Anchored in Christ

I love buying and selling things online. I sell because I like having spare change flipping random items. I buy because don’t like overpaying for things that I can find on the cheap. It’s no lie to say that Facebook Marketplace has revolutionized how my wife and I think about furnishing our home!

But, like in everything else in life, sin makes buying and selling things online more complicated. Scammers lurk in the corners of Facebook (and other sites) looking for the naïve to prey upon.

Previously when a scammer would contact me and I became aware of their scheme, I’d message them that I knew they were a scammer and report them immediately. Now I take another approach: I share the gospel with them, pray for their salvation, and then report them to Facebook (or whatever site) shortly after.

A Gospel Script for Scammers

Below you’ll see a sample of what I send. Consider copying and pasting it for when you confront a scammer, or write something yourself. God can turn a simple scammer’s message into a divine appointment!

Hi, I know you’re trying to scam me. Please consider the consequences of your actions. God says: “Do not be deceived… thieves, nor the greedy… nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:10).

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur” (Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭8‬).

You deserve God’s punishment for deceiving others and stealing, but you can avoid this punishment! Jesus Christ, God’s Son, offers forgiveness. His sacrificial death on the cross paid the penalty for your sin. And He rose from the dead victorious over death. If you trust Him for forgiveness and turn from your wicked ways, He will forgive you and make you a part of His family. While Jesus hung on the cross dying for our sins, He actually forgave a repentant thief hanging beside Him for all he had ever done! (Google “Luke 23:32–43” and read it yourself!)

Elsewhere the Bible says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬).

Trust in Jesus before it’s too late! He will take care of you as you find other employment that doesn’t rely on deceiving people—you can trust Him!

I have yet to hear of fruit from this little evangelistic activity, but I trust in the power of the gospel too much to stop. The gospel is a weapon; it’s not a weapon that seeks to injure or kill, it seeks to bring the spiritually dead to life. And God might just use a conversation that begins with “Hello, is this item available?” to bring new life today.