Have you left the first love to Christ? by Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

 Weekly message: Have you left the first love to Christ? 

by Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts &Gospel                         June20, 2021 

 

My friends have you ever learned about the biblical precepts of peace, love with faith and grace according to Apostle Paul and Apostle John both letters the strength and weakness of Ephesus church? The book of Ephesians and book of revelation 2:2-7 help us to glimpse the biblical view of first love with faith, peace and grace. Let us discover the Apostle’s letter to the church in Ephesus, renew our vision, and regain the first love to Christ.  

  Apostle Paul’s blessing to Ephesians mentioned in Ephesians 6:24-24, said, “Peace to the brothers and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruptibility.” The reason the apostle inserted love between peace and grace is that the only way we can be kept in a situation of peace is by continually enjoying the Lord in love. Based on Paul’s perspective love is crucial. He spoke of love in relation to peace and grace. It implicates that love is needed to preserve us in a condition of peace. Love with Faith is the means by which we partake of and experience Christ. (1 Tim.1:14). Faith is for receiving Him (John1:12), and Love is for enjoying Him.(John14:23) Paul’s letter emphasis on “ Love with Faith” not “Love and Faith” this indicates that we need faith as a match and support for our love. Love with faith is needed. This is the conclusion of the book of Ephesians on the church. The church needs to enjoy Christ in love with faith, which operated through love (Gal.6:6).  

Love comes from God to us and faith goes from us to God. We are kept in peace by the coming of God’s love to us and by the going of our faith to Him. By means of this traffic of love and faith, peace remains our portion. We are kept in peace by coming of God’s love to us and by going of our faith to Him. This traffic also keeps us in the continual supply of grace, in the enjoyment of the Lord. (v.24). Love is from God; it originates with God, not with us. Eventually, however, God’s love becomes our love. God’s love for us becomes our love for Him. Grace is needed for us to live a church life that fulfills God’s eternal purpose and solves God’s problem with His enemy. The enjoyment of the Lord as grace is with those who love Him.

            The book of Ephesians emphasizes and also concludes with our love toward the Lord. In the book of Ephesians the phrase in LOVE, which is rich in feeling, is used repeatedly (1:4.3:17; 4:2;15-16;5:2). However, the church in Ephesus was rebuked by the Lord because the church had lost their first love toward Him. (Revelation 2:4).The main point revealed in the book of Ephesians is that the church, which is the Body of Christ, is also the Bride of Christ, Christ’s wife. With the Body, the emphasis is on taking Christ as life; with the wife, the emphasis is on Loving Christ. Therefore, the book of Ephesians emphasizes and also concludes with our love toward the Lord.

The weakness of the church in Ephesus

The church in Ephesus, the recipient of this Epistle, failed in the matter of loving the Lord, such a failure became the source of and main reason for the failure of the church throughout the age. (Rev.2-3). As Revelation 2:2-4 says,

“I know your works and your labor and your endurance and that you cannot bear evil men; and you have tried those who call themselves apostles and are not, and have found them to be false; and you have endurance and have borne all things because of My name and have not grown weary. But I have one thing against you, that you have left your first love. ”

The Greek word for “first” is the same as that translated “best” in Luke15:22. Our first love toward the Lord must be the best love for Him. As the Body of Christ (Eph.1:23), the church is a matter of life; as the new man (Eph.2:15), it is a matter of the person of Christ; and as the bride of Christ (John3:29), it is a matter of love.

The first Epistle to the Ephesians tells us that for the church life we need to be strengthened into our inner man that Christ may make His home in our hearts, that we, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to know the knowledge –surpassing love of Christ, that we may be filled unto all the fullness of God (Eph.3:16-19); and it is for the church life that grace is with all those who love the Lord Jesus (Eph.6:24).

Now this second epistle to the Ephesians reveals that the degradation of the church begins with our leaving the first love toward the Lord. Nothing but love can keep us in a proper relationship with the Lord. The church in Ephesus had good works, labored for the Lord, endured suffering, and tried the false apostles. (vv.2-3), but the church in Ephesus left her first love toward the Lord. The leaving of the first love is the source of all the degradation in the succeeding stages of the church. The Lord urged them in the Revelations2:5-6, "Remember therefore where you have fallen from and repent and do the first works; but if not, I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place, unless you    repent…To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the  Paradise of God.” (Rev.2:5-6).

Apostle Paul’s encouragement to the church in Ephesus

  Apostle Paul’s letter emphasized and encouraged saints in Ephesus “Bing rooted and grounded in LOVE. The letter said as follows,

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, of whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, that Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are And to know the knowledge –surpassing love of Christ, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God. (Ephesians3:14-19)”

Nothing but LOVE can keep us in a proper relationship with the Lord. My friends, have you failed to love the Lord? Or left your first love toward the Lord? You may have good church service, or had good works, labored for the Lord, endured suffering, and tried the false apostles, but you left your first love toward the Lord.  You may have borne all things because of His name and have not grown weary. But unconsciously, you have left your first love. May the book of Ephesians and Relation 2:1-7 help you to re-exam your first love to the Lord. To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.” (Rev.2:6). May the peace, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be to you, May the grace be with you all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Bibliography,

        

      King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

   

      Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.

 

   Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.