Abraham Lincoln was quoted saying, “He who never makes a mistake never makes anything.” This is proven in the man, inventor, and pioneer Thomas Edison. Edison spent more than $100,000 to obtain 6000 different fiber specimens, and only three of them proved satisfactory. Each failure brought him that much closer to the solution to his problem. His friend Henry Ford was right when he said that failure was the “opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.” Later, Mr. Edison’s manufacturing facilities in West Orange, N.J., were heavily damaged by fire one night in December, 1914. Edison lost almost $1 million worth of equipment and the record of much of his work. The next morning, walking about the charred embers of his hopes and dreams, the 67-year-old inventor said: “There is value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Now we can start anew.” Some of the best things come from the worst news. Some of the best opportunities came from some of the most expensive mistakes. Theodore Roosevelt said, “The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.” Mistakes will happen. Expect it.
The church of Ephesus made a severe mistake. They had left their first love. First and foremost, do you think you have lost Jesus as your first love? A better way to ask that may be, Is He first now? Or, Has He lost your attention? If you’re His child then He knows how to get your attention. That’s the sub-letter to the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2.1-11.
This is written to the assembly at Ephesus. A people planted by Paul and Silas, Pastored by Timothy at one point, followed by having many Pastors Acts 20 says. Later John the Apostle and writer of Revelation came to them. Ephesians, like all the New Testament, is written to churches, not individuals. The letters were to be read publicly and obeyed as God’s Word, because it is God’s Word. Interesting to note though, They received the letters of Revelation, Ephesians, Galatians, Pastor received both 1 and 2 Timothy, perhaps 1-2-3 John, and the book of James. No church received more inspired writings directly to them than Ephesus.
In their earlier letter titled: “Ephesians”, they were given warnings. Those were: 1. The purpose of the church; 2. The purpose of their leadership; and 3. The purpose of those two things together—their responsibility to grow in and obey Christ. in John 14-16 how He attributes obeying Him as loving Him. He says that guarding His commands and obeying them is a fruit of abiding in Him. Abiding in Him is the essential twin to loving Him. So this church had an inner problem with abiding. Not just on an individual level, but a whole church level.
Within the message from Paul to the church at Ephesus; we find all the logistical answers to how one would go about leaving their first love. You also may be surprised to know that the word “love” is used a staggering 14 times in the letter to Ephesus. This is the third most used in the New Testament; just behind the books of 1 John and 2 John, which were all written by John and the last known Senior Pastor of Ephesus and writer/carrier of the Revelation letter. So these two passages are intertwined. Love, agape’ love, unconditional, self-sacrificing love—is a key term to any true church.
In Revelation 2.1-4 we read— “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.”
Looking now at Ephesians 4.11-16 you can see ‘how’ they lost their first love— “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”
We just read what causes a lack of growth: 1. Not listening to your pastors (11); 2. Leaders not speaking the truth in love (15); 3. Not listening to said truth (15); 4. Not seeing the message of truth as love (15); 5. Not growing up in Him (15); 6. Not growing up in Him “IN ALL THINGS” (15); and 7. Not fellowshipping with the church as church (16). According to this, we see the results of not growing: 1. They are children still, not grown; 2. They are tossed around in the waves; 3. They are tossed around by differing teachings of the scripture (like waves blown by winds in different directions at once); 4. They believe the schemes of these false teachings and teachers; 5. They believe the deceit of these false teachings and teachers.
This not only could be true about a lot of North American churches, it is true!
It not only could be true about the church of Ephesus, it became true. The lack of growth and Christ-centeredness caused a drifting in their love for God. They were not a bad church. Here we even see the accommodations Jesus gave them. But, we find none of it matters if you have left your first love. Churches are so concerned about their doctrinal purity, which is already been mentioned and essential. But, if you have left your first love you could be dying or dead. That’s worse than essential, it’s critical.
What do we do if we have left our first love? Let’s pick back up in Revelation 2 with verses5-7— “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”
Here I find there imperatives for us today: First, “remember” from what place you faded off course. The word “fallen” is a nautical word for slowly fading off course. You do this by not paying attention to your heading. The word “whence” is a place or position previously held. It’s not simply “where” but ‘pothen’ indicates a fixed/non-fixed position as in nautical terms. Again this refers us the key word—“left”. If your are off course then youleft. Jesus didn’t, we did. Therefore, “remember” from what position you were at with Christ when the life and love was flowing, when fruit was bearing and souls were coming. Remember that place and focus on it.
Secondly, “repent” by changing course direction. Change course by changing your mind. This is the inner mind as in Romans 12.1-2— “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” This change is first a change of mind. An agreement with the Holy Spirit that I am wrong and He is right. Both the nautical verbiage and the very literal application says: you have to turn around and go back to the position you came off course. So remember and then repent.
Last, “do” the first works. The first “things” Jesus told His disciples was to “follow me”, and then the teachings or “commands” He delivered starting in Matthew 5. The only other first’s in the New Testament like this is: “Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength”. This is one of His commands He taught. He also made it clear in Matthew 22 that this one and the second, were the entire volume of the Old Testament conduced into just 2 commands. This is the point of contention with Jesus and this particular church body… Love to Him. He referenced in John 14.15— “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” This is a command. Part of the “first works”. We then can conclude that the first works are obeying Him out of a heart of love AND loving Him out of our obedience.
Our marching orders: Remember, Repent, Do. This is true collectively and individually. Have you looked around lately? There is no use ‘playing’ church. This world is upside down and backward. You aren’t impressing anyone with faking or being more religious. There is no use in anything we do if we have lost our first love. Paul made that clear in 1 Corinthians 13. He straight up said that if we do not love, then we are “nothing”.
In so many ways it may be as simple as, Jesus simply isn’t first anymore. What a terribly sinking indictment. Make a commitment now to not be satisfied with meager christianity anymore. I want to be a disciple. Stop being ‘ok’ with just a service once or twice a week. Desire to obey Him, all day, in big and small ways. Don’t slack or waver, instead go out swinging. It’s time that we gave all we have to the furtherance of the Gospel. Frankly, none of that matters if we do not love Him unconditionally and self-sacrificially, as He has to us.