By Neil Hess

Adhering to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20 – Jesus’ decree to ALL of his disciples to go and preach the gospel to the world) is something that is sadly lacking in the life of many Christians today.  We go to church, sing the songs, listen to Christian music and (hopefully) study God’s word.  But how often do we adhere to this command that Christ has given us?  I am guilty of not witnessing as much as I could for sure, so please don’t look to me as the example.  How many of you out there feel like you are guilty of this as well?

The sad thing is, is that we have more outlets of communication than any other generation in human history, but fewer and fewer people adhering to this divine command.  E-mail, Social networking, Text messaging, writing letters or just talking to a dude you are sitting next to on the bus (provided he hasn’t plugged himself into his iPod, thus removing his obligation to acknowledge any life form around him) are all ways in which to spread the gospel in the present age.  However, there is one other avenue (from my point of view) that is left largely unexplored.  Males between the ages of 18-35 is the age/gender group LEAST represented in the church in the today (http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/church_poll020301.html).  They are also, by far, the biggest segment of online gamers (http://www.grabstats.com/statcategorymain.asp?StatCatID=14). So ladies and gentlemen; what can we as gamers in this society do about it?  E-VANGELIZE!

As our younger population spends more and more of their lives in front of the TV and computer screen (a recent poll found that 18-34 year old males spend an AVERAGE of nearly three hours a DAY playing video games…much of them online), we should feel compelled to reach people through these rapidly evolving mediums.  It is wonderful to be able to interact with millions of random people at any time of day and to spread the gospel in a format that is not only entertaining but wide reaching; introducing us to people we would otherwise never come into contact with in our lives.

While we are gaming online, let us (in the Words of the Apostle Paul):

• BE ON THE ALERT! There are Thousands, if not MILLIONS of lost souls gaming online everyday who need Christ.  Just because we can’t see them, doesn’t make them any less real or capable of coming to Christ.  While it is HIGHLY unusual to hear people discussion spirituality during Modern Warfare 2 (and let’s face it, an online gaming match has some of the most hate filled, unholy speech you will ever hear) it is likely those same people who are farthest from Christ and probably have a very shallow understanding (if any of all) of the gospel of Christ.  Christ himself went to where the sinners were.  When you can, bring up Jesus, faith, the bible whatever.  Get a discussion going.  You might be surprised at the allies you discover.
• STAND FIRM IN THE FAITH! Rejoice when you are persecuted for Christ’s sake: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.” (Matthew 5:11)  Don’t let their insults and persecution get you down or surprise you.  Know that your reward awaits you in heaven.  The Christian life is not easy, and if you AREN’T being persecuted…perhaps you aren’t speaking enough truth.
• ACT LIKE MEN!  BE STRONG! Be strong in your discussions.  God did not give us a spirit of timidity but of POWER…” (2 Timothy 1:7)  Jesus, yourself and the bible will be persecuted.  Don’t worry about defending them.  YOU won’t have to.  Scripture and the holy spirit will aid you.  Take the advice of the great preacher Charles Spurgeon.  When asked one time “How do you defend the bible?” he responded “The same way I defend a lion.  I simply let it out of its cage.”  Just know your scripture and unleash it on the nay-sayers. 
• LET ALL THAT YOU DO BE DONE IN LOVE! Let’s not forget that we should be doing this to love on people and to show them the love of Christ.  We should NOT be doing this to “win” an argument, or to feel superior or to put a “notch” in our evangelical belt, we should be doing this because many of these people are lost and destined for hell without faith in Christ.  It is not our responsibility to save people, but it IS our responsibility to share with people the gospel of Christ….even if they are a bunch of nerds.