There’s a word for many believers today who see themselves as faithful. “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.’” (Revelation 2:2-4, ESV).
These people are laboring for the namesake of Jesus. Obviously, they’re studying the scriptures, or else they wouldn’t be able to test false teachers and find them to be liars. They don’t tolerate evil, and they long for truth. What’s more, they’re not weary of doing all of these things!
Nevertheless, Jesus accuses them of forgetting their first love, of leaving him. They got so enamored with religious works that they lost sight of Christ, and he takes it so seriously that he says that he will remove his presence.
What is the only thing that makes us different than the people of the world? It’s the presence of God.
I have no doubt that the preachers in the Ephesian church that Christ was speaking to in this passage had great doctrine and great preaching where they exposed lies and expounded on truth. We probably have many churches like this in America where there is great doctrinal truth in the pulpit, but there’s a strange coldness among the people. The presence of God strangely doesn’t seem to be in their midst anymore.
In their flurry of religious activity, they walked away from Jesus. He didn’t leave them. He’s still where he’s always been. It’s like when Mary and Joseph lost Jesus; they left him behind at the Temple in Jerusalem (see Luke 2:41-52). They assumed that he was traveling with him even though they hadn’t seem him or spoken to him. When they realized he was gone, they went back to find him where they had last seen him. Their solution is also our answer.
We’ve left Jesus. We have to search diligently for him. We have to go back to the temple to find him.
Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001. In May of 2020, he transitioned into a continuing role as General Overseer of Times Square Church, Inc.