The Heartless Church (Revelation 2:1-7)

Big Idea: A church's achievements in service and doctrine cannot replace its main purpose: nurturing a genuine love for Christ.

Moving to a new community and choosing a new church can be challenging. 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. Large churches with many programs can seem impressive but may lack true vitality, while a small community church of 20 people could be more successful in God's eyes than a church with 2,000 members.

What do you think of Richview? Do you like the preaching, and the music? Is there a program that meets your need? What specific needs do we fulfill for you? What needs have we overlooked? Occasionally, churches like Richview seek feedback from the congregation to help the board determine the future strategic direction. 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 contain signs, symbols, creatures, and prophecies that are interesting to read but challenging to understand and apply. Some parts of the book of Revelation are clear and can be easily applied to our daily lives.

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 messages delivered to the apostle John through visions from the Spirit, which he is expected to write down and share with the intended churches.

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 leaders would be reading God's observations about our church. We'd be anxious, wouldn't we? 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. Over the next few weeks, we will analyze these reports to understand their implications for 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 key city in Asia Minor and an influential center in the eastern 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. The letter to the Ephesians in your Bible was written by Paul to the Ephesian church after he had left to establish 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.

Commendations

Listen to what Jesus says in Revelation 2:1: "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.’"

After introducing himself, the message to the church in Ephesus begins with 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.

They were active.

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.

They were hard-working.

Verse 2 continues, "I know your hard work." Jesus knew their toil. The term extends beyond typical 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, they were persevering.

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, they were 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. Few churches have the courage to confront and correct the unruly and deceptive individuals who may join their fellowship.

Fifth, they weren't growing weary.

Verse 3 says, "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? Is anyone feeling tired today? The Ephesian church did not grow weary in well-doing, and God commended them for that.

Sixth, they stayed morally pure.

Finally, in verse 6, God commends them for staying morally pure. “But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Scholars believe the Nicolaitans were a group that compromised with the pagan religion of their time. That religion involved eating food sacrificed to idols, and participating in sexual immorality associated with goddess worship. Some members of the church were teaching that Christians are not bound by the law, suggesting that since the body is temporary, they could sin sexually without consequence. 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.

Concern

However, verse 4 reveals a critical concern - the church's fatal flaw. Jesus delivers this sobering message: "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. This defect was so serious that, if not fixed, Jesus states in verse 5, it would lead to the church losing its light and ultimately closing down.

What was their first love that they had abandoned? Many think Jesus is talking about the original Christian love that the believers had for one another. I view it as a sign of their deep devotion to Christ, similar to the love a newlywed bride has for her husband. It's the kind of love God talks about in 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."

The text reflects a loss of the genuine, passionate love for Christ and for others that used to define their life. A subtle and very serious erosion had occurred in their 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, discerning, and persevering. Why should Jesus care if they had left their first love, as he puts it? Jesus cares as much about a church's heart as he does about its activities and ministries. Jesus cares about the heart of Richview Baptist Church just as much as the quality and amount of its activities and ministries.

Jesus gave love as the greatest commandment – that we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind. When God sees Christians or a church losing their first love, he knows that decline will surely follow. It's only a matter of time before everything begins to unravel.

When a Christian becomes too familiar with God's love and starts to take it for granted, their heart grows cold, and they lose the passion that once fueled their faith. 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 occurs when pastors, deacons, and church leaders become so busy serving God that they neglect their relationship with him. 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 biggest challenge in our lives is maintaining a strong, loving 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 We Can 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.

Verse 5 says, "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.

Verse 5 contains a stark warning: "If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place." This appears to reference an immediate judgment rather than the final return of Christ. The text posits that a lack of widespread revival of their first love for Christ could undermine the church's very essence and erase its witness. A church's strong testimony relies on maintaining a first-love relationship with Christ, involving everyone from the pastor to deacons, ministry leaders, and all members. A renewed commitment to this foundational love would strengthen the church's witness.

I wonder how many churches today stand at this same crossroads. The moment of decision has arrived 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 amazing worship services. You care about the church's heart just as much as you care about the amount of activities and ministries happening there. 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 that maintaining a vital, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ would become our highest priority. Lord, work in our hearts to draw us closer to you. May our love for you deepen and our witness shine ever brighter in this community. Amen.