes Global magazine, the Internet is creating wealth. Another way God is using the Internet is to empower His people with wealth. God is raising up an army of talented individuals who will make a lot of money from using Internet technology and pump it into the Gospel. Already many people out there in traditional well-paid jobs give their time and money to the proclamation of the gospel. Even their work is a tool for sharing the gospel as their work causes them to travel around the world. God is using them to be witnesses of His power and resurrection. I say to Pastors and Ministers out there: don’t discourage your flock from following God’s purposes. The door is wide open and there are many channels into the Internet where you can educate yourselves and pass that knowledge on to your flock. Now is the time to let our youth run free into this great Internet world.

The opportunities for ministering the word are countless. Take the online chat rooms where many people come searching for the truth. We as believers need to get in those rooms and share the truth. This is not the time for us to argue - just present the gospel. There are several websites that will take people through the steps of salvation. You could point people to an online Christian radio station or a cyber church. There are countless opportunities for people to say the sinner's prayer online and be saved. It is happening already, but watch out church; it is on the increase.

Many People would like to get involved with the Internet but don't know how. It is very easy nowadays to get a first introduction, and you don’t even need a computer. One could simply go to a cyber café and have a look. You can be in the USA and be ministering to someone in Russia. The Internet knows no geographical boundaries. Your message goes where you send it. I have recently been ministering to a 19-year-old Chinese student living in America. This is just the way the world is turning at the minute.

If you are already online, I would encourage you to take a further step of setting up a website for yourself, your ministry, home church, home group and any area that God lays on your heart. There are many webrings (Webrings are a catalogue of sites that deal with a particular subject) hosted by http://www.webring.com/ dealing with different areas of interest. Join them and be inspired.

I have tried not to use too much web jargon in this first article but in subsequent issues I will include website addresses as examples of places you could go. Also we will be looking at how you can set-up your own Internet email address, how to set up your own website, a beginners guide to HTML (HyperText Transport Protocol) and finally Javascripting. It’s going to be fun.

Olusola Osinoiki

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Josh Publications

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