Kingdom Code- A vital opportunity to use tech for God’s glory
One of my favourite verses in the Bible can be found in the Book of Ephesians:
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Whether you are a software developer, an entrepreneur or a marketing guru, it’s no mistake that God has imbued you with these talents and placed you in a world where they could come to fruition.
Tech impacts everything
Right now we are in the midst of a technological explosion.
Those familiar with technology often refer to “Moore’s Law” – so named for the Intel co-founder Gordon Moore who postulated it in 1965. He predicted that transistors on processors (used for processing power) would double every two years. Many predicted this would be a short-term law and could not continue for long. Yet nearly 50 years later, it is continuing.
The smartphone in your pocket provides a better communication tool than the Prime Minister had access to just 25 years ago, and provides access to more data than he had access to just 10 years ago.
Technology impacts the shape of our lives – it influences the people we stay in contact with, the people we date (and marry), the type of information we consume, the way we consume it, and what we do with it.
Within this rapidly changing world, there remains one enduring, comforting, constant: “Go and make disciples of all nations”.
We have a responsibility to use our tech talents for the Lord
The gifts we have received are not ours alone. God gave them to us for the purpose of serving Him and serving other people.
One of the most plain biblical exhortations for this is in the ‘Parable of the Talents’, where Jesus taught that we must use our gifts wisely. A “talent” was a very large sum of money, about 80 pounds (36 kg) of silver. Before leaving on a journey, a wealthy man entrusted his fortune to his servants for the time he would be away. Two of the servants used the money wisely to earn income for their master. However, the third servant did not put the money to good use, and the master was very displeased.
The master represents God in this parable, and the servants represent us. The English word ‘talent’, meaning our natural abilities, is derived from this parable. That is fitting because the lesson of the parable is that we must use our talents and abilities, as well as our wealth, in God’s service.
It does not matter whether we have been given great talents, abilities and wealth, or very little. What matters to God is whether we make good use of what we have been given, whether large or small:
“From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.” (Luke 12:48)
As technologists and entrepreneurs in present day Britain, we have been given “much” and therefore it is incumbent upon us to put this “much” to the good of the Kingdom.
Kingdom Code on Friday Oct 2nd, 7pm at Impact Hub Westminster
There are many Christians working in tech companies or in technical roles, in and around London. As Gospel labourers in such a unique and dynamic context, it behooves us to come together to have fellowship, to collaborate and to strengthen one another.
The upcoming Kingdom Code Hackathon is a superb opportunity to do just this: to make new friendships, be challenged in our Gospel walk, and use our talents for the glory of Jesus Christ.
Don’t miss out, get your ticket now.
Jonny Rose is Head of Content at marketing technology company, idio. He is also the founder of Croydon Tech City – an organisation and community that is seeking to make Croydon the ‘Silicon Valley of South London’. Jonny worships at Grace Vineyard Church, Purley.