This quarter, the Sunday Schools of the Assemblies of God (EBD) in much of Brazil are studying the seven churches of the apocalypse. I will take this opportunity to talk about just one point of the first letter to be studied, which is the letter to the church in Ephesus (Rev. 2 – Read it).
I want to speak just on one point, about what Jesus declared that he has against the church in Ephesus; And what could Jesus have against that church?
It seems that nothing is missing, a church full of discernment, doctrinal affirmations, orthodox, does not tolerate the relativization of any accomplished work of Christ; It discerns, takes a beating, suffers, remains firm, what could Jesus have against it?
“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”
Almost always, what Jesus has against the church is something that has gradually set in, it does not happen overnight; this evil does not fall on our heads, it comes subtly. Interestingly, the church in Ephesus was a church of discernment, but almost always on the outside, never looking at the subtle evil that had set in the heart.
Jesus commanded us to watch and pray, with one eye on the outside and the other on the heart. If this is not the case, the price for this is the death of the heart. We see everything on the outside, but we are blind to the inside.
The question is: What does Jesus mean for the church to abandon its first love?
Is it abandoning our spiritual childhood? God help me! Many of the searches for sanctification are just spiritual neurosis!
It is the time when you open the door, put your hand on the handle, the wind comes first and pushes the door open and you say: “Thank you Holy Spirit!” Is this returning to your first love? Most evangelicals say yes! And they say yes, because they don't want to grow up, they want to live in childishness for their whole lives; They don't realize that the call of the Gospel is for a Path, a following, a knowing, a walking.
Jesus is not telling us to return to immaturity, he is telling us to return to our first love..
There may be works, trials, hardships, discernments, right doctrine, philanthropy, perseverance in tribulation, constancy, continuance; but without love, none of these things profit me.
What is first love?
Simple, it is having love as the cause of everything, and not everything as the cause of itself.. The problem is that in the beginning everything is for love because we have nothing else, just love, passion, the desire to be God's. How do we start? With nothing. Just with love. Then time goes by, we do impeccable works, hard and presentable work, things grow, we become aware, we know how to discern things of faith. And twenty years later, we become impeccable and dry. Absolutely “Orthodox”: (Straight bone).
It is more orthopedic work than the work of the Holy Spirit. It is work for the outside, and dry on the inside. It is discernment for the outside and blind on the inside, it is labor for the heat of the sight and ice on the inside, sensitivity to judge in discernment but insensitivity for one's own heart.
How is this disease cured?
Jesus says that she is healed by the memory of the love that served God for nothing. “Remember.” In verse 5, “Remember from whence you have fallen.” It brings to mind, remember the purity of being God’s by God, where you were empty on the outside and full on the inside, of not bringing weapons into your discernment, of surrendering yourself, of not being afraid to take risks for the truth, remember when your portion was the Lord, your inheritance; Saying, “I have nothing but the Lord!” Blessed poverty!
It is almost impossible today to see someone do something with love as the first cause; We live in the “gospel” of advantage, the “gospel” of business, the “gospel” of exchange currency, the “gospel” of doing well, the “gospel” of I as the first cause.
How am I healed? By changing my mind, metanoia, in myself to love Him. Repentance. “Repent,” He says. Change! Change your thinking. Conversion and repentance come from coming out of myself to Him again. It is being saved from the teaching of self-reference. It is looking to Him again and starting all over again, saying, “Lord, I have nothing but You.”
It is serving God with the conscience that has a “If I do not come against you…”.
Fabiano Moreno.