Three Things I Learned Sharing the Gospel Digitally
Haggai leader Ilse Johanning is a marketing executive and voiceover artist in Costa Rica with wide experience working for top brands across Latin America. She is passionate about sharing the Gospel in innovative ways, especially with younger generations.
I’m a millennial, so I grew up alongside the internet and social media, coming of age just as it was being introduced. For many millennials, this has been an advantage, as we are adept at learning new technologies. For Christians, technology can play a key role in sharing the Gospel.
In November 2019, after my Haggai Leader Experience, it clicked for me — I needed to share the Gospel through social media. After being equipped at Haggai, I strongly felt like God told me, “You are going to be my communicator — worldwide!” That’s a little too aspirational for my taste, but definitely on God’s level.
When I returned to Costa Rica, I launched my online ministry. I didn’t know how it was going to turn out, but there was one thing I was sure of: God was going to support me.
Since then, I have launched a series of projects aimed at sharing the Gospel through Instagram, Spotify, and YouTube. Along the way, I learned three things I want to share with you about sharing your faith digitally.
One
GOD IS THE PROJECT MANAGER.
It might seem obvious, but this is real. God is the one who puts the ideas in our minds, gives us the message, chooses the team who will support it, trains us, and is also in charge of promoting it. We must be attentive to His voice and have the best disposition to execute it. “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11).
I remember early in the pandemic, God put an idea in my heart to create a podcast channel with short prayers for those affected by COVID-19. In this way, in case there was someone hospitalized or having a bad time, they could listen to those prayers and feel God close to them.
At first, I thought perhaps it was just my idea, not God’s, and I wanted to postpone it. I did not have the tools or abilities to make it happen. But a few days later, the idea would not leave me alone, so I decided to begin. I said to God, “I will do it, but please take care of it.” In a matter of one week, God selected the team, and the project went on air at the most critical moment of the pandemic. Today, hundreds of people have listened to the podcast channel, and I am sure God has impacted many lives.
Two
THERE ARE NO BARRIERS!
If there is something impressive about the digital world, it is its exponential reach. You don’t know how far your message can go. And I’m not just referring to the more than 4.62 billion people in the world who use social media, but to wherever God is going to take you. “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…” (Ephesians 3:20).
In my mind, that same project was going to be aimed at friends or family. “Fifty people at most will hear it,” I thought. But when God puts His hand on something, there are no barriers! A well-known journalist shared it on her profile (I didn’t even ask her to), making the channel visible so thousands of people from all over the world could listen to it. This was unthinkable — it was only possible if God was behind it!
Three
THE TOOLS ARE WITHIN REACH.
It is simply a matter of being interested in learning. You don’t have to be an expert to share the Gospel on social networks. Just by having a smartphone, an internet connection, and of course, the Holy Spirit, you can create impactful content. “And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship” (Exodus 35:31).
We are living in a time when information is available at a click. Our smartphone allows us to take photos, record audio, record videos, edit them, and send them — immediately.
Of course, we want to do things well, and God deserves all our excellence. But for that, we can rely on various tools (even free ones) which will add a bit of professionalism to what we are doing.
When we started the project, I was using many of the necessary tools for the first time. Thanks to the tutorials on the internet that cover literally everything, we managed to produce a great product. If we add to that the wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and creative capacity with which God fills us through His Spirit, there is nothing that limits us.
We have so many more tools at our fingertips than the first believers, who spread the Gospel all over the world. What are we waiting for? Let’s use every tool available to us to make God’s name known!
Haggai leader Ilse Johanning
Three Things I Learned Sharing the Gospel Digitally
Haggai leader Ilse Johanning is a marketing executive and voiceover artist in Costa Rica with wide experience working for top brands across Latin America. She is passionate about sharing the Gospel in innovative ways, especially with younger generations.
I’m a millennial, so I grew up alongside the internet and social media, coming of age just as it was being introduced. For many millennials, this has been an advantage, as we are adept at learning new technologies. For Christians, technology can play a key role in sharing the Gospel.
In November 2019, after my Haggai Leader Experience, it clicked for me — I needed to share the Gospel through social media. After being equipped at Haggai, I strongly felt like God told me, “You are going to be my communicator — worldwide!” That’s a little too aspirational for my taste, but definitely on God’s level.
When I returned to Costa Rica, I launched my online ministry. I didn’t know how it was going to turn out, but there was one thing I was sure of: God was going to support me.
Since then, I have launched a series of projects aimed at sharing the Gospel through Instagram, Spotify, and YouTube. Along the way, I learned three things I want to share with you about sharing your faith digitally.
One
GOD IS THE PROJECT MANAGER.
It might seem obvious, but this is real. God is the one who puts the ideas in our minds, gives us the message, chooses the team who will support it, trains us, and is also in charge of promoting it. We must be attentive to His voice and have the best disposition to execute it. “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11).
I remember early in the pandemic, God put an idea in my heart to create a podcast channel with short prayers for those affected by COVID-19. In this way, in case there was someone hospitalized or having a bad time, they could listen to those prayers and feel God close to them.
At first, I thought perhaps it was just my idea, not God’s, and I wanted to postpone it. I did not have the tools or abilities to make it happen. But a few days later, the idea would not leave me alone, so I decided to begin. I said to God, “I will do it, but please take care of it.” In a matter of one week, God selected the team, and the project went on air at the most critical moment of the pandemic. Today, hundreds of people have listened to the podcast channel, and I am sure God has impacted many lives.
Two
THERE ARE NO BARRIERS!
If there is something impressive about the digital world, it is its exponential reach. You don’t know how far your message can go. And I’m not just referring to the more than 4.62 billion people in the world who use social media, but to wherever God is going to take you. “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…” (Ephesians 3:20).
In my mind, that same project was going to be aimed at friends or family. “Fifty people at most will hear it,” I thought. But when God puts His hand on something, there are no barriers! A well-known journalist shared it on her profile (I didn’t even ask her to), making the channel visible so thousands of people from all over the world could listen to it. This was unthinkable — it was only possible if God was behind it!
Three
THE TOOLS ARE WITHIN REACH.
It is simply a matter of being interested in learning. You don’t have to be an expert to share the Gospel on social networks. Just by having a smartphone, an internet connection, and of course, the Holy Spirit, you can create impactful content. “And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship” (Exodus 35:31).
We are living in a time when information is available at a click. Our smartphone allows us to take photos, record audio, record videos, edit them, and send them — immediately.
Of course, we want to do things well, and God deserves all our excellence. But for that, we can rely on various tools (even free ones) which will add a bit of professionalism to what we are doing.
When we started the project, I was using many of the necessary tools for the first time. Thanks to the tutorials on the internet that cover literally everything, we managed to produce a great product. If we add to that the wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and creative capacity with which God fills us through His Spirit, there is nothing that limits us.
We have so many more tools at our fingertips than the first believers, who spread the Gospel all over the world. What are we waiting for? Let’s use every tool available to us to make God’s name known!
Haggai leader Ilse Johanning
Three Things I Learned Sharing the Gospel Digitally
Haggai leader Ilse Johanning is a marketing executive and voiceover artist in Costa Rica with wide experience working for top brands across Latin America. She is passionate about sharing the Gospel in innovative ways, especially with younger generations.
I’m a millennial, so I grew up alongside the internet and social media, coming of age just as it was being introduced. For many millennials, this has been an advantage, as we are adept at learning new technologies. For Christians, technology can play a key role in sharing the Gospel.
In November 2019, after my Haggai Leader Experience, it clicked for me — I needed to share the Gospel through social media. After being equipped at Haggai, I strongly felt like God told me, “You are going to be my communicator — worldwide!” That’s a little too aspirational for my taste, but definitely on God’s level.
When I returned to Costa Rica, I launched my online ministry. I didn’t know how it was going to turn out, but there was one thing I was sure of: God was going to support me.
Since then, I have launched a series of projects aimed at sharing the Gospel through Instagram, Spotify, and YouTube. Along the way, I learned three things I want to share with you about sharing your faith digitally.
One
GOD IS THE PROJECT MANAGER.
It might seem obvious, but this is real. God is the one who puts the ideas in our minds, gives us the message, chooses the team who will support it, trains us, and is also in charge of promoting it. We must be attentive to His voice and have the best disposition to execute it. “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11).
I remember early in the pandemic, God put an idea in my heart to create a podcast channel with short prayers for those affected by COVID-19. In this way, in case there was someone hospitalized or having a bad time, they could listen to those prayers and feel God close to them.
At first, I thought perhaps it was just my idea, not God’s, and I wanted to postpone it. I did not have the tools or abilities to make it happen. But a few days later, the idea would not leave me alone, so I decided to begin. I said to God, “I will do it, but please take care of it.” In a matter of one week, God selected the team, and the project went on air at the most critical moment of the pandemic. Today, hundreds of people have listened to the podcast channel, and I am sure God has impacted many lives.
Two
THERE ARE NO BARRIERS!
If there is something impressive about the digital world, it is its exponential reach. You don’t know how far your message can go. And I’m not just referring to the more than 4.62 billion people in the world who use social media, but to wherever God is going to take you. “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…” (Ephesians 3:20).
In my mind, that same project was going to be aimed at friends or family. “Fifty people at most will hear it,” I thought. But when God puts His hand on something, there are no barriers! A well-known journalist shared it on her profile (I didn’t even ask her to), making the channel visible so thousands of people from all over the world could listen to it. This was unthinkable — it was only possible if God was behind it!
Three
THE TOOLS ARE WITHIN REACH.
It is simply a matter of being interested in learning. You don’t have to be an expert to share the Gospel on social networks. Just by having a smartphone, an internet connection, and of course, the Holy Spirit, you can create impactful content. “And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship” (Exodus 35:31).
We are living in a time when information is available at a click. Our smartphone allows us to take photos, record audio, record videos, edit them, and send them — immediately.
Of course, we want to do things well, and God deserves all our excellence. But for that, we can rely on various tools (even free ones) which will add a bit of professionalism to what we are doing.
When we started the project, I was using many of the necessary tools for the first time. Thanks to the tutorials on the internet that cover literally everything, we managed to produce a great product. If we add to that the wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and creative capacity with which God fills us through His Spirit, there is nothing that limits us.
We have so many more tools at our fingertips than the first believers, who spread the Gospel all over the world. What are we waiting for? Let’s use every tool available to us to make God’s name known!
Haggai leader Ilse Johanning
Comments
Comments
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Dear sister Ilse Johanning, your story is really inspirational to me and I have been blessed knowing about God’s work in your life. I pray that God continues to use you for His Glory and also helps me to reach out to people striving for Gospel.
Brother in Christ
Enosh
Dear sister Ilse Johanning, your story is really inspirational to me and I have been blessed knowing about God’s work in your life. I pray that God continues to use you for His Glory and also helps me to reach out to people striving for Gospel.
Brother in Christ
Enosh