Revelation 2:4, 5 - The Priority of Relationship.
Revelation 2:4, 5 (NIV) Yet I hold this
against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5
Remember the height from which you have fallen!
Repent and do the things you did at first. If you
do not repent, I will come to you and remove
your lampstand from its place.
Revelation 2:4, 5 (NLT) But I have this
complaint against you. You dont love me or each
other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have
fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at
first. If you dont repent, I will come and
remove your lampstand from its place among the
churches.
INTRODUCTION
They had lost their zeal for God. They were
a busy church - the members did much to
benefit themselves and the community - but they were
acting out of the wrong motives. Work for God must
be motivated by love for God or it will not
last. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Drying Up Spiritually
When we talk about the need for revival
in our country, we must first individually ask
ourselves these questions: Am I personally revived? Am
I living as a committed, on-fire follower of
Jesus Christ?
If we are not, then were part of the
problem, not part of the solution.
Heres what Jesus said to the church of
Ephesus in the Book of Revelation: I know your
works, your labor, your patience, and that you
cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested
those who say they are apostles and are not, and
have found them liars; and you have persevered
and have patience, and have labored for My
names sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless
I have this against you, that you have left
your first love (2:2-4 NKJV).
Its clear they werent lazy. They
were discerning, persevering believers. And they
were making a difference. But Jesus was saying,
Thats all great, but we have a problem here. You
have left your first love.
What does that mean? It means that in
spite of all their activity, they had lost that
first passion when Jesus was their highest
priority. They still believed. They hadnt abandoned
their faith. But they were spiritually drying up.
They were leaving their first love, and they
needed to be revived.
Jesus went on to give them the three Rs
of revival: Remember therefore from where
you have fallen; repent and do the first works,
or else I will come to you quickly and remove
your lampstand from its place"unless you
repent (verse 5 NKJV).
Remember. Repent. Repeat. Remember from
where you have fallen. Repent and do the first
works. And repeat. Go back and do what you did
before.
Lets remember the three Rs of revival
and put them into practice, because we need to
be revived before God. We need a personal
revival. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
Ephesus was the home of a tremendous
ministry. Despite harsh persecution, the church
planted by Paul endured opposition, spread the
gospel, and was quick to challenge false prophets.
But 30 years after the apostle left, Johns
revelation included a stern warning for those
believers.
Imagine how the words of Revelation 2
must have struck the Ephesians when they read
them. After complimenting their service to the
gospel, Christ said, But I have this against you
... That phrase was no doubt extremely
disconcerting. The Lord warned them that they had left
their first love. In other words, all of Their
Work Was Being Done With Wrong Motives.
Christ called the Ephesians to remember
their love for Him and their delight in His
salvation. Service Is No Substitute For An Intimate
Relationship, but modern believers continue to fall into
this subtle trap. The commendable things that we
do count for nothing unless they stem from a
vibrant personal connection with God. Our Work
Cant Be Effective Or Fruitful Unless He Is In
It.
In fact, God is more interested in you
and your personal relationship with Him than in
a thousand lifetimes of good works. He desires
to be the satisfaction and delight of His
children so that their service is a result of loving
devotion.
There are plenty of wrong reasons to
labor for the kingdom. However, God is satisfied
only with service motivated by love for Him. He
wants those with selfish intentions to return to
their first love. In that way, hearts and minds
can be renewed, and service to the Lord will be
more fruitful. [In Touch Daily Devotional by
Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org]
CLOSING THOUGHT
The warmth of their first love is frozen
up, and unless they are watered over by the
baptism of the Holy Spirit, their candlestick will
be removed out of its place, except they repent
and do their first works. The first works of the
church were seen when the believers sought out
friends, relatives, and acquaintances, and with
hearts overflowing with love told the story of what
Jesus was to them and what they were to
Jesus......
Selfishness mars all that unconsecrated
workers do. They have need to pray always, but they
do not. They need to watch unto prayer. They
have need to feel the sacredness of the work, but
they do not feel this. They handle sacred things
as they do common things. Spiritual things are
spiritually discerned, and until they can drink of the
water of life, and Christ be in them as a well of
water springing up unto everlasting life, they
will refresh no one, bless no one; and except
they repent, their candlestick will be removed
out of its place. There is need of enduring
patience, of invincible charity, of omnipotent faith
in the work of saving souls. Self must not be
prominent. Wisdom from Christ must be exercised in
dealing with human minds. Every worker who deals
with souls successfully must come to the work
divested of self......
Those who do not learn every day in the
school of Christ, who do not spend much time in
earnest prayer, are not fit to handle the work of
God in any of its branches; for if they do,
human depravity will surely overcome them and they
will lift up their souls unto vanity. TM167-73
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Revelation 2:4, 5 - The Priority of
Relationship.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220323-1113.html
Colossians 2:6, 7 - Living In Christ.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220226-1002.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
