RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE

Transcription

1 SESSION 2 RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE 82 SESSION 2

2 What hobbies or interests have you lost touch with over the years? QUESTION #1 #Awake BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 83

3 THE POINT Return to a love for Christ that permeates everything you do. THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE We ve all have had at least one item we used to cherish that now lies forgotten at the bottom of a closet: A pair of running shoes from back when you loved to run. A box full of half-finished craft projects. A guitar that hasn t been tuned in years. Losing our enthusiasm for a hobby isn t bad, but it s a whole different matter when we re talking about relationships. Marriages and friendships may start out strong and be bonded with love, but if we re not careful, other things can get in the way. We can get so busy with life that our loved ones get crowded out. We may wake up one day and discover our hearts have strayed. We ve lost our love. But what if we re not talking about a spouse or a friend, but Christ? In Revelation 2, we get a glimpse of a church that had been busy doing many things for God, yet ultimately lost its first love for Jesus. 84 SESSION 2

4 WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Revelation 2:1-7 (HCSB) 1 Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks among the seven gold lampstands says: 2 I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. 3 You also possess endurance and have tolerated many things because of My name and have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 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. 6 Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Angel of the church (v. 1) The Greek word for angel means messenger and can be used either of angelic messengers or human messengers, such as pastors who were responsible for delivering God s message to their churches. Stars (v. 1) The seven stars represent the angels (pastors) of the seven churches (see Revelation 1:20). Gold lampstands (v. 1) The seven lampstands represent the seven churches in Revelation 2 3. Nicolaitans (v. 6) This Nicolaitans were a heretical group in the early church that taught a combination of idolatry and immorality. 7 Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in God s paradise. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 85

5 THE POINT Return to a love for Christ that permeates everything you do. Revelation 2:1-4 In the Book of Revelation, God granted John a vision about people and events yet to come (see 1:10-20). Jesus instructed the apostle to write letters to seven churches in Asia Minor, starting with the church at Ephesus. While it appeared Jesus was pleased with everything this church was doing, He had one simple, yet stinging, critique. How would you compare and contrast doing things for Jesus and spending time with Jesus? QUESTION #2 First, let s look at all the positive things Jesus pointed out: 1. They worked hard for the Lord, had patient endurance, and did not tolerate evil. 2. They rooted out false prophets. 3. They endured much for Jesus name without growing weary. We look at this list and think, This must be a pretty awesome church. However, the church at Ephesus is a perfect example of the statement: Good things are the enemy of the best thing. The horrifying statement Jesus made to the church at Ephesus was that, even though they were currently doing many good things, they had abandoned the best thing their full-hearted love for God. According to Jesus, the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matt. 22:37). Our love for Jesus is the most important thing about us. We must hold it as tightly as possible. How can we evaluate whether we ve lost our first love for Christ? QUESTION #3 If you re married, you know honeymoon love is like nothing else. When you first get married, the newness and intensity of your love turns everything in your life upside down. But something seems to change over the years. Over time, a spouse may ask, Why don t you love me like you used to love me? This is what Jesus was saying to the church at Ephesus: I forgave your sin. I changed your life, but your love for Me is not what it used to be. Why don t you love Me like you used to love Me? Here s an even tougher question: is Jesus saying the same to you? 86 SESSION 2

6 FIRST LOVE Think back to your earliest experiences with Jesus. Use the space below to express how you felt during those experiences. Use any method you prefer to express yourself draw a picture, make a list of emotions, write out what happened, and so on. What steps can you take to experience those same emotions in the days to come? "People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord." D. A. CARSON BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 87

7 THE POINT Return to a love for Christ that permeates everything you do. Revelation 2:5-7 The church at Ephesus may have lost its first love, but Jesus offered them a clear solution. Twice in verse 5 He used the word repent. On a practical level, to repent means we change the way we re living and adopt a new way. Thinking specifically about salvation, we repent when we surrender our lives to Jesus. Unfortunately, many Christians don t understand that the word repent goes far beyond a one-time experience of repentance before God. To be a healthy follower of Jesus, we must be continually turning our backs to our sin and choosing to live for Him instead. Repentance is a daily discipline. For the church at Ephesus to repent to turn back meant they would do the works you did at first (v. 5). Jesus called them to do whatever it was in the beginning of their spiritual walks that led them to such a strong relationship with Him. What s more, Jesus laid out a condition in verse 5. If the church refused to repent, He would come and remove their lampstand from its place. When you blow a candle out, the candle loses its ability to give light to have influence over the darkness. If the church at Ephesus did not repent and return to a love for Jesus, He would remove their influence. Verse 7 is essential to the entire process of returning to your love for Jesus. Jesus has given us the key to the entire process, and it s not what we typically think. Here s the key: Listen. The whole process of repentance and renewal cannot begin to happen if you don t listen. Jesus said, Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches (v. 7). In other words: listen up, everybody! What does it look like for a follower of Christ to repent? QUESTION #4 LI 88 SESSION 2

8 What did the Spirit say to the church at Ephesus and to us? Listen and hear these three words: 1. Remember. Think about the healthiest and most-productive seasons in your spiritual life. If you find yourself at a place where your love for Jesus has waned, return to the things that were present when you were walking closely with God. 2. Repent. Anything, no matter how good, that keeps you from your love for Jesus is a sin. Surrender these things before Jesus and watch Him begin to move in your life once more. 3. Return. At the heart of Jesus message is a loving call: Return to Me. As we turn from sin, we turn toward Jesus. We simply must return to Jesus. How do we get love and passion for Jesus back to where it needs to be in our church? We must return to Jesus. When we return to Jesus, we will regain a love that truly does permeate everything we do. It s a simple formula, really. When our love for Jesus is wrong, nothing is right. But when our love for Jesus is right, He makes everything else right! STEN How do we train ourselves to listen to God s Spirit throughout the day? QUESTION #5 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 89

9 We must, therefore, pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away (Hebrews 2:1). I don t spend a lot of time on boats, but whenever I find myself on the water, I m always a little amazed at the power of the current. It s one of those forces that s always there, no matter how still and pristine a body of water might seem, still churning and moving below the surface. Imagine with me that you re on a boat on one of those clear, warm, early summer days. The clouds are few, and the wind is even less, so you cruise out to the middle of the lake on what seems like a sheet of glass. You shut down the motor of the boat right in the middle with the intent of letting the kids swim for a while. For the next hour or so, you toss one another off the boat, practice cannonballs, and have a snack. But inevitably, you have to restart and reposition the boat because even though you turned off the motor in the middle, you look up and notice that you re closer to one side of shore than you were an hour before. Why? It s because you ve drifted. You didn t mean to move; you had no intention of changing your position. You stopped fighting the current; you stopped paying attention. Because there are constant currents, you re always moving whether you realize it or not. When you re out on the lake, unless you choose to take an active effort against doing so, you re going to drift. steady, almost imperceptible. It can happen so gradually, in fact, that it goes without notice. That s the real problem with drifting spiritually you don t know it s happening until it s already happened. That s actually true in all areas of life. Drifting is bound to happen unintentionally. You might mean to cut down your spending this year but unintentionally, you re going to drift from that vision. 22 HOMELIFE JULY 2014 Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/lifewaywomen Follow our blog: lifeway.com/allaccess You might want to eat less sugar this year, but unless you pay attention, you ll drift from your goals. You might intend to read more and watch TV less, but unless you take active measures to do so, you ll drift. When you do nothing, you drift despite all the good intentions, grandiose claims, or resolute statements. You are always going to drift. And you know what else? No one drifts toward Jesus. day than the day before. We drift away from Him; not toward. If we want to move toward Jesus, then it s going to take an active stance against the current that s always moving us farther and farther out. That s why the writer of Hebrews tells us to do something simple and yet profound at the same time: Pay even more attention (Hebrews 2:1). When you pay even more attention, you re living with the awareness of the ever-present tendency to drift. You know that unless, today, you actively fight against it, the drift will happen. You must choose to pray. You must choose to read. You must choose to memorize. You must choose even to believe. In doing all of these simple things, you re taking an active stance against the impending spiritual drift. Pay attention, because if you re not paying active attention, you re going to drift. And if you drift, it s always going to be away from Jesus, not toward Him. Michael Kelley, M.Div., and his wife, Jana, have three children. He s the executive editor of HomeLife and the Director of Discipleship at LifeWay Christian Resources. His works include his latest release, Boring, Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal, and Transformational Discipleship. Keep up with Michael on his blog at michaelkelleyministries.com or on JULY 2014 HOMELIFE 23 THE POINT Return to a love for Christ that permeates everything you do. LIVE IT OUT How do we return to our first love? Consider the following suggestions as you follow Christ in the days to come: Remember. Write down the top three things that describe your Christian walk at its most healthy. Repent. Spend time identifying any habits or patterns in your life that are detrimental to your love for Jesus. Repent right now before God. Turn from those sins today. Return. Write down a practical plan for drawing closer to God. This may be a renewed commitment to daily Bible reading, prayer, sharing your faith, and so on. The wonderful thing about the grace of Jesus is that it doesn t matter where we ve been or what we ve done His grace is greater than all our sin. Throw yourself into the loving arms of Jesus and watch Him bring back your love for Him. Afloat and Alone faith forward progress BY MICHAEL KELLEY Afloat and Alone When you start to drift, fight the current, and get back to Jesus. Pay attention, because if you re not paying active attention, you re going to drift. And if you drift, it s always going to be away from Jesus, not toward Him. Pay attention, because if you re not paying active attention, you re going to drift. And if you drift, it s always going to be away from Jesus, not toward Him. Imperceptible Drifting Drifting is something that happens over time. It s slow and Intentional Direction No one ever did nothing and woke up closer to Jesus the next istockphoto.com To continue reading Afloat and Alone from HomeLife magazine, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles. 90 SESSION 2

10 My g roup's prayer requests My thoughts BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 91