Bible: Read your Bible and use the help of a Bible-reading plan. (Acts 17:11, 1 Peter 2:2) Believers are built up, nourished, and strengthened by God’s Word. By it they are saved; by it they are sanctified. Make it a habit of reading Scripture regularly, methodically, systematically, and comprehensively. Be like the noble-minded Berean Christians who both received the Word and also examined the Scriptures daily.
Prayer: Pray regularly for others and yourself (Ephesians 6:18). One of the joys of being a believer is that, as a child of God, He hears our prayers and answers them in accordance to His perfect will and wisdom. He has given us the privilege to pray to Him by means of adoration, thanksgiving, confession, supplication, and petition. Pray to Him about everything and in the midst of everything.
Meditation: Start a journal in which you can write the things you are meditating on (Psalm 1). While there is no command in the Bible to journal, meditating on God’s Word day and night is part of God’s intended design for His child. One of the ways to facilitate this is through journaling. Write down what God has been teaching you through His Word, and how you have seen God working in your life and in the life of others.
Membership and Ministry: Commit to membership and start serving at a biblically sound local church (1 Corinthians 12:7-31, Hebrews 13:17). There is no such thing as a lone-ranger Christian. Christians were meant to be committed member of one another, both in the sense of the universal church but also in the local church. It is in the context of the local church where Christians are called to regularly hear the Word preached. It is in the context of the local church where Christians are called to employ their spiritual gifts for the building up of one another. It is in the context of the local church where Christians are shepherded by godly elders and pastors. Commit yourself to becoming an active, serving member of a biblically sound local church.
Bible Study: Get involved in a mid-week Bible study or fellowship group (Acts 2:42). Church life for the believer was meant to be more than a social network. It was meant to be the sphere in which believers can corporately devote themselves to the learning of Scripture. It would behoove believers to involve themselves in a fellowship group outside of Sunday service where they can learn and study the Word together and be sharpened by one another in the process.
Discipleship: Seek out discipleship from a more mature and seasoned Christian (Luke 6:40, Hebrews 13:7). God intended for Christians to grow in the context of discipleship relationships. Whether you admit it or not, imitation is part of your modus operandi. It’s just a matter of who you are imitating. As a younger believer, seek out discipleship from an older and more seasoned believer who faithfully speaks and lives out the Word of God, can supply you with wisdom and insight for living, and be a model of godly living for you to imitate.
Accountability: Build deep relationships with fellow Christians in your peer group (Proverbs 27:17). Not only are we called to imitate those who are more seasoned in their faith, but all Christians are called to develop relationships with fellow Christians in their peer group by whom they can be sharpened. You’ll do well if you run your race under the guidance of a coach; you’ll run faster and better if you’re running alongside other runners in the same stage of training!
Study: Start reading sound Christian literature (Acts 15). Part of growing as a believer is being transformed in the renewing of our mind. We were not meant to simply self-learn the Scriptures, but to learn its truth more deeply through those preachers and teachers who God has gifted to equip the church for the work of ministry. To attempt to learn the Word of God in isolation can result in a faulty and shallow understanding of Scripture.
Fundamentals: Take a “Fundamental Doctrines of the Faith” or “Bible Survey” class that your church offers (Hebrews 5:11-14, Jude 20-21). You cannot grow to maturity and wisdom in the faith if you do not have the proper biblical and doctrinal foundation. Every believer ought to have a grasp of what each book of the Bible is about and also what the Bible says regarding major doctrinal branches.
Evangelism: Share the gospel with the non-believing people who God has placed around you, starting with your family and friends (Matthew 28:18-20). You have a duty as a believer not only to encourage fellow believers in the faith, but to proclaim the good news to those who are not yet in the faith. Learn to faithfully share the gospel with those who do not know Christ.
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