Is it even possible for us to think back to a time before everything was digital, viral, or found on social media? Many things have changed within the last 20 years, but people have an uncanny ability to adapt to changing times. How can Christian apps help us strengthen our faith in the digital age?
As the iPhone draws closer to its 10th birthday, pretty much everyone has accepted that smartphones are a part of life. Some might even say they’re essential to it. Everyone you know has an iPhone or Android phone in their pocket or purse. Maybe one or two relatives have a Blackberry or Windows phone, but let’s be honest, they’re just being rebellious.
Smartphone applications, or apps, are created for a variety of demographics and purposes. Many are simply meant to kill time, keep kids entertained, or share videos. That’s all well and good, but what if we used these little pieces of technology to enrich our lives, deepen our faith, and maybe even share the gospel?
Here are a few of the many Christian apps that we think can help your faith.
This is one of the most common Christian apps that you’ll find in online stores. We haven’t found any that are necessarily bad for you, but there are clearly some better developed than others. It’s hard to go wrong here, but we do have a couple of suggestions.
This is the gold standard for Bible apps. Available in the App store and Google Play, this application has over 1,400 translations of the Bible in more than 1000 languages. Like similar apps, you can highlight and bookmark portions of Scripture, make personal comments in the margin, and share selected verses on social media.
YouVersion also has thousands of reading plans and devotionals for your consideration in an assortment of languages. For anyone looking to try an audio Bible, they can also hook you up there. Don’t forget to use their widget on your homepage so you can have the verse of the day at your fingertips.
Rating: 4.7/5
Price: Free
The Bible by Olive Tree is another great app to help you with daily Bible reading. While not quite as expansive as the YouVersion app, Olive Tree does have some great features. For instance, you can read your Bible in a split-screen mode that allows you to compare different translations or view commentary/maps. You can still highlight, share, and find plenty of reading plans here.
Another nice option is the Night Reading Theme which is easy on your eyes in the dark. If you’re scared of going over your data limit, they also advertise an offline Bible that will keep you from handing over a small fortune to your data provider.
Rating: 4.6/5
Price: Free
Now that we’ve got you covered on a Bible for your phone, let’s start talking about less obvious items you might want to add. Did you know there are several Christian apps out there that will help you memorize scripture?
There’s nothing with going old school with some flash cards, but you might want to give these Christian apps a try too.
Have you ever thought that learning to memorize Scripture was boring? We know it can be a little bit of hard work at times, that’s why apps like Fighter Verses can be a big help.
This app helps you learn verses from seven different translations, including the ESV, KJV, NIV, and NASB. More than simple flash cards, the app has several ways to make sure a verse sticks with you. Fill-in-the-blank quizzes, songs, reminders, and more make it easier to remember Scripture. With over 500 verses in the app, you could be busy for a while.
Rating: 4.7/5
Price: $2.99
This is another great Christian app that can help you to memorize Scripture. Set goals for yourself and work at your own pace. While there isn’t a set plan, you can add verses to your queue as you hope to commit them to memory.
Games are also a big part of this process as the app lets you review a verse one word at a time, with the first letter of each word, or an assortment of other ways. Over 1 million people have downloaded the app, so they must be doing something right.
Rating: 4.6/5
Price: Free
Christian music is a great addition to any believer’s life because it provides an atmosphere of wholesome entertainment. No one’s suggesting you have to listen to Christian music 24/7, but life is easier when you can just switch on a radio app and not have to worry about the family-friendliness of the content.
With that being said, Christian music promotes a positive message that can improve your mood and your day. There are several Christian apps for music, but some of them are not as user-friendly as the K-LOVE app. On there, you can listen live to the radio broadcast, connect with other listeners, and see upcoming events in your area. Check out My K-LOVE or Next Radio for other options.
Rating: 4.7/5
Price: Free
Across the country, there are a large number of churches and organizations that have built their own media entities that include podcasts, sermons, daily Bible verses and more. With so many pastors and speakers doing this, you may find that you like some more than others. We’ve highlighted two of the popular Christian apps below.
Dr. Charles Stanley is one of the most experienced pastors in America and his sermons can be found on many TV networks and radio broadcasts. With the In Touch Ministries app, you can find Dr. Stanley’s sermons in audio and video formats, There are also daily devotions, articles from In Touch magazine, and a streaming option for the In Touch Radio Network.
Rating: 4.6/5
Price: Free
You would have to be living under a rock to have never heard of Beth Moore. As one of the strongest female speakers in the Christian world, she has authored an impressive number of books and sold out many conferences and special events.
From the Living Proof with Beth Moore app, you can listen to many of her themed talks, podcasts, and videos. There are also daily reminders, blog articles and more to view.
Rating: 4.6/5
Price: Free
There’s a good chance you were already aware of the many Christian apps that allow you to read the Bible and hear from your favorite speakers. Did you also know that there are apps out there designed to make it easier to share the gospel?
Campus Crusade for Christ, or Cru as they’re called today, has been behind the development of several evangelism apps that are meant to be a spark towards conversion. Some of these are more direct with Biblical references while others are meant to simply start a conversation.
This is an app mainly used to gauge where someone is spiritually. Soularium consists of a series of questions asking a person their thoughts on God and their own spiritual journey. The user answers these questions by picking from a series of images and explaining their choice. Images range from a sunset to a happy family to a prison and so on.
Even if one is already a believer, going through the questions can be a great way to understand your own faith and why you believe what you believe. These images open us up to talking about our viewpoints in a completely non-threatening manner. If you would like to, you can also keep track of past conversations you’ve had with people or send contact info to Cru to follow up. That last part is really for people involved with the organization though.
Rating: 4.8/5
Price: Free
Where Soularium is more of a test for spiritually gauging someone, God Tools is more of a collection of gospel literature. Featuring well-known booklets like The Four Spiritual Laws and Knowing God Personally, these are Biblically-accurate components that can be used to share the truth of the Bible with someone. The best part of the app is that the literature works offline so you won’t have to kill your phone in the process of evangelism.
Rating: 4.6/5
Price: Free
A final Cru app is from the Jesus Film Project. As the group behind the global phenomenon of the Jesus Film, this app takes things to the next level. The Jesus Film Project as spread the gospel across the world and now they want to help you do the same.
This app features over 200 full-length movies and short films that can be shared from person to person. Whether you’re looking to share the gospel with a large crowd or a single person, the Jesus Film Project has a track record for success.
Rating: 4.5/5
Price: Free
This is about as simple a digital tool as you could ask for. As the only non-Cru app of the Christian apps on our evangelism list, Share Your Faith provides easy diagrams and instructions for sharing the gospel. Through a series of simple diagrams and corresponding Bible references, Share Your Faith is designed to help even the least experienced person engage in evangelism. The app even has a tutorial for first-time users.
Rating: 4.8/5
Price: Free
Lastly, we wanted to give you a couple of Christian apps that can help you improve your prayer life. There are countless books out there that can also help you to have a stronger prayer habit, but a little digital help couldn’t hurt.
If you are looking to expand your prayer base, adding the needs of persecuted Christians across the world isn’t a bad way to go. The Voice of the Martyrs does a great job of keeping information on foreign believers and hostile countries. Through this app and the organization’s other materials, you can learn a lot about the mission field abroad.
The app’s features include daily reminders and needs to pray for, blog entries, radio shows, and more.
Rating: 4.8/5
Price: Free
A more traditional prayer app, PrayerMate allows you to organize your prayer list in a great way. Feel free to add things as they come up in your life and even categorize prayer items. While you’re doing that, you can also attach a picture of PDF to your entry.
On top of writing down prayer needs, the app also allows you to set alarms and read from prayer diaries.
PrayerMate: 4.7/5
Price: Free
We know that there are a lot of great Christian apps out there that people use every day, but we hope this list has given you a sampling of your many options. Technology is a constantly evolving thing that Christians can either embrace or ignore. People are already using smartphones and the Internet as parts of their daily lives, so we might as well use them to strengthen our faith.
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Find out how you can be a part of the biggest weekend in Christian music at the K-LOVE Fan Awards by clicking the link below.
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