What Ephesus Teaches Us About Loving Christ Again
Returning to Our First Love in a Busy and Distracted World
I’ve often wondered what it would have been like to visit the church in Ephesus.
From the outside, it looked like a strong church. They worked hard. They defended the truth. They refused to tolerate false teaching. They endured hardship and remained faithful when many others might have given up.
Most Christians would probably have admired them.
Yet when Jesus looked at the church, He saw something others could not see.
In Revelation 2:4, He said:
“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”
Those words have always challenged me.
The believers in Ephesus had not abandoned Christianity. They had not rejected the Bible. They had not stopped serving.
They simply drifted from their first love.
And if we’re honest, many of us know what that feels like.
There are seasons when our faith feels fresh and alive. We can’t wait to pray. We open our Bibles eagerly. Worship moves our hearts. Talking about Jesus comes naturally.
Then life happens.
Responsibilities increase. Problems arise. Routines take over.
Without even noticing it, we can find ourselves going through the motions.
We still attend church.
We still serve.
We still believe the right things.
But something is missing.
Our hearts are no longer as close to Christ as they once were.
That is what makes the message to Ephesus so powerful. Jesus was not speaking to unbelievers. He was speaking to people who were doing many things right.
Yet He wanted more than their activity.
He wanted their affection.
He wanted their hearts.
The good news is that Jesus did not leave them without hope.
He told them:
“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first” (Revelation 2:5).
Notice where He begins.
Remember.
Remember the joy of your salvation.
Remember when God’s grace overwhelmed you.
Remember when the gospel felt like the greatest news you had ever heard.
Sometimes we become so focused on what we are doing for Christ that we forget what Christ has already done for us.
The Christian life was never meant to be a checklist.
It is a relationship.
It is walking daily with the One who loved us enough to die for us.
The church in Ephesus reminds us that correct doctrine matters. Faithfulness matters. Service matters.
But none of those things can replace a genuine love for Jesus.
Perhaps that is why this ancient church still speaks so clearly to us today.
Many churches are busy.
Many Christians are busy.
The real question is not whether we are busy.
The real question is whether we still love Christ as deeply as we once did.
And if we discover that our love has grown cold, the invitation remains the same as it was for Ephesus nearly two thousand years ago.
Come back.
Remember.
Repent.
Return.
The Lord who called the church in Ephesus back to Himself still calls His people today.
And His invitation is as full of grace now as it was then.
Dr. Daniel J. Grace
Faith • Civilization • Theology
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