At one time or another, nearly everyone has had something brand new. There is nothing like a new toy to brighten the eyes of a young child. A new dress or pair of shoes is a special joy to the lady in our life. And driving a car for the first time is a thrill for the whole family.
New is great! When we meet new people, and discover that we instantly click with them, we feel the joy of a new friendship growing. If friendship blossoms into marriage, we live the joy of having a new husband or wife.
God understands what a joy this is for us. He even created a statute for the ancient Israelites that gave men an exemption from military duty during the first year of marriage. In Deuteronomy 24:5 we read: “When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken.” God recognized the specialness of a new marriage. And those blessed with children have known the delight of holding a new baby in their arms for the first time.
Indeed, “new” is great! But it does not only apply to the physical things around us.
Ephesians 4:24 instructs us to “put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” When we begin our new life as we are baptized and receive the Holy Spirit, we are given a new start. We are given an opportunity to put everything we ever did—everything we ever were— behind us. In God’s eyes, we start with a clean, new slate. We are given a new way of life.
But it does not stay new. What was new becomes old. That new toy loses its shine. It gets stepped on. The dog chews on it. That new dress begins to fade a little, collecting ketchup stains. The new car loses its new car smell.
Our Christian life can also lose some of its shine. Over time, it can begin to rust and break down. The Apostle Paul encouraged us to be vigilant about our Christian condition. He told the Corinthians that they needed to examine themselves (see 2 Corinthians 13:5), and honestly judge if they were holding fast to their original faith. We spend the Passover season focusing on growth and change. That is good. But just as in maintaining a vehicle, we cannot expect to maintain our Christian way of life on a once-a-year service plan.
The church leases vehicles for the ministry through a fleet program. The lessor owns the vehicles, which they provide for the ministers’ use. Since the vehicles will later be sold to other customers, the lessor expects the ministry to take proper care of the cars. Ministers using the cars receive reminders when it is time for an oil change or a brake job, or when other required maintenance is necessary. We even receive phone calls to remind us!
Maybe you are just as diligent in the maintenance of your car. And maybe you are extremely careful to maintain your house or yard. But are we as careful to maintain our spiritual walk? What are some of the areas that require special attention? And how do we go about it?
Christian Maintenance?
Maintenance is not usually a very exciting topic. If one had a choice between getting a brand new vehicle or crawling under the old car to change the oil and do a grease job, I know which choice I would make. I imagine most people would feel the same. Maintenance may sound like an unwelcome chore. Besides, are we not supposed to be growing—getting more knowledge and getting better all the time—instead of just “maintaining?”
Unfortunately, many Christians have thought this way, have lost sight of the fundamentals and have gone off the track into spiritual confusion.
Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines “maintain” as, “to keep in an existing state (as of repair, efficiency or validity): preserve from failure or decline.” In other words, maintenance is concerned with keeping something as close to new as possible. If something is well taken care of, we say that it is “as good as new.”
The Bible gives us many examples of maintenance—of preserving, of keeping in good repair. God gave the Israelites extensive instructions about how to maintain their health. For example, in Leviticus 13 and 14, He explained how to handle infectious skin diseases. He also showed them the danger of mildew. This mildew was dry rot or mineral crystals, which affected the stone walls and could spread rapidly, promoting diseases. God promised not to curse them with the diseases He had used to strike Egypt (Exodus 15:26), but they had the responsibility to maintain their health, through cleanliness.
In the Proverbs, Solomon encouraged his son to maintain the wisdom, which had been given to him. “I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching… lay hold of my words with all your heart… do not forget my words or swerve from them… do not forsake wisdom...” (Proverbs 4:2–6, NIV). He hoped his son would preserve the words of wisdom that had been given to him, even as he grew in knowledge and maturity.
In the New Testament, Paul encouraged the Christians of Thessalonica to maintain their new way of life. “Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). He told Timothy the same thing. “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13). In Hebrews, the same encouragement is given. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).
Growing in knowledge is good. Growing in experience and maturity is good, but not at the expense of our job to maintain the way of life that we committed ourselves to at baptism. In fact, three of the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 are given specific warnings to “hold fast,” to preserve their commitment to God (Revelation 2:25; 3:3; 3:11).
Maintaining Our First Love
In Revelation, we find a very positive message to the Ephesian church (Revelation 2:1–7). They had great works. They labored long and hard in God’s Work. They were patient and did not tolerate false teachers. But they also had a major flaw—one so insidious that it actually caused them to “fall” (see v. 5). What was this flaw? “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4).
Most of us have read this scripture often in recent years. But the warning is still serious, no matter how many times we read it. Take another look at it.
From early on, the first-century Christians had a love of God. This “first love” was not the love we hear about in romantic pop songs on the radio. This was not the emotional infatuation of a teenager encountering the explosive mixture of hormones and the opposite sex for the first time. And it was not just a special exuberance because of the newness of their calling. We might find ourselves talking about a “first love” when we were new to the church. We refer to it as if it were a less mature, less real type of godly love. In our “we have seen-it-all” approach to God’s Church, we can easily excuse our lack of dedication and commitment, to being “past that first love.”
But in reality, there is no special Greek word for “first love.” The Greek word translated as “love” in verse four is the familiar word agape, the word describing the ingredient added to our minds and attitudes when we are imbued with God’s Holy Spirit. That ingredient is very real. It is related to a word that was used to record Christ’s statement in Mark 12:30. “‘And you shall love [agapoa] the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”
This was the type of love that the Ephesians had at the beginning, but did not keep in good repair. They did not maintain their existing state. They did not protect that love from failure or decline. For us, it may seem hard to believe. Some of these people had personally known Christ’s original disciples. Some may have actually met Jesus Christ, or at least knew people who had. Some observed amazing miracles. Many of the saints who had died had been raised to life (Matthew 27:52). Yet the warning is clear. The stinging rebuke of that era is that they left the godly love that they had at the first. It is not that they did not start out with it. They did not maintain it!
How easy is it for us to do the same? As we go through life, we can be fooled into assuming that we are still in our original “new” condition. But perhaps we have not maintained our agape love as we should have. Maybe we assume that we are growing, when in fact we are not even maintaining what we started with.
Maintenance is rarely exciting. It can seem tedious at times. But things have a natural way of falling apart, and if we do not constantly work to keep them together, they will fall into disrepair. Peter wrote, “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble” (2 Peter 1:10). And there is another area that we must maintain, if we are to maintain our commitment to Christ.
Good Works Towards Men
In Paul’s letter to Titus, we read, “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men” (Titus 3:8).
A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to meet, and later baptize, a man who had no previous contact with the church. At first he was suspicious. Later, he saw that this was the Truth, and that it was God’s church, and he became more serious. After some months, I was thrilled to be able to baptize him. We conducted the baptism at a local health club pool. After it was all over, we returned to his home. He stopped me, though, just as I was beginning to leave. He said, “There’s something I’d like to talk about.” I said to myself, “Uh-oh. What’s he going to bring up that could sound so serious?”
He said, “I just feel like I’m not serving enough. How can I serve more in the church?” It was the last thing I had expected.
When we are new to the church, we often have a great desire to serve and help, and to be with other brethren. We tend to talk with everyone at church, instead of falling into a clique. We visit all the shut-ins, instead of avoiding those with annoying personality quirks. And nothing will stop us from fellowshipping with our brethren at Sabbath services.
Some of us, however, after years in the church, again begin to think of ourselves more than others. We allow our good works to dwindle. We do not maintain the service that we used to devote to others around us. We find ourselves saying: “I have gotten burned out with serving. I just want to take a rest for a while.” Yet that does not correspond to the Biblical instruction. As Paul exhorted Titus: “And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:14).
Paul was not suggesting that we ruin our health, go bankrupt or neglect our own family, frantically “doing things for people in the church.” We should always be wise in the use of our time and resources. We should help and serve others, including our family, our brethren and others, as we are able. The way we serve changes over time. Our physical abilities change. Our skills, strengths and weaknesses change. Other people’s needs also change. But the fact remains. As part of our Christian way of life, we are commanded to maintain our good works, our service, for others. There will never be a time to “take a break” from doing good works.
Three-Step Maintenance Plan
If we want to maintain our vehicles in “like new” condition, we must have a plan in mind. It has an “owners’ manual” that came with it, to help formulate that plan. Likewise, there are points to keep in mind for our spiritual maintenance plan.
First, learn to be aware constantly of our current state.
We can pretend that our car is new, even though it is five or ten years old. Some do-it-yourself car washes even have “new-car” fragrance that can be sprayed into your vehicle. We can treat ourselves to the illusion that we have a new car, but we know that we really do not. That is why we are always listening for knocks and squeaks.
Yet, spiritually, we may ignore the knocks and squeaks that signal possible problems. We can go through a time of soul-searching and review during the Passover season, and forget that maintenance is a year-round job. Our best friend has not spoken to us in a month, but it does not occur to us that there might be a problem with our relationship. We cannot seem to get past “Father in Heaven” when we kneel down to pray, but do not realize there is a problem with our relationship with God.
In Psalm 51, David showed that he was willing and able to recognize the warning signs whenever they came. He could have glossed over the episode with Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Samuel 11). He could have told Nathan (2 Samuel 12), “Look, Nathan, you really do not understand what it is like being king. You do not understand the pressures I am under. And you do not understand how lonely I am. Sure, I make mistakes now and then, but just get past it and forget about it.” But he did not.
Instead, he grasped that his episode with Bathsheba revealed a critical flaw in his character. We read his thoughts in Psalm 51. “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin… Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean… Create in me a clean heart, O God…” (vv. 2, 7, 10). As David did, an important part of maintenance is to regularly, and often, review our current condition.
Second, develop a maintenance schedule
The ministry’s fleet lease agreement requires that we change the oil in our vehicles every 3,000 miles. This is part of a maintenance schedule. We have other instructions about changing filters, brakes, tires and other items. We would be foolish to say, “Well, it was new when I got it. Why should I have to do any of these things?”
When we learn the Truth, we are given a ready-made maintenance schedule. God gave us His Holy Days. Leviticus 23 lists the basic yearly schedule. Just as the owner’s manual does not explain every reason why we should change the oil every 3,000 miles, Leviticus 23 does not explain every detail about the lessons of the Holy Days. But the rest of the Bible does. There we learn in fine detail why we need to cover the Holy Day topics each year. Without this schedule in our hands, we might not be conscientious enough to review these topics as regularly as we should.
Third, prepare for emergencies
Even with regular maintenance, we cannot guarantee that normal wear and tear will not make a repair necessary. We can be doing all the right things to take care of our car, and still have a breakdown or an accident. We have to prepare for what might happen. We are foolish if we do not take precautions such as learning how to change a tire, or putting some money aside for a possible car repair, or signing up for emergency roadside assistance.
Wise spiritual maintenance is similar. Peter reminds us that trials will come. He said, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you” (1 Peter 4:12). Trials that we do not expect will occur in our lives and the lives of those around us. If we are mentally prepared to accept this, we will be better able to handle emergencies.
God is concerned about maintaining and preserving us. When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He did not bring them to the other side of the Red Sea, then say, “Okay, I have brought you this far. Now you are on your own.”
Deuteronomy records these very encouraging words that God gave to Israel: “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son:
‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; and the LORD showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day’” (Deuteronomy 6:20–24).
God gave the Israelites His protection and His laws, but for what purpose? To preserve and maintain them—to keep them well, prosperous and in peace. He wanted to ensure that they would maintain themselves as a nation that would remain under the guiding and blessing hand of the Eternal God.
Similarly, the Apostle Paul knew that God was concerned about maintaining and preserving him, whatever trial and tribulation came. He said to Timothy, “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!” (2 Timothy 4:18). We can be just as confident as Paul.
Many of today’s true Christians learned deeply about the Bible, and overcame many challenges and struggles as they began to live God’s way of life. But their knowledge and experience did not prevent them from falling down when it came to maintaining their Christian way of life.
Peter wrote about a condition in the early church that mirrors our present situation. He described people who had known the truth but had forsaken it (2 Peter 2:15). These were not outsiders, people who did not know and understand God’s ways. They were members of the church (vv. 13, 15).
Peter’s condemnation is sobering. “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire’” (vv. 20–22).
If we do not change the oil in our car, and we damage the engine, we can buy another car. But if we do not maintain ourselves spiritually, the damage could be much more costly.
There will come a time when we will be new beings. We will not have to worry about maintaining these physical bodies. We will be new, clean and complete in glory like Jesus Christ, our elder brother. We will even be given a new name to go with our new bodies.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it” (Revelation 2:17). As we wait for that time, we must remember the importance of maintaining the Christian way of life that God has given to us.