1 TIMOTHY 6:20-21 MAINTAINING YOUR EQUIPMENT
20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.
The Church is the guardian of the faith that God has given her throughout the ages. This guardianship is not to be exercised by locking up the faith in a cask and placing it in a deep vault where it cannot be subjected to the wear and tear of use. The guardian is called upon to protect the faith from misuse and lack of use. In short, the faith is to be protected by proper use and maintenance.
The church is to resemble the busy city fire station more than Fort Knox. While the gold in Fort Knox is locked up and guarded so that no one can steal it, the fire trucks are constantly going out into the neighborhoods to encounter fires and other emergencies. The firemen are charged with protecting their equipment, but they would not be doing their job if they spent all their time keeping the trucks in the fire house. They care for the trucks by maintaining them between calls so that the equipment is fully functional and reliable when the next call comes in. They also care for their vehicles by not misusing them by parking them too close to the fire, driving the trucks recklessly or being too innovative in their use. But there is also a third manner in which they maintain their equipment and that is by regular study and training.
As the guardian of the faith once delivered, the Church is called upon to know the true faith, continually study God’s Word, take the faith out into the world by properly applying it to the lives of those in the neighborhoods, and be diligent about maintaining the faith in good working order. Like the firemen who wash their truck after returning from a fire, we are to inspect and “wash off” any deposit that sticks to the faith during encounters with the world. If the faith is to be effective for the kingdom in this world, then it must be maintain to the specifications of the King and used according to his plan.
Make me a responsible member of the Body of Christ, O God. Let me not become slack in the maintenance of the faith so that I will not be ineffective when the opportunity to announce and demonstrate your kingdom message is presented during this day. May I return constantly to your word and the community of believers to refresh my faith and keep it in good working order. Amen.