To: The Angel at the Church in Ephesus
Write,
These things says the One holding the seven stars in His right hand, the one walking in the middle of the gold lights:
I know your works, and your labor and patience (endurance-bearing under a load). And that you are not able to tolerate bad people, and you have tested those saying they are apostles, but are not, and you have found them false, and the patience (same as above) you have carried on through the my name and not become tired.
But I have this against you
That you have abandoned your first love.
Remember, therefore the place you have fallen from and
Repent, and
Do your first works.
If you do not, I am coming to you and I’ll remove your light from its place if you do not repent.
But this you have, that you hate the work of the Nikolaitans, which I also hate.
The one having an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the one who overcomes I will give to eat from the Tree of Life, which is in the Paradise of God. Revelation 2:1-8
This chapter is divided into four messages to four churches, Ephesus (1-7), Smyrna (8-11), Pergamum (12-17) and Thyatira (18-29). Chapters two and three of Revelation could be called the only epistles in the Bible directly dictated by Jesus.
v 1 Ephesus (See Acts 19. Ephesus was a major metropolitan center and port) This is the church of the 1st Century, or the Apostolic church.
v 2 labor work to the point of exhaustion
patience to bear up under a load
apostles “sent ones”. This church would not “bear” those who were false.
v 3 Perseverance see Gal. 6:9, I Cor. 15:58, Is. 40:30-31.
v 4 There are many Greek words translated “but”. This is the strongest. Works can never replace love. What was the first love? There are four main views:
1. Love for others (Jn. 13:34-35).
2. love for the second coming of Christ (II Tim 4:8)
3. Love for non-believers (Mat. 28:19-20)
4. Love for God (Deut 6:5; 10:12; 11:1, etc. Mat. 22:35-40)
I think it’s that simple first love-being IN LOVE-with God.
v 5 Three steps to overcoming the loss of love in a relationship (whether with God or anyone else):
1. Remember what it was like to be in love (Luke. 15:17-18)
2. Repent or turn away from one course and toward another, to change one’s mind (Matthew 3:2; Mark. 1:15; Luke. 13:3,5).
3. Repeat the first works, or act like someone in love.
v 6 Hatred of some things is appropriate (Deut. 12:31; Pro. 6:16-19). God hated this doctrine of the nicolaitans. Some relate this to Nicolaus, one of the seven deacons (Acts 6:5). The word is a combination of two Greek words: niko, or nike (that’s right, the shoe has a heresy named after it), which means victor, or victory, and laos, or laity, the common people. The implication is that some sort of hierarchy had been established in which some were brought into subjection to others in the spiritual order of things. Jesus hates this (Rev. 1:10; 5:6).
v7 Jesus said he that has an ear let him hear several times (Mat. 10:32; Lk. 12:8: Mk 8:38). This indicates clearly that these messages are not merely intended for one church, nor for one people, but for all who have an ear.
Losing First Love
I keep asking if you’ve ever been in love. Please don’t get upset at me. There are simply too many opportunities for this question in the New Testament. If you’ve been in love, I mean, really in love, then you’ll understand the Bible’s teaching more readily.
It seems the early church was really in love with Jesus.
Have you ever met someone who recently turned his or her heart over to Jesus? Have you seen the fresh glow, the joy, the almost constant, easy smile, the readiness to laugh and pray and sing and praise God? That’s first love.
Have you ever met an old believer? You know the kind-one who seems to think looking miserable is a virtue, that gossip is a kind of second language they have worked hard to master, that talking badly about others, especially those in the Church, is a kind of second job (assuming such a person has a first job). That person has lost the first love.
So, let’s say that person is you.
How do you regain first love?
Some might argue it’s not possible. Our hormones work in that ecstatic mode for about 18-24 months and then settle down to normalcy. This is the way of things. I can’t get back that condition of being in love.
It seems Jesus doesn’t share that perspective. He gives a formula for regaining first love. It can be easily remembered as Three R’s Remember, Repent, Repeat.
Remember
What do you think about? In previous studies on Ephesians Philippians and Colossians, we’ve talked about the negativity bias. We tend to focus on all the things going wrong, even when a lot is going right. We think about the bad news, and allow that to dominate our thinking, even when there is a lot of good news. Jesus says if you want to renew first love you have to stop thinking about all the things that are currently wrong (your perspective on the wrong is probably exaggerated toward negative anyway). Think instead about the good that was, the beauty of the past that made the present possible.
Can you remember the early days? Remember when holding hands was euphoria, a kiss was magic, and talking for hours seemed like a moment? If those are only memories of the past, that’s the place you’ve fallen from.
Apply that to our relationship with God. Was there a time in your life when you enjoyed your time alone with the LORD more than you do now? Was there a point in the past when your heart was warmer in worship? Were you more ready to share God’s work in your life with others than you are now? Many times this change takes place almost imperceptibly. Breaking fellowship and losing first love is usually not a single event. It is the culmination of multiplied decisions over time that result in incremental, sometimes unnoticed, descent from the mountain of love.
One pastor I know told the story of an old friend of his that was a deeply devout follower of Jesus, but his theology started to head in the wrong direction. This did not prevent him from worldly success, however. He became Prime Minister of Canada. He was interviewed by a Christian television show host and asked about his life and how his former beliefs had changed over time, and how that had impacted him. The interviewer suddenly, I think unexpectedly, asked this very successful and powerful career politician, “but what about Jesus”. The former Prime Minister broke down in tears, and sobbed, “I miss him”, he said.
Remembering the hight from which you’ve fallen is the first step in the journey of returning to that hight.
Repent
Remembering can often lead to repentance, though not always. My old pastor used to say if you visit a prison and ask if the inmates are sorry, every one of them will say “yes”. If you ask why, most will say because they got caught. You can be sorry about the past, or mourn the losses of what you once had, without repenting. Repenting (metanoia) comes from two Greek roots meaning to think with-to agree. It has also come to mean to make an about-face turn. You agree with God that you have gone the wrong direction. You stop moving that direction, and turn about & head back toward the destination God has mapped out for you. To do this, to return to the first love of that intimate relationship, you must follow this simple rule, Repeat.
Repeat
So,
The groom opens the door for his bride. He even carries her across the threshold. The bride prepares herself for her groom, maybe losing weight before the wedding (or is that for the pictures & such, I’m not sure, anyway), she tries to cook for him and please him in various ways. Then what happens? Over time, the relationship changes. Rudeness becomes common, even standard. The tender respect and constant desire to please and win the beloved is replaced by a malaise, and, complacency, and eventually, in some cases, even outright disgust and hatred. The Fall is complete. The heart is cold. Whenever the door to the heart is open, a frigid winter gale rushes in, nothing more. So, what do you do?
You act.
You do the things that lovers do. You send love notes. You tell your bride you love her. You tell her she’s beautiful and no one compares to her. You tell your groom he is handsome, and strong, and head & shoulders above any man you’ve met, that he’s your hero. You learn to touch again. You learn to listen and talk through everything and nothing. As you do these things, without or despite the feelings that are or are not there, your heart changes. You begin to feel the feelings of love because you’re doing the actions of love. You can return to being in love.
Maybe we have to return to first love again and again.
Maybe we need to pray like David “Restore to me the joy of my salvation”.
For prayer
First, Keith Green’s classic (original lyrics not often heard)
O Lord, You’re beautiful.
Your face is all I seek
And when your eyes are on this child
Your love abounds to me.
O Lord, my body’s tired.
But you keep reminding me
Of many holy tireless men
Who spilt their blood for Thee
I wanna take Your word and shine it all around
But first help me just to live it Lord
And if I’m doing good, help me to never make a sound
Except to give all the glory to You.
O Lord, my faith is gone and I need a touch from You
Your book of books lies undisturbed
And the prayers from me to few
O Lord please light the fire
That once burned bright and clear
Replace the lamp of my first love
That’s fueled with holy fear.
Prayer for today
Father,
Blow into the embers of my heart.
Pour the fuel of Your Spirit on my soul.
Ignite the flame of love for you, and those You’ve called me to love.
In the name of Him who showed His love by dying for us, and taught us to love each other the same.
Amen
