What Apps Would Jesus Create for His Smartphone?
- Gracebook.
- #Bitter?
- Game of Stones
- Angry Hebrews
- God’s Word with Friends
- Where’s Zacchaeus?
- Morning Star Wars
- Kugel Maps
You probably think this is sacrilegious. You are wrong. Jesus was committed to reaching His culture. If Jesus lived in this generation, He’d certainly have a smartphone. After all, 80% of the people on this planet own one: five BILLION people. You heard me. Even in third world countries, 1.08 BILLION own cellphones.
There is nothing new to being mobile with your faith. In Exodus, God said “Build me a mobile tabernacle.” The Jews toted the Holy Tent containing the Ark of the Covenant around for generations. Jesus never had a home. His ministry was completely mobile. Christ said, “Foxes have dens, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” Matthew 18:20 NIV
Mobile faith is nothing new.
However, too much technology can bankrupt us spiritually. I was deeply inspired by a sermon preached by Tim Chaddick at Reality Church L.A. He warned:
“We can truly overextend ourselves and so believe our own hype that we end up living distracted and disconnected.” We are so focused on our “selfies” and our “friendies” that God and our nearest and dearest are left in the dust. We become unaware of what our Heavenly Father is doing. I can’t tell you how many times I see families in a restaurant pouring over their smartphones instead of talking to each other.
Can we turn off the noise for a moment and consider boundaries? What are they? Chaddick teaches:
“Learn to set limits. Though we do not choose the times in which we live, we can choose today how we are going to live. Set moral, ethical and spiritual boundaries. Listen to your body. You can only be in one place at one time. Do what’s in front of you, what God has placed right in front of your eyes. Hear His voice and get in tune with the Holy Spirit. We only have 24 hours a day. We must decide how we will live in that finite amount of time.”
Now, what about that smartphone sitting in your purse or pocket? How would Jesus like you to use it?
I have a few thoughts. Immerse your heart in Scripture with great Bible apps.
For Bible Study:
- Bible by LifeChurch.tv
- Bible + by Immersion Digital
- Bible.is from Faith Comes by Hearing
- Bible Gateway by the Zondervan Corporation
- Daily Audio Bible by Brian Hardin.
Here are a few prayer apps:
- Facebook (use privacy settings)
- Church prayer ministry apps.
- Prayer List.
- A collection of Holy Prayers.
- The Way of the Cross Prayer.
- EZPray.
Here are a couple of helpful favorites for Christian books, sermons and commentaries:
- OnePlace.com
- Vyrso: Christian EBooks by Logos Bible Software.
- Jesus Life Together
Next, I would search online for your favorite church or author/speaker.
Churches:
Authors:
- Francis Chan
- Timothy Keller
- John Ortburg
- Randy Alcorn
- Henry Blackaby
- Nancy Leigh DeMoss
- Beth Moore
- Max Lucado
These best-selling authors, along with countless others, often have personal devotional sites with mobile apps. Follow them for written content or podcasts.
Our website, www.piti.wpengine.com, features all the above churches, authors and teachers. Hundreds of contributors, thousands of sermons. We are going mobile next month.
Most churches today have a plan to go mobile if they haven’t already. You can worship on your phone while you are waiting to get a cavity filled. I received a text this week from an old friend 1,000 miles away. She said, “What in the world is going on? I’ve been on my knees before God for you the last hour!” I was driving through a tornado-80 mile/per/hour winds, golf ball-sized hail, and a greenish black cloud that sounded like a freight train. I reached my daughter’s house to take cover five minutes before the storm hit her house. I needed that smartphone text. I realized that God was with me in an amazing, miraculous way.
Smartphones are not of the devil. They are simply a tool, to be used for good or evil. Use yours judiciously and effectively. Jesus would.
