6 Powerful Ways We Grow a More Active Faith
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Western Christianity has achieved much. From academic theology to apologetics, mission movements, and revivals, the European and American churches boast a rich history and heritage of faith. However, every culture has strengths and weaknesses. From a Hellenist foundation, the West has developed amazing theology and biblical intellectualism. At the same time, Western Christianity can view faith according to intellectual adherence to certain doctrines separate from how a person lives their life.
In the Bible, most of the writers came from a more Southeast Asian or Eastern mindset. The Bible doesn’t separate what we believe with our hearts from how we act in life. They are one and the same. It takes a more Western philosophy to have a problem with “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). James doesn’t mean salvation comes from works, only that true belief leads to changed action. God doesn’t only believe in the good, he does it. His followers should be on the transformative process to live like our Father through the Son by the Spirit.
When we live this active faith, we better experience the miraculous, have hope and peace, and know God better.
Here are six ways we can grow a more active faith.
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1. Consistent Prayer
Prayer may seem passive, but it is an active discipline. And it leads to action.
Jesus modeled the commitment to pray, seeking solitude to pray. He rose early or prayed through the night (Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12). At the same time, John says if he wrote down all Jesus did, the world couldn’t contain the books (John 21:25). Prayer fueled his amazing and miraculous ministry. For us, prayer deepens our relationship with God and guides our steps. By connecting with God and hearing his voice, we stay aligned with his will and are empowered to obey him.
Prayer leads us to act in ways that reflect God’s heart. When we open our lives to his direction, our concerns expand to include compassion and service to others. We become sensitive to the needs around us and respond with love and confidence, knowing we’re doing God’s will. James 5:16 reminds us, “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Prayer does more than seek answers. It changes things, since only God ever changes anything. Prayer builds character and compels us to action.
Just as Jesus’ prayers led him to acts of healing, teaching, and love, our prayers inspire us to follow his example. In prayer, we don’t just talk to God; he equips us to serve and be his hands and feet.
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2. Scripture to Action
Scripture doesn’t exist to entertain us with good stories or build great intellectual arguments. The Spirit inspired the words in the Bible to help transform a people to be holy (set apart for a purpose). Growing a more active faith includes taking Scripture beyond reading and into action. Each week, we can choose one thing God has shown us through his Word and put it into practice. Through intentionally acting on Scripture, we deepen our faith and live a life reflecting God’s truth. James 1:2 reminds us, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” When God spoke, “Let there be light,” there was light. God’s Word creates things. It's not meant to stay on the page. His truth shapes individual action and history.
As an example, if we read about loving our neighbor in Mark 12:31, we respond by looking for opportunities to extend kindness to someone around us. Make sure we stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit, who will help us love others. Perhaps we can reach out to a friend in need or share a meal with a neighbor. If we come across a biblical teaching on patience, we commit to practice patience with others, asking God to help us respond with grace rather than frustration. Just a hint: praying for patience almost guarantees we’ll encounter a major frustration.
Over time, this discipline renews our mind regarding the connection between truth and action, and we live a more active faith.
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3. Serve Others with Love
Jesus lived in service, always putting others before himself. He healed the sick, fed the hungry. He washed his disciples’ feet to teach them (and us) about humility and leadership (John 13:14-15). He taught how he counted service to others as if done to him personally. When we feed the hungry, we bless Jesus himself (Matthew 25:31-46). His ultimate service included giving his life on the cross for others to live. Following his example, our faith becomes a visible reflection of his love.
The apostle Paul also modeled service. He traveled through the Roman Empire to share the Gospel, often enduring persecution along the way. He worked as a tent-maker to make sure he could serve others without being a financial burden (Acts 20:34-35). In Galatians 5:13, he urged believers to “serve one another humbly in love.”
When we serve others, we aren’t fulfilling an obligation. We reveal the love of Jesus who gave himself for our good. Serving people generously deepens our relationship with God, as he cares for the needs of others as he does our own. Our service can include our time or resources. Each act of service renews our mind to the fact that faith isn’t about personal growth alone. Faith exists to impact others. Through giving and serving willingly, we joyfully bring the Gospel to life.
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4. Seek Out Mentorship and Discipleship Opportunities
The Bible shows us how God doesn’t mean for us to walk our spiritual journey alone. We need one another for encouragement, wisdom, and accountability. Therefore, seeking discipleship grows a more active faith.
Even Jesus didn’t live his ministry alone. He gathered disciples and spent time teaching, guiding, and preparing them to carry out his mission after his ascension back to Heaven (Matthew 28:19-20). He sent them out to all nations to make more of themselves, with other disciples obeying his words. This pattern of mentorship creates a bigger impact, as each person grows in faith by investing in other people.
Paul also discipled Timothy, which he learned from his relationship with Barnabas. Paul took the time to pour into Timothy’s life as a fellow apostle and church leader. He encouraged Timothy to also pass on what he learned, to “entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). The New Testament traces the heritage of faith through this model of discipleship: Jesus to the disciples, to Barnabas, to Paul, to Timothy. We are each meant to participate in this family of God.
Seeking out a mentor or someone to disciple, we gain a partner in life and faith. Mentors offer their insights from their walk with Jesus, and when we learn and incorporate the same, these insights become our own. Then we pass it on to others in the same way. This builds an active and interconnected faith.
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5. Practice Gratitude and Contentment
We all encounter difficult times because we live in a broken and corrupt world. When we deal with hardships, they easily distract us from truth, even discouraging or depressing us. Yet these challenging circumstances don’t dismiss all the blessings God has given us. Practicing gratitude can powerfully develop joy, and the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). This joy leads to hope.
When we intentionally choose to be thankful, we shift our focus from what we lack to what God has already blessed us with. Despite being in prison, Paul wrote, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11). The apostle didn’t base his thankfulness on his situation but on the Person of Christ who strengthened him.
Contentment and thankfulness remind us how our satisfaction must be found in Christ alone. Situations change, so our hope is misplaced if it’s in something temporary. Practicing gratitude, we train our minds and hearts to trust God’s timing and blessings. He knows our needs and cares for us deeply. In this, we resist the pressure of comparison and the anxiety of the endless pursuit of more. With God, we have enough. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 teaches us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Choosing to be thankful, we immediately step into God’s will.
From already being in God’s will, he can lead and guide us to follow him in every area of our lives.
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6. Live Out the Fruit of the Spirit in Community
God does all the work. He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and end of our faith. However, God will not force us to follow him. Our part continues to be submitting to his will through walking with the Spirit. Living by the Spirit, God produces spiritual fruit in us – character traits for others to enjoy and to point them to Jesus. The fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — was never meant to happen in isolation (Galatians 5:22-23). Instead, God designed them to bless others, changing how we react, respond, and serve within a community, especially the family of God. We can’t grow in these qualities alone; they’re best developed and displayed with people around us.
Practicing gentleness or self-control becomes real when we choose to respond to conflict with grace instead of anger. Living in community provides opportunities to live out the “love one another” passages. The family of faith also provides encouragement and accountability to remain committed to living by the Spirit.
Jesus calls us to love one another, and the world recognizes us as his disciples through this love (John 13:34-35). Our faith becomes more active as we put others before ourselves and bring peace into our interactions.
Peace.
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