Becoming a Student of Christianity

Posted on Monday, October 19th, 2009 under Blog Posts.

Yesterday I spoke to the high schoolers and encouraged them to become students of Christianity.  If we’re going to claim that we’re Christians or that we love Jesus then we need to continually be learning more about him.  Jesus tells us that the 2 greatest commandments are to love God and to love others.  We fulfill these and understand these as we study about God.

The more that we learn about God and who He is, the more that we will love Him.  As we read about how great His love is, how much He blesses us, and how His son Jesus died for us, we’ll want to love Him more and more.

In addition, we’ll want everyone else to know about Him.  And the more we read and learn about Jesus, the more we’ll be able to share with others and the bolder we’ll feel as we share with others.

So, become a student of Christianity.  How do you do that?  There are 6 main ways that I spoke on yesterday and I want to share my notes with you.

1. Read your bible.

-find a good one (NIV or ESV study bibles are my favorite)

-spend the money for it (what’s better, Beatles rock band or God’s own words? go to Costco and buy it cheaper)

-learn how to read it (journal, write in your bible, read commentaries, etc.)

2. Pray.

-not just at meals or bed

-actually listen to God.

-find new ways to pray (journal, share with others, etc.)

3. Read other Christian books.

-don’t just go to the Christian bookstore and read the newest Christian pop culture crap.

-ask someone!

-find lists of books to read (theresurgence.com)

-basket on my desk (i keep it updated with great books for you to read.)

“I don’t like to read” -audiobooks! (go on iTunes. They are as nerdy as you think but they are engaging.)

4. Listen to podcasts/sermons/audiobooks

-look up different churches/orgs (I’d suggest Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll, Steven Furtick, Mike Moore, Brad Bell, Francis Chan, John Piper, Andy Stanley, to name a few…)

-look up conferences

-hit up the pastor for ideas

-hit up the other volunteers

5. Look at different Christian websites and blogs

-8 different ones I go to (swerve.lifechurch.tv, simplyyouthworship.com, others)

-John and Monique’s handout (email me if you want this)

-RZIM (http://www.rzim.org/usa/resources.aspx)

-Pyromaniacs (http://teampyro.blogspot.com/)

-theresurgence.org

6. Talk with other Christians about Jesus/Christianity

-not just hang out with other Christians

-talk with them about Christianity! (you have to be intentional about this)

-find people older and smarter than you/mentors

-join a growth group (stump your leader!)

-find people around you who hunger for God and who want to grow

Let me know what you’d add to the list.  I realize that it’s not exhaustive; it’s simply a list of things that have helped me love Jesus more.

<Tim>