Using Technology to Make and Mature Disciples

If there is one thing that the last few months have taught me, it’s my dependency on technology.

That might sound rather trite, but whether it’s the old-fashioned landline or state-of-the-art online video conferencing software, technology has made communication and human connection possible. For all its flaws and frustrations – and, no doubt, there are many – the accessibility of technology has enabled me to keep in touch with family, work from home, and even – despite never having imagined this would ever need to happen – worship with our church family. Which is all to say that, along with the common graces that we regularly give thanks to God for, technology ought to be included.

Don’t mishear what I’m saying, there are some things that technology cannot compensate for, and I don’t mean to be an advocate for replacing the reality of human contact with virtual connection. But as the lockdown continues and, by God’s grace, begins to ease, let us heed the Apostle Paul’s direction in Philippians chapter 4 to avoid grumbling and reflect on the good things that technology is able to do to help make and mature disciples. For if we truly believe, as Colossians chapter 1 teaches us, that Christ has supremacy over all of creation, then doesn’t He have supremacy over our technology, too?

I am thankful, then, that there are Christians working hard to use the latest technological developments to build up the church. One such tool is the Daily Readings app that has been developed by the working committee that produced the Christian Hymns hymnbook. The app features, amongst other things, a version of C.H. Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening – lightly modernised and expertly curated to include extra meditations, ideas for prayer, and Bible readings – hymn selections with playable accompaniments to sing along to, and a complete ESV text licensed from Crossway. Each component of the app has been designed to work in cooperation with the other in order to help the user read through a portion of Scripture, chew it over, pray in it, and then sing in response. This means that the edited meditations that complement Spurgeon’s text give a more varied diet of Bible reading than Spurgeon’s originally helpful, but short textual reference.

The committee also tell me that plans are afoot for additional content including Robert Sheehan’s well-known edition of J.C. Ryle’s Daily Readings From All Four Gospel in the near future.

Reflecting upon the opportunity and ability to pick up my phone and dwell on God’s Word at a tap of a button has made me realise the importance of creating resources that fit into the habits and patterns of modern life. I’m a self-diagnosed bibliophile, and good Christian books certainly have their place in the life of a believer, but our lives are increasingly attached to our mobile phones. If there is one thing that we ought to be praying that comes out of the current awful situation, is it not that God would bring many thousands in our nation to salvation?

And, if we pray expectantly, we also need to be ready to respond – both online now, and physically when the time comes to meet together. Apps like Daily Readings are a brilliant tool to help with this. People – especially those who are part of the millennial generation – are used to living their lives through the interface of their phone screens. And whatever we may think of this, for better or worse, this is their reality.

If we are to reach and help grow a new generation for Christ, we need apps like these to meet people where they are.