The Heartless Church

if you’ve ever moved to a new community, and had to select a new church, you know how difficult it can be to examine and evaluate a church and its ministry

how can you ever evaluate a church?

large, imposing buildings can mask a dwindling congregation

and sometimes small, modest structures contain vibrant and growing congregations

churches with great reputations and with a plethora of programs can be inwardly dead

and a little community church of 20 people may be more successful in God’s eyes than the church of two thousand

what do you think of Richview?

do you like the preaching, and the music?

is there a program that meets your need?

what needs of yours do we meet?

which needs of yours have we ignored?

from time to time, churches such as Richview ask the congregation for feedback

and based on that feedback, the board sets a strategic direction for the future

or, in some cases, ignores the feedback and drifts along anyway

I do care what you think of the church

but of much greater concern to me is what Jesus Christ thinks of Richview Baptist Church

the book of Revelation, as you know, comes from the apostle John primarily through visions that came his way

many of these visions are full of signs and symbols and creatures and prophecies that make for interesting reading, but frustrating for understanding and application purposes

but you should know that parts of the book of Revelation are straightforward and quite easily applied to everyday life as we live it

for the next few weeks, we’re going to look at such a section

Revelation 2 and 3

and these two chapters contain messages from God to seven individual churches located in Asia

these are seven communiqu�s, if you will, through visions in the Spirit to the apostle John, that the Spirit expects John to write down and then deliver to each of the churches for whom they were intended

now just imagine what it must have been like for one of those churches to receive this message

imagine how we would feel if God would author a personal letter to the believers here at Richview

imagine if I announced that next Sunday, one of our deacons would be reading God’s observations about the development of Richview Baptist Church

we’d be anxious, wouldn’t we, about what God would commend us for

we’d also be interested in what he would want changed in our fellowship

one thing is certain: we’d all show up, and when the letter is read, we’d be all ears

well, seven churches in Asia actually received a state of the church report from God

we’re going to study each of these reports for the next few weeks

and we’re going to draw some implications from them for our situation here at Richview Baptist Church

the report we’re going to look at today concerns the church at Ephesus

and it’s found in Revelation 2:1-7

Ephesus was a crossroads of civilization – the capital of Asia Minor, and one of the most three influential cities in the eastern part of the Roman empire

it’s been called the "Vanity Fair of the Ancient World"

the people of Ephesus were renowned for their moral deterioration

Paul started this church in Ephesus probably in the early 50’s AD

of course, the letter Ephesians in your Bible was written by Paul to the Ephesian church after he left it to start other churches

now, John’s visions on which the letter is based occurred in the 90’s AD

so the church in Ephesus is 40 or 50 years old

Richview Baptist Church is forty years old next month, so we’re not too far off

listen to what Jesus says:

(Revelation 2:1) "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:

and after introducing himself, first in the passage, we read that the message comes to the church in Ephesus in the form of some commendations

first, God is saying to the church in Ephesus, "You’re doing a good job in some areas"

and there’s a total of six commendations that are listed to the Ephesian church, beginning in verse 2

[SIX COMMENDATIONS]

first, there is activity

verse 2 says, "I know your deeds"

another version says, "I know all the things you do"

this was an active church – a church in which the weekly schedule was likely pretty busy

they were not a slothful, inactive church by any means

second, they were a hard-working church

verse 2 continues, "I know your hard work"

Jesus knew their toil

the word goes far beyond normal work

it signifies intense labor to the point of absolute exhaustion

the Christians in this church are working diligently, regularly, and wholeheartedly in their church

they’re a zealous bunch

Jesus commends them for abounding in the work of the Lord

he commends their intensity

third, Jesus says, they were a persevering church

verse 2 says, "I know your perseverance"

the word carries with it the meaning of "endurance under trial"

they had kept going even when the going was tough

these are not occasional Christians, they are perpetual Christians

they had been paying the price for decades – some of them, no doubt, for the entire forty years of the church

and Jesus commends them for their perseverance

fourth, Jesus commends them for being doctrinally discerning

verse two reads, "I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false"

the Ephesian church had found among themselves false brethren who had claimed to be apostles but were not

right within their own church, they had found some false teachers and had the courage and the gumption to challenge and resist them

this church was mature enough to identify false teachers before these teachers gained a following in the church

they learned enough to keep the teaching ministry of the church on a true track

it’s a rare church that has the courage to confront and to admonish the unruly and deceptive people that tend to creep into any fellowship

fifth, the church in Ephesus also received a commendation for another reason

according to verse 3, they weren’t growing weary

(Revelation 2:3) You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

despite all the troubles and hardships that had come their way, they hadn’t grown weary

there’s a lot of weariness that creeps into an active church, isn’t there?

anyone here weary today?

the Ephesian church did not grow weary in well-doing, and God commended them for that

finally, in verse 6, God commends them for staying morally pure

(Revelation 2:6) But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

as far as scholars can tell, the Nicolaitans were a group who had made some compromise with the pagan religion of the day

that religion involved eating food sacrificed to idols, and participating in sexual immorality associated with goddess worship

some in the church were apparently teaching that Christians are not under the law, and because the body was temporal, they could sin sexually as much as they wanted

that there’s no harm in a little compromise sexually

and Jesus commends them for hating the practices of the Nicolaitans, which he hates too

there are still people today who teach that you can be a Christian and live how you please, by the way

so Jesus commends them for being active, hard-working, persevering, doctrinally discerning, faithful to its mission over the long haul, and morally pure

this is an amazing church!

this church is a tribute to its founder, it gives God glory, the church is head and shoulders above most churches that I’ve ever known about

BUT IN VERSE 4 THERE IS A CONCERN THAT GOD RAISES

a concern that could be called the church’s fatal flaw

the message comes in this form:

(Revelation 2:4) Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

not everything was well at the Ephesian church

they had forsaken or let go of their first love

and this was a defect so severe that, if uncorrected, Jesus says in verse 5, it would result in a loss of their light-bearing – it would result ultimately in the closing of that church

what was there first love that they had abandoned?

many think Jesus is talking about the original Christian love that the believers had for one another

I tend to see it as a reference to their inner devotion to Christ that marked their earlier commitment, like the love of a newly wedded bride for her husband

the love talked about by God in Jeremiah 2:2

(Jeremiah 2:2) "I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown."

God is saying, over the years you have abandoned that innocent, enthusiastic, authentic love for Christ and love for others that used to characterize your life

a subtle and very serious erosion has occurred in your spiritual life

Al Martin writes about the Ephesian Christians, "Their heads were correct in their judgments, their hands were busy in service, but their hearts had become cold, lacking true affection"

it is clear from this text that large numbers of Christians in that church had developed spiritual heart trouble

you see, at one time, the Ephesians had felt so much love flowing from God to them, that they were afraid if they took it in all at one time that their hearts would explode

at one time they had lived with a simple childlike trust in God, a trust that freed them from the debilitating concerns that crushed others

at one time the Christian life seemed like an adventure

they never knew when God would break in with a leading, a sign, a display of His sovereign power

every day was an adventure

somewhere along the way, some erosion had occurred

things had settled down

the shine had worn off

the believers who once had enthusiasm without much knowledge now had knowledge without much enthusiasm

the fervor of their love for Christ had been replaced with a tepid devotion

and God had become an add-on to their lives rather than the focal point of their lives

you might ask yourself, "Why is Jesus so concerned?"

after all, the church is still active

they’re still diligent and discerning and persevering

why should Jesus care if they had left their first love, as he puts it?

and the answer is that Jesus is every bit as concerned about the heart of a church as he is the amount of activity and ministry going on within that church

Jesus is every bit as concerned about the heart of Richview Baptist Church as he is the amount and quality of the activity and ministry going on in this place

Jesus gave love as the greatest commandment – that we love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind

now, that being the case, whenever God sees a Christian or group of Christians in a particular church losing their first love, he knows the inevitable demise that is sure to follow

it’s only a matter of time before everything begins to unravel

when a Christian’s heart grows familiar with the love of God, when a believer begins to take God’s love for granted, his heart begins to grow cold, the dynamic that fueled his Christian life is missing now

and over time his Christianity becomes mechanical and perfunctory

oh, there might be some activity that still goes on for some time

there might be a little labor, a little service, begrudging giving, some sporadic attempts at praying

but the life-giving dynamic of it all is missing

it’s an absolute tragedy

and it is a multiplied tragedy if a whole church loses its first love

and that kind of thing happens, friends

it happens when pastors and deacons and church leaders become so busy working for God that they stop having fellowship with God

it happens when leaders neglect communing time with God, when they neglect spending time with him

it happens when church members get caught up in all the allurements and entanglements of everyday life

the single greatest challenge in all of our lives, friends, is staying in a vital, first-love kind of relationship with Jesus Christ

that is the biggest challenge in my life

I desperately want to lead a love-driven Christian life

I tremble at the thought of leading a Christian life any other way

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

if you personally have fallen out of your first-love relationship with Jesus Christ, what can you do?

verse 5 of Revelation 2 says that, if you’ve fallen out of that first-love relationship with Jesus Christ, here’s what you should do

first, remember

(Revelation 2:5) Remember the height from which you have fallen!

reflect on what you have lost

remember the love that you once had for Jesus Christ, and look in comparison at the present situation

maybe those memories will re-inspire you to get to that point again

second, repent

the word repent in verse 5 means to "change one’s thinking, to think differently"

it suggests a continuing attitude of changing your ways

remember the relationship you once had and now begin to think differently about your relationship with Jesus Christ

and do it on an ongoing basis – not just once

third, do the things you did at first

do the things that restore and build that love relationship with God

for a couple who has fallen out of love, that means do what you did when you first fell in love

buy gifts for each other, go on dates

for the believer, it means prayer, communion with God, Bible reading, meditation, obedient service, and worship

establish a regimen that will keep you in that first-love relationship with Christ

but you have to do something different – do the things you first did when you were a believer

and a warning comes in verse 5

(Revelation 2:5) If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

this judgment, I believe, does not refer to the Lord’s return, but his judgment then and there

in other words, if large numbers of people in the Ephesian church don’t turn around and get back into a first-love relationship with Christ, it’s going to tear the soul out of the church

and God says, I’ll take your witness away

the key to our lampstand staying fully lit begins with a first-love relationship with Christ

it starts with me, it goes through to the deacons and the leaders, to the children’s ministry leaders, to every person here

if each of us commits to a first-love relationship, our witness will increase

I wonder how many churches today stand at this same crossroads

it’s decision time for Richview Baptist Church

it’s decision time for you

Jesus says you’ve walked away from your first love

he counsels you to remember how far you’re falling, to repent, and to do what you used to

and if you don’t, Christ will remove the witness from this church

we don’t know what happened to the church at Ephesus

most scholars think they weren’t able to recapture their first love

their lampstand was removed

let’s pray

Lord, don’t remove your lampstand from Richview Baptist Church

we can have all the programs, our building, and the people

we can have the Richview Residence for Seniors

we can have great services

but you’re every bit as concerned about the heart of a church as he is the amount of activity and ministry going on within that church

it’s time for corrective action

I believe that you’re speaking very clearly to some of us this morning, speaking to us by name, saying, "You’ve lost your first love. You’ve slid into perfunctory, heartless service. If you don’t change, I’m going to remove your lampstand"

I pray collectively we would make it our first priority here to stay in a vital, first-love kind of relationship with Jesus Christ

so Lord, do whatever it takes now to convict and draw people to you

and my greatest prayer is that our love for you would increase, and that our lampstand would grow brighter, rather than being removed

Amen.

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The Heartless Church (Revelation 2:1-7)