By Hank Hanegraaff

According to Jesus Christ, those who repent of their sins and receive Him as Savior and Lord are “born from above” (John 3:3). And with this spiritual birth must come spiritual growth. It is crucial, therefore, to be intimately acquainted with the ABCs of spiritual growth.

First, no relationship can flourish without constant, heartfelt communication. This is true not only in human relationships but also in our relationship with God. If we are to nurture a strong relationship with our Savior, we must be in constant communication with Him. The way to do that is through prayer.

Furthermore, it is crucial that we spend time reading God’s written revelation of Himself—the Bible. The Bible not only forms the foundation of an effective prayer life but also is foundational to every other aspect of Christian living. While prayer is our primary way of communicating with God, the Bible is God’s primary way of communicating with us. Nothing should take precedence over getting into the Word and getting the Word into us. If we fail to eat well-balanced meals on a regular basis, we will eventually suffer the physical consequences. What is true of the outer man is also true of the inner man. If we do not regularly feed on the Word of God, we will starve spiritually.

Finally, it is crucial for new believers to become active participants in a healthy, well-balanced church. In Scripture, the church is referred to as the body of Christ. Just as our physical body is one yet has many parts, so, too, the body of Christ is one but is composed of many members (1 Corinthians 12). Those who receive Christ as the Savior and Lord of their lives are already a part of the church universal. It is crucial, however, that all Christians become vital, reproducing members of a local body of believers as well. As Saint Cyprian famously put it, “No one can have God for his Father, who does not have the Church for his mother.”

For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled

in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But

solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that

is, those who by reason of use have their senses

exercised to discern both good and evil.

Hebrews 5:13–14 NKJV

 

For further study, see Hank Hanegraaff, Truth Matters, Life Matters More: The Unexpected Beauty of an Authentic Christian Life (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2019) available for your partnering gift by clicking here. 

 

 

***Note the preceding text is adapted from a new Revised and Updated version of The Complete Bible Answer Book that is forthcoming. When available we will update this page with corresponding information. Until then you can still purchase or receive for your partnering gift the current version by clicking here for purchase or here for partnering gift. ***