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/