Maintenance

Spiritual Maintenance “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matthew 23:23).

Spiritual Maintenance

1) How often do you pray? “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).

2) Time spent with your Bible? “Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine…Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:13,15).

3) Lack of attendance? “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

4) Failing to serve others? “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).

5) Not willing to accept wrong? “Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?” (1 Corinthians 6:7). “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another” (Romans 14:19).

6) Do we find ourselves complaining? “Do all things without complaining and disputing” (Philippians 2:14). “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9).

Spiritual Maintenance

1) Fail to admit you have a problem. “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be made free’?” (John 8:31- 33).

2) Ignore the problem. “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37-39).

3) Think you have plenty of time. “Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you” (Acts 24:25).

4) Cannot afford to do nothing. (a) Your soul is to valuable (Mat. 16:26) (b) Hell is to awful (Mk. 9:43-48) (c) Heaven to wonderful (Rev. 21:1-4; ) (d) Eternity is to long (Mat. 25:46). (e) Failure to influence for good is tragic (Mat. 5:13-16)

Spiritual Maintenance

1) Take action. “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me” (Acts 8:22-24).

2) Grow – become stronger in the faith. “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

3) Put on the armor of God. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:13-18).

4) Use your time wisely. “redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). “The wise man realizes the value of meeting the spiritual challenges in his life. To redeem is to buy up for one’s use or benefit…He is calling upon us to pay the necessary price in effort and sacrifice to use properly the time (opportunities) we have now (Gal. 3:13; 6:10). By making the most of our opportunities, we save the value of our time as it passes. It is credited to our spiritual accounts with God (Phil. 4:17; Col. 4:5)” (Caldwell, p. 247).

5) Right attitude of heart. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). “Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16).

Spiritual Maintenance