As a boy, I heard my father play Hank Williams’s plaintive song, “Why don’t you love me like you used to do?” Just between us, how is your love life? With God, I mean. Remember the old hymn, “If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.” What evidence could we adduce to prove our love for Jesus today? I am only asking, because Jesus is asking.
As Jesus walked through the seven lampstands of seven churches in the ancient world (modern-day Turkey), he came first to Ephesus. Luke tells us Paul planted a church there with some who had heard the message of baptism through the followers of John the Baptist (Acts 19). They didn’t know about the Holy Spirit. In Ephesus, the people worshiped Artemis, the goddess of love and fertility. Paul baptized them as they trusted in Jesus. Through his ministry there the people of Asia heard the good news of Jesus. Riots ensued when the progress of Christianity lowered the need to purchase idols. The church had a great start. Timothy also ministered in the city. Legend says that later the Apostle John lived there and wrote his three epistles from there.
By the time John ended up in exile on Patmos, the church at Ephesus was doing a lot of good. The believers had a great work ethic. They persevered, refused to tolerate evil people, and unmasked false apostles. They endured trouble without growing weary. Anyone visiting might have said, “What a great church.” In fact, there was only one problem in the church there. They didn’t love Jesus as they had at first. The answer was to remember their first love, repent, and return to love Jesus first
As we prepare for revival and an outpouring of God’s Spirit on our church and city, these words convict us. We may remember a time when we loved God more than we do. Keith Green sang words to the church from God, “You love the world and you’re avoiding me.” John wrote in his first letter 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things of the world. Anyone who loves the world does not love God.” John did not tell people not to love people. But the “lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life” represented love for the world. These things will go away, but God remains. Let’s return to God with the love we had for him at first. Consider carefully: have we ever loved God more than right now? Let’s return to God as our first love.
