Losing our first love is when Jesus is no longer so precious to us.
Let’s see what the text tells us about Jesus, first he has the churches in his hands and he walks in the middle of the church, he is a Christ who sustains the Church and is in the midst of it, how good it is to know that Christ is among us!But we must also remember that Christ has eyes of fire; He sees and examines everything in the churches. It is scary, but it is also good, because it means that Christ knows his Church and therefore we do not need to be hypocritical before him; we can confess our sins because he already knows it. And the good news is that if we belong to him, he won’t condemn us, but when we confess, he works to make us like him.
Now, let’s look at what Jesus knew about the church in Ephesus
1) Your work (in the original means to sell out in favor of work). The Church of Ephesus was a church committed to the Lord’s work to the point of exhausting itself.
2) Your perseverance. Even in the midst of so much resistance against Christianity in Ephesus, they persevered. Ephesus was a very idyllic city (the temple of Diana) and a city that aroused witchcraft. Paul said that from the elders of Ephesus would come ravenous wolves. a church that struggled coming from the outside and inside and yet persevered.
3) Your integrity. The text says they could not stand the villain, their knowledge of the Word allowed them to prove people, know that they were evil, and reject them.
4) Your abandonment of the first love. In verse 4 there is a twist: they have abandoned their first love (original: they have abandoned their first love). We must understand that although Jesus loves us, He keeps noticing our mistakes. We can’t honor him in certain areas, but leave him out. He wants us to please him in every way. If there is an area of your life that you know is not right, Christ’s burning eyes see him and He has it against you. your first love? Losing our first love is when Jesus is no longer so precious to us. Know that the Lord Jesus Christ is a jealous husband who wants our love; demands our love and does so under the threat of taking away the brilliance (the church). This is serious! Jesus Christ takes our love for him seriously and it is wonderful to think that our love for Jesus is so important to him.
Every Christian who has traveled much of the journey has been through dry weather, so what do you do when you leave your first love? The text gives us a 3-step remedy: (1) remember, (2) repent, and (3) go back.
1) Remember
Much of the Christian life is lived in the spirit (Think of the things above, not those of the earth?Colossians 3: 2 Do we think of Christ?1 Corinthians 2:16). We must be thoughtful people, is that why doctrine is important?fills our minds with the good things to think about. So what does Jesus call us to think? It is to think precisely where we were, not doctrinally or in terms of maturity, but in the affections we had for Christ. Despite all the faults we had during our conversion, we had a delicious communion with Christ. Remember when He whispered to him, “Your sins, in spite of many, have been forgiven. ” Brothers and sisters, do you remember the joy of communion with Christ?
2) Repent
We need to recognize that we have lost our first love and then come unto Christ and repent. Repentance is a matter of the heart. It is a matter of spiritual affections and not of activities (in the church). The church in Ephesus worked hard, but despite this, Christ claimed to have renounced his first love. You can be busy and not love Christ completely.
3) Return
And the last question, how do I get back? Think about it: what is important for an intimate romantic relationship?Do you know why our love gets cool?Because of the care of this world, by the search for the things of this world that reduce our time with Christ!Do you have time to be alone with the Lord?Simply delving into the scriptures and finding Christ? Forget the distractions and get to know Christ. Leave everything that saddens Christ, everything between you and Christ, and look for him!Take the time you drive to speak to the Lord. At all times, be in communion with Him, leave all that distracts you, including food, fast and seek your Christ. The first love may not come back at first, but it will come!Brethren, remember the church of Ephesus, near Christ! Attack the things that distract you from Christ, even if they are good things. Don’t let anything take you away from the intimacy of Christ.
Fight for your love for Christ. What puts an end to our relationship with Christ is a sin of unrepentant. If we do not deal with this sin immediately, it will gradually calm us down in faith. Christ.
By Tim Conway at the Tenth Faithful Youth Conference © Faithful Editor
Authorizations: You are authorized and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that the author, his ministry and translator are no longer no longer modified and not used for commercial purposes.