What does it mean to grow in Christ? LifeWay president Dr. Thom Rainer shares traits every Christian can apply to grow an active faith.
You’ve got to plug in. Dr. Rainer has a passion for encouraging Christians to plug into a local church. “We are different members of the body of Christ, the arm, the leg, and so on… we’re supposed to be together. We cannot be separated. We have to be in fellowship with one another or we’re not functioning as we should.”
Your attitude should be outwardly focused. Thom points out that the consumer church mentality started with the baby boomer generation, who were born in the aftermath of poverty and world wars. They became self-focused, which carried over into the life of the church. Conversely, think about how you can serve others through your church.
“If we “do” without the right attitude, we submit to legalistic guidelines. We become frustrated. We burn out. But if we have the right attitude, doing becomes natural, becomes joyous! In other words, if you have a right-biblically directed attitude, you will experience joy in church membership”. — Dr. Ranier
Dr. Rainer describes the three types of believers who leave the church – and how we can be intentional in our faith:
- Those who are doing so much that they simply burn out.
- Those who are involved in nothing outside of attending services, so they drift away.
- Those who are living in constant immorality. Thom points out that they leave because they can’t stand being in the presence of God and feeling the conviction of sitting under the Word.
Thom says that our membership in the church does not waver when we leave the physical church building. “I am an introvert. I could spend my entire day in the dark corner of a room. But that reality does not excuse me from obedience. Pray – ‘God, use me in the context of my personality to make a difference.’ If we could start our day with that prayer for opportunity, He will overcome any deficiencies that we think we have. Be praying for those opportunities to engage the world and be used by God in those contexts.”
Key Scriptures: Acts 4:20; Ephesians 4; 1 Corinthians 12
Theme Song: Here I Am by Jeremy Camp
