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Christ told the believers at Ephesus and each of the churches, "I know thy works." They were involved in good works and outwardly appeared to be a thriving church. But, something was drastically wrong. Jesus told them, "I have somewhat against thee, because thou has left thy first love" (Revelation 2:4). Jesus did not say they had "forgotten" their first love or that they had "lost" it, but that they had "left" it. The Greek word used for "left" is "aphiemi,” which means "to let go" or "to forsake." This church still loved the Lord, but had lost the fervency and intensity of their first love. They continued doing good works, but their works were no longer motivated and fueled by their love for Christ. They were caught up in a routine of doing things--dead works. This is one of the most serious spiritual problems in our Church today. Without a passionate love for Christ, our works are worthless. The Apostle Paul said: If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, NIV) There is no substitute for undivided, fervent, undying love for Jesus Christ. Jesus warned the church at Ephesus to "repent, and do the first works; or else, I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove the candlestick, out of his place, except thou repent" (Revelation 2:5). He warned that if they did not repent, judgment would fall. They would no longer be a true light and witness to the world. How many of our churches today are lifeless, dull, and mechanical? How many lack the light and witness of Christ and His power? The condition in this Church--and in our churches and individual lives--did not happen overnight. It was a gradual process whereby believers left their first love--their passionate bridal love--for Christ. The first love which Christ called the church in Ephesus to return can be compared with the bridal love in a marriage relationship. A new bride is so in love with her husband that he is the central focus of her life. When she takes her wedding vows, she promises to forsake all others and give herself solely to him. She eagerly anticipates his desires and lovingly tries to meet all his needs. She spends every possible moment with him. In this bridal love relationship, there is a special intimacy that develops between the bride and her bridegroom. She longs to know everything possible about him. She opens her heart to him, revealing her innermost secrets and desires. While they are apart from one another, she longs for him and eagerly anticipates when she will be with him once again. Because of her love, the bride puts her bridegroom first before all else, including her own needs, desires, and ambitions. It is this type of pure, fervent, self-sacrificing bridal love for Christ that made the disciples willing to give themselves one-hundred percent for the cause of Christ. It was this type of love that burned up their own selfish desires, motivated them to serve Christ with singlehearted devotion, and made them willing to lay down their lives for the cause of Christ. It is this type of love that we must have burning within us to enable us to fulfill the purposes of God in these final moments of time before Christ's return. Just as Christ called the church in Ephesus to return to their first love, He is walking among us today calling us to repent and return to our first love. Here are seven warning signs that signal that a church or individual has left their first love: 1. Christ is no longer the central focus of your life. When the passionate fire of your love for the Lord is burning, you have a deep hunger and thirst within your spirit to know Him better, be more like Him, and to be in His presence. When other desires take preeminence, it is an indication that you have left your first love. David demonstrated this kind of passionate love for God when he cried out, "0 God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry land, where no water is" (Psalm 63:1). 2. You neglect your relationship with the Lord and spend less time in prayer, worship, and the Word. There are many believers--including pastors and Christian leaders-- who are so busy in the work of the Lord that they neglect spending time alone with God, seeking and worshiping Him, and allowing Him to speak to them. "First love" will motivate you to do whatever is necessary to be able to have time alone with the Lord. You will look forward to daily communion with Him where you can pour out your heart and allow Him to speak to you. 3. You allow other things--family, friends, your job and your own selfish desires--to come between you and your relationship with God. A sure sign that you have left your first love is when you continually place your career, family, friends, and plans above your relationship with God. The fervent "first love" Christ expects is to love Him more than anything and anyone else. Jesus said: Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:37-39,NIV) 4. There is a loss of intimacy in your relationship with God. You find it difficult to hear Him when He speaks to you. 5. You are caught in a cycle of dead works. Your work for God becomes a drudgery or like a business. Instead of being motivated by love, it is form and ritual. 6. You are more tolerant of sin. One of the major signs that a person has left his first love is an indifference towards sin. You are no longer concerned about doing things that displease God. The true test of love for the Lord is obedience. John wrote, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3). Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). 7. You will no longer have a burning passion for those who have not yet heard the Gospel. It was the strong fervent love for Christ that motivated members of the first Church to share the Gospel everywhere they went. Their great love for those who have not yet heard was manifested to the extent that they were willing to lay down their lives to birth souls into the Kingdom of God. Take time right now to examine your love relationship with the Lord. Are any of these seven major indicators present? If so, you must do what Jesus commanded the Ephesian church to do: "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent, and do the first works..." (Revelation 2:5). You must: 1. Remember: Reflect back on when you first came to know the Lord and your love for Him burned fervently with unbridled passion. Your works were motivated by intense love and devotion to the Lord. Compare your love for the Lord today with what it was then. Has your love grown deeper or has it lost its fervency? Are your works motivated by a passionate love for God or are you doing them merely out of a sense of duty? 2. Repent: Ask the Lord to forgive you for leaving your first love. 3. Restore: Restore the good deeds you did at first. Start to do your first works again. Make a new commitment to the basics of prayer, worship, and the Word. Fan the flame of the dying embers of your first love through renewed communion with the Lord. This fervent love is required of all those who belong to the Lord. Jesus called this the first and great commandment: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. (Matthew 22:37-38) The church in Ephesus is a solemn reminder of the seriousness of Christ's warning to repent "or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent" (Revelation 2:5). A few years later, the Ephesian church ceased to exist. Read More... |
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