1. Am I posting in the heat of anger? Proverbs 14:17
2. Do I have all the facts? Proverbs 18:13
3. Have I verified the story? Deuteronomy 17:6
4. Could my post be considered gossip? Proverbs 16:28
5. Will my post offend a weaker brother? I Corinthians 8: 9-13
6. Will my post be a poor reflection of the Lord or your friends and family? Matthew 5:16
7. Will my post hurt my influence to share the gospel? Matthew 28: 19-20
8. Will my post make light of or joke about sin? Proverbs 14:9
9. Will I regret or be ashamed of the content of my post later? Proverbs 8:8
10. Will my post convey a wrong impression? I Thessalonians 5:21-22
11. Will my post be addressing something that is none of my business? 2 Corinthians 12:20
12. Is my post irreverent of, or make light of Holy Things? Ecclesiastes 5:2
13. Is my post a lie or does it contain some deceitfulness? Proverbs 4:24
14. Does my post concern an issue against a brother or sister that should be discussed privately with an individual rather than in a public post? Matthew 18:15
15. Will my post create quarrelsome debate and ignorant disputes? 2 Timothy 2: 23-25
16. Will my post destroy a friendship? Proverbs 16:28
17. Is my post critical of someone or something? James 3:9-10
18. Is the post I share from a wholesome source, what will my association with the original post say about me? I Corinthians 15:33
19. Will my post flatter and support sinful people and sinful behavior? James 4:4
20. Will the image or behavior that I post show modesty and Christ like actions? Romans 13:13-14

Who has never been urged by friends to do something against our wills, against our own best interests, and in violation of our own consciences? A friend says, “Oh come on try it once, you don’t know what you’re missing.”

The reasoning behind such an appeal is faulty to the core. The truth is that you don’t have to try something before you know whether you will like it or not. Those who have never been put in jail for a crime don’t have to wonder whether they would like the experience or not.

The “do your own thing” existentialist view of life is very faulty also. Should you really have to taste the full cup of life before you know what is bad and what is not? Do you really need to participate in the seamy side of life as well as the good life to become a full human being? It is faulty to think that one can experiment with things that endanger the soul and destroy the health of an otherwise intelligent being.

Many things lure all of us into sin. Falling for the stupidity of “Try it, you don’t know what you’re missing,” has led a host of people to take their first “toke” or “joint” of marijuana. That first sip of beer or wine could be the result of listening to the same stupidity. Ask a heroin or alcohol addict how much fun he is having. Ask him if he wishes now he had not been so foolish as to take his first halting steps into the use of alcohol and drugs. Before you fall for such stupidity, remember: “Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess. 5:22, NASB).

Think about just how really dumb it is to do anything without first researching the experience. Here are just a couple of good research questions;
1. Would God approve this?
2. Will this be good for me?
3. How will this affect me now and in the future?
4. It is something I want everyone to know that I do? 5. Will it damage my health?
6. Could I recommend it to others?
7. Will it cause me to violate my conscience?
8. Will it cause me to grow in Christ?
9. Will it hurt my reputation with good people?
10. Why should I do it anyway?

~Matt Amos

From the Elders of Woodstock Church of Christ.
Download the letter here