3 Essential Structures for Spiritual Growth: Bible Reading, Church Community, and Discipleship

Your spiritual growth will not happen automatically. You must dedicate time and effort to your relationship with God in an organized and methodical manner. The good news is that there are some “cheat codes” that will help you to grow faster and more reliably. These cheat codes are structures you can build your life around, making spiritual growth far more reliable.

Structure #1: Personal Bible Reading

Study after study shows that daily personal Bible reading is the single greatest factor in a person’s spiritual growth. Nothing is more important for you, as a follower of God, than spending daily time in his Word to learn what his will is for you.

The Bible provides direction, encouragement, conviction, and wisdom for your life. When you have hard decisions to make, God’s word provides clarity: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). When you are discouraged, the Bible helps your soul: “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul” (Psalm 19:7). Scripture also functions to convict you of sin and prevent from drifting away from God: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). And when you need wisdom, “the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7).

In the verse above, the “simple” person refers to someone naive who doesn’t understand how the world works. The Bible provides wisdom for life in this complicated world, to know how to live well and to know what matters. As the saying goes, “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.” Similarly, all the knowledge you have is useless without the wisdom of God’s Word to arrange your life.

To incorporate this structure in your life, design your schedule so that you spend time reading the Bible every morning, before you begin the duties of your day. If you haven’t already, read through the entire Bible, starting with the New Testament, then the Old Testament. After this, read through entire books of the Bible, and don’t just randomly open your Bible and read whatever happens to be there. The Bible is a book, and like any book, it has a plot and a purpose; you cannot understand it by reading isolated snippets without context. Most importantly, commit to daily reading for the rest of your life.

Structure #2: Involvement in a Healthy Local Church

Some people have a “John Wayne” attitude toward Christian life—they assume they can be Christians in isolation, without relying on other people. The Bible is very clear that this is impossible. The church—the community of God’s people who proclaim his message and celebrate his ordinances—is a cornerstone of Christian life.

It’s been said that the church is a “peer pressure group for good.” That should remind us of the necessity of church in our lives. It is also the epicenter of God’s work in the world. It is the place where God intervenes in human lives through preaching and discipleship, and where hearts are molded to go out and serve God in the world.

Many churches nowadays cannot be described as “healthy.” They fail to explain God’s Word clearly and accurately. Healthy churches, by contrast, are committed to carefully explaining the Bible in their preaching. This will help you to grow spiritually as you learn the truth. Healthy churches also value application—they teach you how to live out the truth of the Bible.

To incorporate this structure into your life, search for solid local churches in your area. If you don’t know where to begin, you can often find them on websites like TMS, 9Marks, and Pillar. Wherever you end up, compare the church you are visiting with the marks of a healthy church. (For more information about the marks of a healthy church, read What is a Healthy Church? by Mark Dever).

Structure #3: Biblical Discipleship

It’s been said that you are a composite of your four or five closest friends. So who are these people—and do you really want to be like them? You need fellowship and friendship, yes, but you need more: discipleship. You need people in your life who have permission to challenge you and push you in your spiritual life.

While you can sometimes find good discipleship from people of your own age, there is great value in finding discipleship from those who are older than you. At the minimum, you want disciplers who are more spiritually mature than you are.

When you find these people, be honest with them about what you are facing. Allow them to probe deeply into your life. Ask them for honest insight and advice. Let them know they have permission to challenge you.

To incorporate this structure into your life, think through who could walk with you in the Christian life in this way. While you could ask them directly to disciple you, it might be a good idea to let the relationship develop more naturally—build a deeper relationship through shared meals, a common hobby, and conversation about shared interests. Open up over time to these individuals about your life and invite feedback.

These three structures will provide a helpful framework for your spiritual life. Like a trellis supporting a vine, these structures will support and direct your spirituality so that it can blossom and bear abundant fruit.

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