“But I have this against you, that you had abandoned the love you had at first” (Revelation 2:4)

The book of Revelation is the last book in the Bible. Revelation (Apokalypsis in Greek) details the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ and presents the climax of God's plan for mankind.

In Revelation 2:1; John an apostle of our Lord Jesus was on the island of Patmos when he had a vision from our Lord Jesus for the seven churches or the seven golden lamp-stands. Is it not ironic that the Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch or Rome are not mentioned here but the Churches in Ephesus, Symrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea?

Revelation 2: 4 (quoted above), was for the Church at Ephesus (Ephesus in Greek means my darling or the desired one), a church so busy working for the Lord that it had no sincere love for Him. A church so busy working for the kingdom of God that, they did not have time for the King. That church that can be likened to Martha (in Luke 10:38-42) so busy working for Christ that she had no time to love Him. Christ is more concerned with what we do with Him than for Him. Our labour for Christ as a church should not be a substitute for our love for Him.

Over the past nearly twenty months of COVID, I have watched many church services on Sunday mornings, each church laying a particular emphasis on same Bible readings but just like seven churches in the Revelation, the message that we hear preached sometimes focus on what we are doing and forgetting our first love for Christ.  What then should be our first love as Christians as a church one may ask? That love means we receive and continue to receive Christ as our Saviour and maintain our relationship with God for this is what will bring us joy and great freedom. Recalling our first love with God means praying to God always and for each other and focusing on spiritual things (not than physical things) that leads to life eternal.  Focusing on our first love also means worshipping, fasting, Bible studying, prayer and practicing hospitality and all activities designed to deepen our relationship and love for God. What we must not do is as a church or as Christians is engaging in endless programs which may look good and yet forget our first love. We should always be loving God and serving him with all our hearts, souls, mind and strength and be loving our neighbours as ourselves. Our first love means getting back those labours that marked our first meeting with Christ. Being in our first love means being in the true light, without which the church would not be a light that shines as a light in the world. Let us remember the name Ephesus means the “desired one” and if we are to be the desired one then we should as Christians or as a church not forget our first love for Christ.

Prayer:

Dear God, we pray that you rekindle your love for us when we leave you and forget you as our first love. Help us pay attention to your voice as we walk in this world and help us return to the first work of our faith in loving you always. May your peace which surpasses all human understanding be with us now and always in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Clement Arde-Acquah