Is Your "Good Work" Costing You Your Heart?

    

What would you say is the one thing you and I should look for in a church?. We often look for dynamic preaching, wonderful programs for our children, or deep Bible studies. While these are all excellent, it is possible to have a "perfect" church on paper that is actually in a state of spiritual emergency.

    The church in Ephesus was exactly that kind of place. They had an incredible spiritual pedigree: the Apostle Paul spent three years there, and leaders like Timothy, Aquilla, Priscilla, and Apollos all ministered to them. Church tradition even suggests the Apostle John served there. They were busy, doctrinally sound, and persevered through intense persecution. Sounds pretty Good Right? I mean sign me up!!

    Yet, despite their impressive resume, Jesus had a devastating "prescription" for them. They had become a "working" church that had eclipsed their "loving" relationship with Him.

The Danger of the "Cold Heart"

    The Ephesian problem is one we still face today. It maybe a problem that your church has, or a problem you are facing in your personal life. 

    It is the danger of letting our service for Jesus replace our intimacy with Jesus. We are busy doing a lot of things for God but we are doing it without love being our motivating purpose. We can become so focused on doctrinal purity that we become intolerant or even abusive toward others.

    This isn't just a small "hiccup" in faith; it is a global phenomenon. In contemporary contexts, maintaining "first love" is a documented struggle. For instance, a 2024 State of the Bible report found that only about 18% of American adults are considered "Scripture Engaged," meaning many who claim the faith struggle to maintain a consistent, heart-driven connection to the Word. Furthermore, statistics on "compassion fatigue" among ministry leaders suggest that over 50% of pastors state they often feel discouraged or overwhelmed, leading to the very "formalism" Jesus warned Ephesus about.

    As Charles Spurgeon once noted, "When love dies, orthodox doctrine becomes a corpse... Adhesion to the truth sows into bigotry when the sweetness and light of love to Jesus departs".

"To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent."'" — Revelation 2:1-5 (NKJV) 

Christ’s Three-Step Prescription

    Jesus provides a simple, yet profound, three-step process to reignite our passion for God and others.

1. Remember

    Jesus tells us to go back to that time when our love for Him was at the core of everything we did. Remember when the joy of knowing Him moved you to pray and dig into the Word. Importantly, Ephesus didn't lose their love; they left it. To find it again, you must remember how far you have fallen.

2. Repent 

    Repentance isn't just about feeling guilty; it means to change your direction. It is an invitation to turn away from pride and the "formality" of religion. Jesus warns that if we don't repent, His presence (the lampstand) will depart.

3. Do the First Works 

    Finally, Jesus tells us to get back to the basics: prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and evangelism. We often get bored and run after "new and strange methods" for growth. But the prescription for revival is getting back to the simple basics of a true relationship with God.

    Imagine a marriage where a husband provides a house, pays the bills, and never misses a dinner, but he never speaks to his wife, never looks her in the eye, and has no affection for her. The "work" of the marriage is there, but the "heart" is gone.

    That is what 1 Corinthians 13 tells us: we can speak with the tongues of angels or give all our goods to the poor, but without love, we gain nothing.

How to start today:

Audit your "Why": Are you teaching, serving, or reading your Bible out of love or out of a sense of mere duty?.

Go Back to Basics: If your prayer life has gone cold, don't look for a complex new program. Simply spend five minutes in honest conversation with God today. Don't try to rush your prayer, or your reading of scripture. Spend a little bit of your time in your prayer to think about the grandness and goodness of God and begin to praise Him before you jump asking Him to restore and revive you. 

Evaluate your Compassion: Is your doctrinal purity making you "hateful and vengeful ," or is it making you more like the Jesus who wept for the lost?. 

The church in Ephesus initially listened; history tells us they returned to their first love for a season. But the question remains for us: What are we going to do with Jesus’ prescription?. Will you put it on the shelf, or will you take the first step today by remembering where you have fallen, repenting, and getting back to the basics?.