3 Ways to Help Someone Grow Spiritually

Bible Study, Covering the Basics of Faith, and Quiet Time with God

Is there someone in your life that you want to introduce Jesus to and encourage them but don’t know where to start? This can be intimidating. Where do you start in terms of helping your friend spiritually? Here are three ways you can help someone spiritually.

1. Read & Discuss the Bible

For friends who have not yet followed Jesus, read and discuss the Bible together. Often when people are exposed to powerful biblical truths, they are drawn into a relationship with Christ. 

For those who know Jesus but struggle to have a deeper relationship, a weekly time together in a passage from the Gospel of John or the Gospel of Matthew is a good place to start. For many this will be informal and periodic, something you naturally insert into your time together.

2. Cover the Basics of Faith

For people who have just accepted Christ, or are right at the door, cover the basics of faith. There is a Navigator booklet called Beginning with Christ that lays out five “assurances”—salvation, answered prayer, victory over sin, forgiveness, and guidance. 

As you study the assurance of salvation with someone who is close to accepting Christ, the person you are studying with may want to put their trust in Jesus. (As you develop a discipling relationship, consider the NavPress Bible study Growing in Christ.)

3. Teach Them Quiet Time with God

For people who want to grow in Christ, show them how to spend time alone with God. Some people call this having a quiet time. A few helpful resources to start with are How to Have a Daily Quiet Time or the 4 R’s of Bible Study (for more advanced Bible Study resources, visit navigators.org/resource/bible-study-tools). These resources are easily talked through in one sitting, then you can meet together to have a quiet time, modeling the process.

Remember—the person you are beginning a spiritual conversation with may not be ready for any of these three options. No problem! Be faithful in prayer for the individual you are hoping to reach out to, and continue to offer reading the Bible with them. You can also just offer to meet with them periodically just to talk, where you can encourage them spiritually, share scriptural principles that relate to their lives, and pray for them. 

It’s essential to remember that Jesus interacted with many different people and He tailored His interactions to their needs. No matter the starting point, Jesus is calling us to a deeper relationship with himself and we have the privilege of helping others on the journey.

We pray you will be encouraged to invest in someone God places in your life—He will guide you and it will bless both of you!

Adapted from a blog post originally written by Doug Nuenke, Former U.S. Navigators President. For more discipleship advice from Doug, visit his blog at dougnuenke.com.