What can we do to be stronger Christians?

To have stronger and healthier bodies we need to eat foods that are good for us, get enough exercise, get enough sleep, and take our medicines when we get sick.

To grow as better Christians there are things we should do too. God’s power and blessing is what makes us grow, but he tells us to obey him, and to make use of the tools that he promises will make us stronger spiritually. We call these the “means of grace“.

1. We need to learn God’s Word.
God’s word tells us what is true, and what things are right to do. When we read and study the Bible God uses it to make us more like our Savior, Jesus Christ. We should read our Bibles every day. On Sundays we need to pay close attention during the sermons and lessons at Church. We should listen carefully when we do our Bible study times together as a family and with other believers.

2. We need to talk with God in Prayer.
God tells us we should come to him in prayer. We should tell him how wonderful he is as our Creator and as our Savior who died to forgives us for our sins. We should thank him for his many blessings. We should repentantly admit our sins to him, and ask him to help us not do things that offend him. We should bring our needs to him, both our own needs and those of others we know. We can pray any time from anywhere. A healthy Christian should pray throughout the day.

3. We need to take part in worship, specially the Sacraments.
When we go to Church to worship we should pay attention to every part of the service. Worship is a very important exercise to keep us spiritually healthy. We should be sure we have been properly baptized to show we are members of the covenant community bearing the name of our Savior. When we understand the Lord’s Supper we should go to the leaders of the church and ask them to let us join with the congregation in humbly and thankfully receiving the bread and wine during Communion. God promises to help us grow spiritually when we receive the sacraments in the right way.

4. We need to help each other to live by what God says is right.
When we do wrong things, our Christian friends encourage us to admit our sins and to change our ways. When we do right, we should encourage one another too. Sometimes when Church members will not admit their sins or will not make things right again the officers of the church may correct them. They might even tell them not to receive the Lord’s Supper until they are ready to change their ways and admit they have done wrong..

These are ways God works in our lives to help us grow as Christians. They make us stronger. In our next studies we will look more closely at each of these means of grace.

(Bible verses are quoted from the New King James Version of the Bible)
Lesson 8: We Need To Learn God’s Word
Index of our lessons on Bible Basics