GUIDE TO INTERNET FISHING
By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com

Missionary pioneer David Livingston would roll over in his grave if he knew how I share the gospel across the world.

He'd want a closer look.

I share the saving message of Jesus Christ in internet chat rooms by text and by voice every night and often until daybreak if the fish are biting.

The Net allows anyone to chat with someone from Nairobi, Singapore, or Bute, Montana. They are a mere tap on the keyboard or a “Hi there” away.

I enjoy fishing for real, and the Internet is one giant fishing hole where many seekers are angling for the real truth about God and Jesus Christ.

It's difficult not to think of the early trail-blazing missionaries who battled disease and indescribable discomfort when I bring up Paltalk (http://www.Paltalk.com) and, in comfort, sally off to the Christian chat room section. Many seekers surf the rooms.

Without leaving home, anyone with a relatively simple computer setup can become an Internet jabber- walkie like me. It helps if you're not timid because you can run into people with odd issues and questions. I advise steering clear of debates. They are timewasters.

By copy-and-paste, we can send copies of the Bible with an awesome audio option, the excellent hour-long The Jesus Film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWYuIe8ftHA in over 1,100 languages, or type in handy Christian video or written websites. Call them electronic tracts.

About 10 years ago, I asked a new Christian who fled to Thailand from Iran if he wanted an Audio Bible. There was a pause. "How much?" he asked. I clucked as I pasted in http://www.audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html and hit the send button. "Not a bean," I said with a grin.

He told me sometime later that he had shared Christian sites I sent him with many. Are we living in amazing times, or what?

One can wince with the cost of supporting missionaries dispatched from North America. In 2009, it typically cost $66,000 per year to support an American family of four serving in Brazil. The cost of Internet evangelism is zero.

God bless the missionaries who take the gospel to the four corners of the earth, and often endure tough times. They are needed for face-to-face, hands-on Christian work, God’s boots on the ground who preach, teach, help, show and encourage.

I feel kind of guilty that my fishing hole is a wall away from the fridge, which is stocked full of lazy-guy snack foods. God can't be happy with my kick-back efforts to lead the lost to Christ, can He? Well, so far no lightning has hit the house.

For me, sharing the Good News via the Internet is a great fit. Being retired, no financial support is needed. No visa problems. No food or health concerns. No language issues. No living-condition worries. No missing home. I am at home!

What's my fishing line?

I troll in as many rooms as it takes to engage someone in a text or voice chat. I generally do not ask someone who has a Christian-giveaway nickname like "Jesusfollower".

The text usually goes like this: "Hi. Will you go to Heaven one day?" If the response is yes, I reply, "Great, Be sure to share the message." I then post an electronic tract or my website www.niteowldave.com

If I get a “no” response to my Heaven question, I type, "I like your honesty. A lot of people on here aren't Christians," which is certainly the truth. I usually then type, "Do you really know what we must do to qualify for Heaven?"

The responses range from, "I think so," "I'm working on it," or, the most common, "I am Catholic." (I have found that many Roman Catholics are, for the most part, stuck in the fog about eternal salvation. There's a specific ministry there for somebody.)

I reply, "Most people answer like that." I must remember to be polite and non-confrontational. My motto is: "Share the message, not shove the message." The Holy Spirit does the convicting, right?

I generally text-chat for five minutes or so. My goal is to talk with the person. Yes, I have led many people to Christ by talking to them through their computer speakers. They type their questions or comments while I share the story of salvation through Christ.

If they are ready to make a commitment, I voice a line of the "sinner's prayer" and request that they type it in the text window. I advise them to keep the typed prayer. I generally spend about two hours with each seeker, making God's plan of salvation as clear as I possibly know how.

Before I lead anyone through the prayer of salvation, I underscore that the prayer is not to be said if there are any doubts or questions. I ask an inquirer to consider the prayer to be a vow between himself and God. I advise him that it is as binding and as serious as a wedding vow.

When sharing Jesus, it is essential to be a good listener. Don’t argue. Say things like,"That's interesting," or "I understand why you're upset about that!"

There are too many hillbilly Christian arguers on the Net who overuse the threat of Hell in Christian chat rooms. I often find myself having to present God as caring.

If the questions or concerns are huge, I don't try to lead a seeker to Christ. I listen and comment, then add their name to my friend's list and wait for another time to continue the conversation.

I stumbled across a good way to size up a person's spiritual understanding by asking, "Suppose I was desperately seeking God and I asked you how I could become a Christian right now. What would you tell me?"

If the response is off the mark—and there have been some beauts—I state, "Interesting, but are you aware that the Bible shows us that we can choose right now to become a Heaven-bound Christian? Do you mind if I quickly share with you what the Bible says?"

I'm big on the word choose because we do literally choose to repent of our sins, and we choose to ask Christ to save us and be our Lord and Savior.

We do not need a personal website to be an Internet Fisherman. Drop in the URL for a site which you feel supports or adds to what you are sharing. There are hundreds of good sites such as http://www.needgod.com/

Perhaps one of the biggest problems with leading someone to the Lord on the Internet is establishing follow-up. A voice in the night who reaches out to Christ may fade fast if he doesn’t get his feet firmly planted in a church where the clear gospel is preached.

Recently, I had a guy whom I led to the Lord phone a Baptist church in his home town while I waited. The next day he was given a ride to a Bible study. That Sunday, he attended church.

A disappointing fact of life on the Net is that Christians often squabble in chat rooms. There's nothing wrong with a stimulating debate, but unfortunately they often deteriorate into salty insults.

No doubt Christ-haters rejoice while Christ-seekers scratch their heads. As representatives of Christ, we need to be more like Christ who is loving and sensitive to the lost and hurting. Unfortunately, some of us are not.

On my computer, I have assembled 100 or so good Christian website addresses, and a collection of handy Bible verses which I use for witnessing. I have posted one site here.

Good fishing!

http://www.harvest.org/knowgod/know-god/welcome.html