In this video, Dr. David Strain outlines practical safeguards against spiritual apathy, rooted in the means of grace and Christian community.
Christians can guard against spiritual apathy first by using God’s appointed means for our spiritual growth. The outward and ordinary means of grace are the Word, the sacraments, and prayer. So, a Christian who drifts from regular meaningful participation in public worship Lord’s Day by Lord’s Day is a Christian who is already in serious spiritual danger and decline. Apathy is the posture of the heart that no longer cares and may be among the most serious disorders of the soul. To find yourself drifting from God and to be unconcerned about it is a terrible position in which to live and we need to tremble at that prospect that we could be happy in our backsliding. And the best way to guard against that is to be under the regular faithful exposition of the Word of God, to be diligent in our own preparations in coming to church on the Sabbath day that we might get the most from the ministry of the Word, that we do not neglect sitting at the Lord’s Table.
God has ordained the Lord’s Table, just bread and wine, this simple little meal for our encouragement and growth and grace. Nor should we neglect fellowship and the assembling of ourselves together as some are in the habit of doing. And then flowing from the public means of grace that are the private means of grace by which we press down into our hearts the lessons we’re learning on the Lord’s Day as we read the Scriptures for ourselves, as we pray on our own, as we fast and seek God’s face, and seek to be obedient to Him every day.
And finally, it helps to stave off the temptation to apathy, to have Christians who know you, who can call you on it, and press you and challenge you and who will model to you faithfulness and zeal and love for Christ as they pursue their Savior.