First Love - Himalayan Heights – May 28 Readings: Revelation 2:1-7 – Ephesus

 Revelation 1-5 - Seeing Jesus

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Revelation 2:1-7

The "Super 7" refers to 7 passages I consider formative in my Bible Study and Christian life. They are taken from both the Old Testament and the New, various sources and various subjects.

“Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: Thus says the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. 3 I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Ephesus, the first of the churches Paul started in this region, and the strongest, was a crown jewel among the churches. But God gave a slightly different view of things. Other churches envied them and put them on a pedestal, but Jesus saw a fatal flaw, that, if not corrected, would be the end of them. To us, it might seem minor, but not to the Savior.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Kings 21-22, John 7:25–39, Psalm 68:15–21, Proverbs 14:5-6

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: First Love    

It is a startling contrast that Jesus draws in his analysis of the church at Ephesus. First, he describes how great a church it was. This was no Corinth, with its immorality, its showy spirituality, and its false doctrine. And it was certainly no Pergamum or Thyatira, no Sardis, and definitely no Laodicea. If I was the pastor of First Baptist Church of Ephesus (okay, it probably wasn't called First Baptist...) I'd think we had a pretty good thing going on!

Look at what Jesus himself said about the church in verses 2 and 3.

 I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people...

They were hardworking, laboring faithfully, and with endurance in ministry. They did not tolerate evil in their midst (a problem seem later in Pergamum and Thyatira). They tested and identified false teachers and found them to be liars. This was high praise from the Savior.

And his charge against them seemed like such a small thing. He did not charge them with heresy or with immorality. His only charge against them had to do with their passion. They had left their first love. I don't particularly like the translation of the text we are using here - the CSB (which I generally love) - because it gives the idea of time. Jesus is not talking about a love they USED to have but a love that puts Jesus first above anything else. It is about priorities. Jesus was no longer the #1 passion in their hearts. 

They were working for Jesus. They were wearing themselves out in the service of the gospel. They were doctrinally sound and careful to maintain theological discernment in the church - no false apostles were going to peddle their toxic wares in that congregation. But Jesus was no longer the driving passion of their hearts. 

Jesus is not willing to accept second place in the hearts of the redeemed and he is not willing to share first place. It is no small thing when a church or the people who comprise it let their passion for Christ trail off and replace it with a passion for anything else - even good things. A passion for sound doctrine and hard work in ministry is great, but it cannot replace a passion for Christ. 

Jesus must always be first. 

Father, I realize that too much of my life has been lived in Ephesus. Rekindle the fire of my passion for Christ every day. 

Think and Pray:

What is the controlling passion of your life?
Is Jesus the driving force, the One who matters most?
Or do you give him the leftovers, what you don't give to other things?
Is Jesus your "first love?"