Pastor Henry’s text for March 5 was Revelation 2:1-11. It begins: “These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.” NIV.
What was the Ephesians' first love that they had lost?
Can you remember your conversion experience? Probably not, because most of you, like me, grew up in the church. We never experienced the exhilaration of that first encounter with Grace and Forgiveness. But remind yourselves of friends and family who did have that conversion experience. What was the first thing they did? In almost every case, they told people what had happened to them-they felt God’s love, grace, and forgiveness for the first time and they were so excited to tell everyone about this new love they experienced
The Ephesians were commended for their hard work. I bet they provided for the needy, visited the sick and imprisoned, and lived moral and upright lives. Their deeds are commended first in the scripture.
What sets Christians apart, and what should be our first love, is to tell the old, old story to those who are hungering for it and especially those who don’t realize they need to hear it.
What do we value at Edgemont? Maybe we are so focused on living out our faith with good works, we have stopped telling the story. As we talk about our values, let’s remember our first love.
Tim Corley
