First Love

I was finishing up my teaching for Sunday this morning. We are beginning a series called "We Are . . . The Church." We are going to look into several things that make the church, the church. We are starting with a passage from Revelation 2:1-7. In Revelation Jesus addresses 7 churches, the first is Ephesus. He begins by talking about how good they are in the church at Ephesus. He is saying to them  "you are good people and a good church." Then he says this:

"Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Consider how far you have fallen!" Revelation 2:4-5

There are two groups of people in the church, those who have grown up in the church and those who have become a follower later in life. Those who have become a follower later in life seem to have a greater zeal, at least for a while. Then they meet the second group-- those who have grown up in the church (smh).

Those who have become a follower later in life have a greater zeal because "how far they have fallen" is fresh on their mind. They grasp grace a whole lot better because they knew they life they had before Jesus and the life they now have with Jesus. They are zealous to share their faith because they have this great love for Jesus.

Those of us who have grown up in the church sometimes don't appreciate how good we've had it. I know, because I am one of those people. As one of these people I understand how easy it is to become complacent with my love for Jesus. We take Him for granted.

Jesus tells us how we can get back on track with our love for Him when he says, "Consider how far you have fallen!" Remember where you would be without Jesus spiritually. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. His love is shown when we consider what we have been saved from combined with how we have been saved through Jesus.

I mentioned earlier how those who become a follower later in life have a greater zeal and love of Jesus. If you have been a follower all your life here is something you need to do:

1) Learn from those who have become a follower later in life. Watch as they worship, serve and love God. Let them be a reminder of how far you have fallen and what Jesus has saved you from.

2) Don’t kill the zeal and excitement new followers have by imposing unnecessary traditions and practices on them. Instead long for the love they have for Jesus.