I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. (2:3-5)
The church at Ephesus figures prominently in the New Testament. There is much said about the church in the book of Acts and some of Paul’s greatest missionary work and greatest testing occurred in this city. A great revival took place there and the Ephesian people had a special place in Paul’s heart. He even wrote a letter specifically to the people of this church. Now, fast forward 30 years to 90 AD when John is on the Island of Patmos and things have changed somewhat. He writes a letter to them to give them the words of Jesus who says, “You have persevered, endured hardships and not grown weary… but you have left your first love.”
What a terrible blow that must have been to them. Ephesus was a place where the Spirit had brought great triumph and where the Kingdom of God had greatly advanced. It was a place where some of the most pagan and ungodly people had turned to God and burned all the paraphernalia of their wicked past. It was a place where great teaching and great gospel advance had spread to an entire region. They were the paragon of doing the right thing, but apparently, it had become religious legalism that lacked genuine devotion and abiding in Christ. It happens to all of us. We walk with Him a while and what once had been exciting and rich becomes dead ritual. The good news is that even if you lose your first love it is not lost forever.
John gives us a simple formula to set things right. REMEMBER what things used to be like when you were walking with Jesus, REPENT from where you are today and how far you have fallen, and then RETURN and do the things you used to do when you were head over heels in love with Him. That prescription still works in so many ways today. If your marriage is dry and lifeless, remember what the romance was like when you first fell in love… repent of letting your relationship dry up… and go back and do the things you used to do when you first tried to win him/her. The same is true in your relationship with Jesus. Remember when He was everything, repent from where you are today and go back and do those things you did when your relationship with Christ was fresh and exciting. You will find that He is right there where you left Him and ready to start fresh again.
