My Top Apps and Sites for Spiritual Growth

Is technology good or bad?

I think that the better question we can ask is how can we use technology for our spiritual growth. Time in the Word, Fellowship, and Prayer bears a lot of spiritual fruit in the long run for the follower of Jesus Christ. This has been true in my life. Since technology is such an integrated part of our daily life, rather than using it haphazardly, we can utilize it to serve our spiritual growth. Over the years, I have found these 6 applications or sites, helpful in my spiritual growth:

YouVersion Bible App Every Christian needs a good Bible app. The YouVersion Bible app brings together a variety of translations that can enrich Bible Study, a search option for keywords, daily reading plans, devotionals and a share option for sharing the Word with others. This is my go-to Bible App.

Olive Tree Bible App For the Bible student, ministry leader, small group leader or pastor who wants to go deeper in the Word and enrich their teaching ministry, I highly recommend the Olive Tree Bible App. It has in-built dictionaries, commentaries, concordances, search functions, and a rich library of Christian books, both classic and contemporary. For those who may not have the luxury of building a theological library, this app is an inexpensive way of having so much rich content in a single application.

Desiring God When I was converted to Christ several years back, I came across the writings of an American pastor called John Piper. In many ways, he laid the theological foundation (reformed theology) that has been helpful in my life and ministry. His site, Desiring God, is a digital accumulation of rich articles, videos and FREE e-books. It is a resource that has Bible-centered and God-glorifying content from many other Christian authors.

The Gospel Coalition This site is a “coalition” of evangelical and reformed resources for Christians. From pastoral resources to Christian living, TGC, as it is fondly called by its subscribers, is a well of rich resources for all Christians. The Gospel Coalition Africa, for which I write for every once in a while, has resources that address many of the African issues that the Christian believer may face.

Kuza App was created by East African pastors and ministry leaders to respond to the gap in discipleship. With the over-emphasis on converting believers, the Church sometimes fails in its discipleship mandate. This app, available on Google Store here, has devotionals on a wide range of important topics and I have often recommended it as it uses illustrations and metaphors that are relatable to the Kenyan and African at large. It is a great tool in the age of social media.

New City Catechism The word “Catechism” brings thoughts of a medieval ritual that has no place for the 21st century Christian. Yet for all the bashing we may give towards history, Christians of earlier periods were well-grounded in their doctrinal foundations. One of the main reasons is that the Church took the task of educating new believers or “catechumens” very seriously. And the task of catechizing was important for the Church and its families. Catechisms are short summaries of core doctrines usually in Question and Answer Format. Creeds, on the other hand, are statements that summarize core beliefs of the Christian faith such as Nicene, Athanasian and Apostles creed. Together, these documents can help us appreciate “mere Christianity” i.e. what has been the accepted Christian teaching down the ages. New City Catechism is a Google Store App from Crossway (a Christian publisher) that uses the Westminister Shorter Catechism (an example of a catechism that is common in Presbyterian Churches) through an interactive layout. This may be helpful in teaching both children and adults, either in a family setting or small group setting.

Back to the Word

These helpful resources help us to understand the Word better by often, taking us back to the Word. This is the true resource for life transformation, as we meet the timeless message of the Living God to humanity. That despite the brokenness within and outside of us, guilt-ridden sinners can be reconciled with God, and enjoy a rich life of communion with God and others, in this life and the next. These tools will help us live well, in this world and the next. Certainly, with all our technological advancement, we will not have an excuse as to why we did not make the most of these tools.