I. Introduction
When I was younger I used to shake my head in amazement when I thought of the technology advancements my grandmother's witnessed . . . tv, space travel, the changes in transportation. But now I am realizing that in my short time on this planet I too have witnessed incredible shifts and changes in technology. I seen the computer change from monochrome to color. The change from having to know DOS - computer code to an easy interface like Windows. I have seen hard drives go from 20mb, which was considered huge, to having terabytes on board a phone. Room sized computers have shrunk to ipad and iwatch size. The rise of the internet with massive amounts of information at beck and call. Pagers and delayed contact have given way to immediate contact. And myspace has given way to Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Now each of us averages 2 hours of screen time a day. A little more than a quarter of Americans say they are online “almost constantly.” It has been reported that an average teenager spends 9 hours a day on a social media platform of some sort. You could walk the length of the Great Wall of China 3.5 times with the amount time they are on their phones.
The result of this technology is that the idea of 6 degrees of separation has now decreased to 4 degrees of separation. Technology has caused our world to expand while at the same time it shrinks.
Why is technology so prevalent and important? All of the tech, electronics and app has been and continues to rolled out in the name of and with the promise that we will be more connected.
Why is connection key? We only need to go back to the beginning to discover the answer to that question.
TEXT:
Genesis 2:18 (Message)
God said, “It’s not good for the Man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion.”
We were created for connection!
You can see it from the beginning. God recognizes that He has created us with a need for connection.
Even though Adam is in paradise - perfect environment, no pain, no problems God realizes that there is lack. He identifies the fact, that paradise isn’t paradise without a partner.
It is innate in us. We can't escape it. It is in our DNA. Connection is at our core. Without connection there is a void and we will naturally best to fill it. And therein lies the problem for most of us and it exhibits itself in our use of technology. We are tying to connect.
But I want us to back up to the account again because after God identifies this need in the heart of man we also see a clue to only real answer to this quest for connection. It is found in . . .
Genesis 3:8-9 (NIV)
Then they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. The Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
God created man and woman to connect with each other but there is also in us a need to connect with Him! The greatest fallout of the garden wasn't loss of paradise it was the loss of connection with God! Infraction cost us intimacy. The dues of sin was distance. God had declared everything was good until now. It was not good ... so it is bad for man to be alone!
A gap has been produced and since we are designed for this connection the result is the lack of connection with God tends to lead us down the same slope Eve went down.
Corruption
Eve is alone when she wasn't supposed to be. Her lack of connectedness leads to corruption. Perfection is sacrificed for the promise of knowledge - if we know more we will be closer. I said it like this in the series Decades . . . knowledge can be a false indicator of intimacy.
We have access to more knowledge than we have ever had in our history and yet we seem to further separate ourselves from closeness to our Father! I am not saying knowledge is bad but knowledge is not God! If you know more but know Him less is the knowledge worth it? Eve shows us lack of connection leads to corruption leads to further separation. We should know this because . . .
Isaiah 59:2 says - But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death!
Get your head out of our app!
Counterfeits
Eve buys a lie and instead of experiencing the genuine connection she had access to she opts for a counterfeit. The shiny wins. Scripture says the fruit looked good or was pleasant to the eyes. Isn't that the allure of all of our tech? It appeals to our eyes. We have to fight the flash! It is a counterfeit. We may have 1000's of friends on facebook or likes on twitter but can't find one real life friend with whom to talk or share or soul with. Tech is supposed to keep us on track, on schedule, on task and yet it is a counterfeit. Our schedules are so laid out and yet we have no ability to stop long enough to walk with Him in the cool of the day! Our lack of genuine connection results in us falling for counterfeits.
The minute you take a drug, drink alcohol, smoke a cigarette if those are your poison, when you get a like on social media, all of those experiences produce dopamine, which is a chemical that's associated with pleasure. When someone likes an Instagram post, or any content that you share, it's a little bit like taking a drug. As far as your brain is concerned, it's a very similar experience.
So, we settle for momentary shots of dopamine to substitute for meaningful dialogue with our Father which would fill our soul. There is a reason we do this that I will share with you in a minute.
Casualties.
All you have to do is go back to the account and you see the fall out. Lack of connection leads to casualties. In the garden it led to separation, division, sickness, labor, pain, and ultimately death. Our lack of connection still results in those things. We are separated from God and from others, division daily and sickness.
There was a report not to long ago about a 31 year old man treated for “internet addiction disorder,” related to his excessive use of Google Glass (a technology since shelved in the name of redevelopment). In many ways, using Google Glass is like strapping a smartphone to your face. A wearable device boasting built-in camera, microphone, tiny screen and internet connectivity, it’s activated either via voice or by a gentle tap of the fingers. Doctors noted that the subject compulsively mimicked this movement, moving his right hand up to his temple and tapping his skull even when he was not wearing Glass. He had been using it for up to 18 hours a day, and at night dreamed that he was looking at the world through the device. We snicker but how many of us suffer from phantom vibration? Where we feel phone but it actually hasn’t.
Our addiction to tech still results in pain . being overly connected can cause psychological issues such as distraction, narcissism, expectation of instant gratification, and even depression. Beside affecting users' mental health, use of technology can also have negative repercussions on physical health causing vision problems, hearing loss, and neck strain.
So, all of this to say to you that since we are designed created for connection we will connect to fill that space. So, it is incredibly important to disconnect to connect to what we were created to connect to!
Here is why we settle counterfeits.
Connection costs.
In order to connect to God you will have to get your head out of your app. You will have to abstain to obtain. We have become so addicted to our tech that we will have to fight to fast. We will have to intentionally and repeatedly separate ourselves from the substitute if we are going to connect with the One to whom we were designed and created to connect!
God is still walking in the quiet of the day! We must be careful that as we come into the garden that we aren't hiding from the presence of God in the name of staying connected! We cannot continue to hide! We hear Him calling but it often feels like it is through a fog - at a distance - push past distraction, fight the flash, disconnect to connect. Refuse to turn to the counterfeit.
What I am saying sounds easy but I assure you it isn't. Disconnecting is hard to do. But I believe that is why this time each week is so crucial to our spiritual health! It is our sabbath! Application - fast your tech at least an hour (during awake time) a day!
