I Hope To See You

Warren E. Berkley

Yes, I know. As I write and post this, I am fully aware that mine is only one voice in a growing chorus. Still, putting these thoughts into words will help me—and perhaps encourage greater vigilance among those who read them. These concerns have deepened as I have studied and taught the book of Acts this year.

In our present culture, I fear that we are gradually drifting away from meaningful, devoted, face-to-face relationships.

It is easy to send a text, write an email, connect through social media, stream a service, stay home, and look at a screen. These tools can be useful, but they should never replace genuine personal interaction. I hope and pray that we do not lose the direct, face-to-face fellowship seen throughout the book of Acts. This divinely designed and necessary connection with real people is what God intends, is it not? He said, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18). Ecclesiastes 4 reminds us that “two are better than one,” and Proverbs 18:24 speaks of a true friend who is closer than a brother.

In the book of Acts, believers gathered together (Acts 2:42–47) and drew strength from those genuine relationships (Acts 4:24; 14:22; 16:5; 18:23). Christians stood “shoulder to shoulder” in heart and in work. They shared a strong sense of community and family—something Satan was always trying to infiltrate and divide.

They sought one another out, helped one another, and labored side by side. In doing so, they nurtured what Paul called “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). I hope and pray that our togetherness will not be weakened by technology that is quick and convenient but often impersonal. If technology has allowed us to drift apart, may we make a deliberate effort to reconnect. As John wrote in 3 John, “I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.”

Technology is like every other tool people use: it can serve good or harmful purposes; it can help or destroy. Do not throw away your phone, abandon your computer, or discard your iPad. Instead, let us remain keenly aware of technology’s power to divide and conquer us. Instant answers from an AI platform can weaken our ability to think deeply. Instant yet virtual contact can slowly draw us away from what John desired: “I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face” (3 John 14).