How To Grow Spiritually
You’ve considered putting Jesus first, but now what? What do Christians, “do?” As a Christian (Christ follower), when in doubt, look to the Bible for guidance. The Bible is very clear about what the first early Christians did.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” // Acts 2:42 NIV
What worked then, works now.
Be loyal
Being a Christian is about the relationship that a believer has to a living God. The beauty of serving Jesus is that He is alive. You can talk to God in prayer. He can speak to you through the Bible, by His Spirit, and through preaching and teaching. The more loyal you become in your relationship, the more you will develop better better habits, gain wisdom, and grow in commitment. This is called devotion. The members of the early church were totally sold out to their faith in Jesus.
Be a learner
Jesus spent almost three years teaching his message to twelve close friends. These were His disciples. These men went out to teach others about a new life that’s possible with Jesus and many wrote letters about it. As the new church grew, situations would happen and the disciples would write to the different churches about how to deal with these situations. The New Testament is composed of these writings done by the disciples (Apostles). In these writings you can find inspiration, and direction with answers to questions you may have about Jesus.
The Bible is not just a book of stories that you read once and that is all you must do. These writings were inspired by the Spirit of God. As a new believer God’s Spirit lives in you and will inspire your understanding and application of lessons found in the Bible. The Bible literally comes alive as you study its pages. You will find that you are not reading the Bible, but that the Bible is reading you. Devoted believers will investigate the Bible daily. One of the best ways to do this is to make a personal time each day for Bible reading and prayer. We suggest starting with the book of Mark or John in the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all tell the story of Jesus’ life from four different viewpoints.
Engage in community
To be engaged with other believers in Jesus is called fellowship. A new believer becomes a part of a community of other believers who demonstrate their faith through service to others. Christians worship together as they celebrate their faith, engage with their community to make it a better place, and serve others. Life on this broken planet can be difficult and Christians bind together for encouragement and help.
Have a good time
On the evening before Jesus died on the cross He had dinner with his twelve closest friends. The term breaking of bread not only refers to communion but also to a communal meal of fellowship. Church and the activities around the meeting of believers is an important facet of your new walk with God.
Commit
How long does a believer have to do all this stuff for? The answer lies in God’s handiwork within the earth. When you hold an acorn in your hand, you are holding an oak tree. That acorn must be planted in good soil, watered and the soil warmed with sunshine before it can sprout. The first sprout is only inches high but the oak never stops growing. One day it will be the greatest tree in the forest.
The spiritual life of a new believer is like that acorn. Hold it tight in your hand and it will never sprout. You can grow when you plant the seed of God’s word in the soil of your heart. Water this seed through consistent Bible reading. You will continue to grow even greater as you connect to community through the local church. Growth always has its bumps, but without it seeds never become trees. An oak never stops growing and the same is true for you. There will always be more to experience in your relationship with Jesus Christ.
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