26 Aug Return to Your First Love
Many believers are familiar with the seven letters of Christ to the seven churches in Asia. You can find them in chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation. With the exception of the church at Sardis, the Lord had commendations for every church. But with the exception of the church of Philadelphia, the Lord had a rebuke for every church too.
Ephesus was the capital city of the Roman province of Asia. It was a church established by Paul, and Christ highly commended it. But, the Lord also rebuked the believers at Ephesus. Here is what he had to say:
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. – Rev 2:2-4
Many translations say it this way, ‘you have left your first love.’
The impression readers often have is that they didn’t love God like they did at first. The suggestion is that they are doing a lot for God, but their heart for him isn’t what it was initially. May I suggest this might not be the case.
No doubt the Ephesian believer did everything they did because they loved God. They were committed to Him and were faithful. Those actually ARE signs of a big heart for the Lord. Could it be that this is describing not the way they love God, but the way they love each other?
Preachers often exhort congregations to greater love for God using this passage. But could we encourage the believers to look sideways in the pews and see who is sitting nearby. Could we also encourage the faithful to look down the road at the other congregations that gather near them, and see who the Lord has also called to Him elsewhere. Could we say, let us love those people with the same heart that the Ephesian believers had for each other at the very beginning of the Ephesian church.
Image Courtesy: Jordan Klein, Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus#/media/File:Ephesos_amphitheatre.jpg
No Comments