Unsurprisingly, church attendance is a major factor in spiritual growth. This primarily refers to the frequency of attendance. Yet other important factors included (i) helpful preaching, (ii) being challenged to take action, (iii) feeling inspired, and (iv) gaining a deeper understanding of the faith. May we continue to make our church the kind of place where people WANT to come, and where people are encouraged and inspired in the faith.
What IS surprising is that Sunday worship was not the most significant contributor to spiritual growth; private devotions is. The frequency at which Christians read the Bible and pray in private is of greater importance than the frequency they attend church.
I am very glad to say that according to the most recent NCLS survey, over 60% of our church spends time reading the Bible and praying regularly during the week. This is great! Yet surely we want more for our church family! Surely we want even more of our church members reading the Bible not just regularly, but every day!
Yet this will not happen through hard work. Only God can bring this about. So can I please encourage us all once again to be begging the Lord to transform our private devotions from a duty into a delight. Let us be like Jacob in this, who would not let the Lord go until He blessed him (Gen 32). May we ‘wrestle’ with God in prayer, asking him to make us ENJOY private Bible reading and prayer. Then, may we give him the opportunity to answer that prayer, by setting aside time to actually do it. God promises to answer prayers offered ‘in his name’ (John 14). Surely God wants regular private devotions, for they are the best way to become more like our saviour: Jesus Christ.
