Be Growing in 2016

2015 is almost gone. 2016 is almost here. (How hard is that to believe?)

Many people will spend the next couple of days making resolutions for the new year. Some will be physical in nature, while others will be financial. Some will make goals for their families, while others may resolve to have a difficult conversation.

Included in your goals for the year, however, I hope you will consider resolutions that help you grow and mature as a Christian. Last Sunday, to encourage our folks at 9th Avenue, I shared some very practical ways each of us can be growing in 2016. I hope these thoughts encourage you in your walk of faith in the coming year.

To be Growing in 2016…

1. Be Reading. A lot of people will make the resolution to read through the Bible in the new year. This is a wonderful way to make sure you are drinking deeply from God’s Word. There is also a sense of accomplishment that comes when you are able to say, “I’ve read it all!” To help you, here is a link to some Bible reading plans for the coming year. Choose one, stick with it, and grow closer to God by spending time daily in His Word.
2. Be Ministering. All Christians are to be servants (cf. Matthew 5:16). Many of those ways to serve are behind the scenes, and no matter the size of your congregation, there are a myriad of ways for you to be ministering to others in the name of Christ. Talk to an elder or deacon about an area in which you are passionate. Find something you can do to shine the light of Christ in the community.
3. Be Encouraging. The church needs encouragers! We live in a discouraging world, and the one place people should be able to come to find encouragement is to God’s people. Look for people in your congregation you can encourage. Send a card. Invite someone over for a meal. Vow to only speak encouragingly of your church leaders. Build up the body of Christ through your words, and you will be encouraged, too.
4. Be Evangelizing. Nothing will help you grow in your faith more than helping someone else become a Christian, or helping a wayward member return. It causes you to study more deeply and pray for fervently than you can imagine. To encourage us all at 9th Avenue, I placed blank index cards all over the auditorium. Each person was then challenged to write “2016” at the top, and then write the names of three individuals or families they were promising to invite to a Bible study in the coming year.
5. Be Including. By this, I mean to include different people with you in your areas of service. Maybe you usually go visiting with the same person. Why not ask someone else to go sometime? Try to think of those of different age groups who might be good to teach with, go visiting with, or working around the building with. By the way, congregations are wise who strive to help people across age groups interact on a regular basis.
6. Be Attending. More than just “showing up” on Sunday morning, we must be certain that nothing gets in the way of our being in the presence of God in worship. At the end of 2016, will you be able to say that no ballgame, shopping trip, or vacation kept you from being with God’s people?

None of these things is earth-shattering in themselves, but they are all ways we can measure our growth as Christians. Whether you choose to make any of these an “official” resolution for the coming year, I pray you will make an effort in each area and then, just see if you are not closer to the Lord one year from now.

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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn