First Love
“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love”
Revelation 2:4
The church at Ephesus flourished under the shepherding of faithful pastors. Unlike many churches today, the people who were part of that local body did not come to be entertained or enjoy the benefits of a religious social club. They came to worship in spirit and in truth and exhaust themselves for the sake of the gospel, regardless the cost.
In Revelation 2:2-3 Christ commends them for their tireless labor in building the kingdom of God and for their courageous determination to persevere against all odds. He praised them for their godly discernment and refusal to tolerate the corrupting influence of evil men and false teachers. The faithful Ephesians were not self-seeking spectators, they were self-sacrificing soldiers of the cross. Their doctrinal and moral purity were excellent in every way. From all outward appearances they were a model New Testament church; the kind of church any mature believer would want to be a part of. Certainly one the Lord Himself commended!
Notwithstanding their virtues, beneath their exemplary externals existed a deadly defect they could not see, a fatal flaw that was well camouflaged by religious zeal, moral purity, and doctrinal orthodoxy. But their shortcoming did not escape the penetrating eye of divine omniscience; nor did it evade His loving rebuke. They had “left (their) first love” (v. 4). Their passionate love for Christ that once burned hot—like the fervent, chaste, and pure love of the newly wedded bride—had been reduced to smoldering embers; smothered by four decades of mechanical orthodoxy and dutiful devotion.
The indictment must have been devastating when they first received it: “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” But the sting of the lash falls on all our backs. “Churchianity” can easily replace Christianity. Our deceitful hearts do not naturally drift towards a growing love for Christ. Instead, like a rudderless ship, they succumb to the prevailing winds of the world that carry us away from the safe harbor of intimate fellowship with the Lover of our soul and ultimately destroy us on the hidden reefs of apathy and sin’s corruption.
Our gentle Savior and Lord of the church knew this. So He commanded them to do three things: remember, repent, and return. “Remember from where you have fallen” (v. 5). We must all remember the time when we first fell in love with the Lord and were overcome by His mercy and grace, when we first fell in love with His Word and His people and His promises! Then we must repent of our perfunctory piety, our dispassionate traditions, our phony sentimentality, and return to “the deeds (we) did at first” (v. 5)—those self-sacrificing acts of love and devotion to Christ and His people, and our zealous commitment to evangelism and discipleship!
A strong warning followed the Lord’s rebuke, “I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent” (v. 5). The Lord is not looking for a church committed to redeeming the culture or social justice, nor will He bless a church that is morally and doctrinally pure but has a diminishing love for Him. He blesses those who not only guard the flames of their heart’s affections for Him, but also fuels them with adoring worship and fans them into a roaring inferno through faithful obedience. May this be the passion of our heart.
© COPYRIGHT NOTICE 2023 BY DAVID HARRELL AND SHEPHERD’S FIRE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
