Don't Be A
High-Maintenance Christian
Brian Giselbach

"Maintenance" is not exactly the most exciting word. It's not something that gets the blood flowing, is it? Consider the matter of your car. Cars are an essential part of the society in which we live. And cars can be fun. But the not-so-fun thing about cars is that they have to be maintained. Maintenance is not exciting, but it's better than walking.

The Christian life must be maintained also. We have to take care of ourselves spiritually. As Christians we are expected to grow into maturity (2 Pet. 2:1-3; 2 Pet. 3:18. Christians must continually give themselves to things that will enhance their spiritual growth (e.g. regular Bible study and prayer, fellowship and encouragement, worship, evangelism, service).

An important part of our Christian lives is the work of helping other Christians to maintain their faith and stability . We're called upon to look after the needs of others in the faith (phil. 2:4; Eph. 4:7-16; Gal. 6:1). This can be both a taxing and rewarding work, but a necessary one. And just as we need to look out for the spiritual welfare of others, even so we need others to look out for us.

Considering your own Christian life and spiritual maturity, do you consider yourself a high-maintenance or low-maintenance Christian? We all need maintenance but some need more than others. We should expect new converts to need more encouragement and direction than older Christians. But the object is to grow steadily and sufficiently so that our faithfulness to the Lord is not as dependent on others as it was when we started down the path of faith. I have known Christians who have been in the church for many years who need a high degree of input and encouragement from other believers or they will drop out. I have known mature Christians and church leaders who seemingly invest a large amount of their energy just maintaining the faith of other Christians who never seem to grow up. This is not what the Lord intended. He doesn't want us to always be tapping the time and energy of other believers, and robbing the church of resources it could use to bring others into the kingdom.

One of the things each Christian should realize (as quickly as possible when they come into the family of God) is that spiritual growth is mandated by the God of Heaven. He expects you to grow into maturity. Growth is not just a good idea, it's a command. Furthermore, growth is not just a command, its essential to the development and work of the kingdom. It is just as essential to salvation to grow into Christ-likeness as it is to hear the Word, believe in Christ, repent of sins, confess faith in Christ, and be immersed for the remission of sins. To grow or not to grow is not an option for the child of God.

As a Christian, I will always need maintenance. I will never reach a point where I do not need to study the Bible, and pray, and worship, and need the encouragement and fellowship of other Christians. There will be times in my life, as there will be for every Christian, when I will need the aid, comfort, and counsel of wiser Christians. But I never want to be high-maintenance. I don't want my faith to be dependent on others "dragging me to church." That is a decision I should have already made as a Christian. I don't want my faith to be such that I have to be coaxed to speak to others about faith in Christ. It is a blessing to receive strength and encouragement from others, but the greater blessing comes in being able to give back; to reach a point spiritually that you become a pillar of strength and assurance for others.

So let's strive to be low-maintenance Christians. We will always be dependent on the Lord. But we should strive to be less dependent on the time, energy, and resources of other believers. Let's get better at giving than receiving. And may the kingdom of God be enriched by the fruit we bear to Christ's glory!