How do we grow as Christians? For years, when I taught about Christian growth, I always said the same thing. I would say that if someone wanted to grow in Christ, they needed to read their Bible, pray, and go to church. I still teach that. Spending time with Jesus through reading his Word and praying is a sure-fire way to start growing as a Christian. And I don’t see how anyone can grow as a Christian without getting involved in a Christ-following, Bible-believing church. However, over the past several years, I have realized that God uses other methods to grow us as well. So here are some truths from God’s Word about how we can grow as a Christian.
1. Trials can help us grow as Christians.
James 1:2-4: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Sometimes God uses the difficult times in our lives to make us stronger. Have you ever known someone whose faith was rejuvenated after the loss of a loved one, or after going through a bout with cancer, or after losing a job? I have. I have seen people grow tremendously after facing trials of many kinds. And although God doesn’t always cause the trials to happen, he always uses them to grow us in our faith. If you are facing difficulties today, ask God how he might be using them to grow you as a believer.
2. Using our spiritual gifts can help us grow as a Christian.
Ephesians 4:11-13: “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
When we use our spiritual gifts, whatever they are, we grow in the faith. I used to be able to read and understand Spanish pretty well. I wasn’t an expert or anything, but I could get by. When I taught English as a Second Language to high school students, I grew in my knowledge of Spanish. Why? Because I was using it on a regular basis. When I stopped teaching that class, I lost most of what I had learned. Why? Because I was out of practice. The same principle holds true with our spiritual gifts. If we use them, we will grow in them and grow in Christ. If we simply put them on the shelf or bury them in the sand, they will begin to deteriorate and decay. Use your gifts for God and his Kingdom and you will begin to grow tremendously in your faith!
3. Taking a step of faith helps you grow as a Christian.
Romans 4:18-21: “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”
There is nothing that can bolster your Christian growth more than taking a step of faith in order to do what God has called you to do. Abraham believed the promise God gave him and he grew tremendously because of that. Is God calling you to give more, but you aren’t sure where the funds will come from? Take a step of faith and see how you will grow and God will provide. Is God calling you to make a career change, but you aren’t sure if your family can manage the pay cut? Take a step of faith. Is God calling you to faithfully speak out on an issue, but you are afraid of what everyone will say? Take a step of faith. If God is calling you to do something, take a step of faith and do it! You will grow tremendously if you do.
4. Introspection and Confession will help you grow as a Christian.
Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
In the book of James, James talks about a man who looks in a mirror, and after looking in the mirror forgets completely what he looks like. Could you imagine looking in the mirror in the morning and seeing that your hair is messed up, your shirt is on backwards, and there is a big smudge on your face, but then you walk away and do nothing about it. You don’t comb your hair, turn your shirt around, or wipe the smudge off your face. You just go to work looking a mess. This is often what we do as Christians. We hear the word, we know that there are things in our lives that we need to change, but we walk away and do nothing about those things. That’s not growth. True growth occurs when we reflect on the ways of God and confess to him when we fall short of those ways. True growth occurs when we allow God to make the necessary changes in our lives so that we might look more like him.
5. Spending time with Jesus will help you grow as a Christian.
Acts 4:13: “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
Peter and John had been with Jesus and everyone knew it because their transformed lives reflected it. Reading your Bible is vitally important to Christian growth. But you can’t read the Bible just to read it. You can’t read it just to try and justify your belief systems or your actions. You can’t read it as just a history book or another piece of literature. You must realize that the Bible contains the very words of God and that by reading it you are spending time with Him. Allow his word to transform and shape your life. The same is true of our prayer time. Prayer is not meant to be something we do only when we need something. It is not meant to be just rote or mindless either. Prayer is a conversation with Jesus. It is the time we get to spend with our Father. And when we spend time with God, we will become more like him. We will begin to think and act more like him. That’s what growth is about.
6. Allowing other Christians to sharpen you will help you grow as Christian.
Proverbs 27:17: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Have you ever known someone to go to church their whole life but never grow in their faith? I know plenty of people like that. Why? I think it’s because they aren’t allowing their brothers and sisters in the faith to sharpen them and help them grow. They have missed the purpose of surrounding themselves with other believers. Because church is not simply meant to be a place we come to listen to good music, hear a good sermon, and see our friends once a week. Church is meant to push us, sharpen us, and grow us in our faith. Church is meant to make us look more like Jesus. So, don’t simply show up to church if you want to grow. Instead, allow the body of Christ to spur you on to grow as never before!
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