When Jesus dictated His letters to seven churches in Asia Minor, He pulled no punches. There is a stinging rebuke for churches that have a reputation for spiritual life but are dead on the inside (Sardis, Rev 3:1-6), and a fiery warning to lukewarm churches operating by human programs and human resources without the power that comes from God alone (Laodicea, Rev 3:14-21).
But for earnest believers, honestly attempting to be steady in prayer, Bible study and obedience to Jesus, the most unsettling letter of the seven is the letter to Ephesus. (Rev 2:1-7)
Because it's not enough to be right and to work hard. Jesus is looking for love.
Take a look at what the church in Ephesus had going for them:
- They worked hard. (Rev 2:2)
- They could not bear those who were evil. (Rev 2:2)
- They had right doctrine, and they had discerned false teachers and rejected them. (Rev 2:2)
- They had endurance and had stood up under testing. (Rev 2:3)
- They were still going strong; they weren't getting burned out. (Rev 2:3)
- They had a holy hatred of sin and the actions of those who approved of immorality through a false message of "grace." (Rev 2:6, cf. Rev 2:14-15 and Prov 8:13)
But Jesus had something against them.
He's looking for love. It was the very thing that He said when someone asked Him what the greatest commandment was:
Matthew 22:37-38
37 Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment.
Normally, in the American Church when we talk about loving Jesus, we have to make sure people aren't indulging in sentimentality. Love for Jesus is not the same thing as having certain feelings. It's not the same thing as dancing during a praise song or crying during a prayer time. Love, in the New Testament, is defined in very concrete terms. The one who loves will express it in action. Jesus said that the one who loves Him will keep His commands. (John 14:15,21; 15:10) John the Beloved wrote that loving God means loving our brothers and sisters, giving up our goods and laying down our lives. (1 John 4:20-21; 3:16-17)
But look again at Ephesus. They were doing all of this. They were obeying Jesus' commands. They were faithful and diligent with sound doctrine and good discernment. And yet Jesus still had something against them. It's possible to do all the right things and still lose your love.
Emotion without action is not love... but action without emotion is not love either!
So how do we get emotions for Jesus to match and empower our actions of obedience to Him? We have to look at Him. Of all the human beings who have ever lived, Jesus is the One Man who is most deserving of our love.
There has never been another who loved us more. (John 15:9)
There has never been another who sacrificed more. (Philippians 2:5-8)
There has never been another who was stronger. (John 19:10-11)
There has never been another who was more humble. (Matthew 11:29)
There has never been another who was more kind. (Matthew 19:13-14)
There has never been another who was wiser. (Luke 20:26)
There has never been another who was more trustworthy. (1 Peter 2:21-23)
Jesus Christ is the most lovable Man who has ever lived. Let us meditate on His love and learn to love Him as He deserves. It's what He's looking for. It's what He died for!
1 John 3:16 (NIV)
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
