I always marveled at the call in Revelation 2 for the Ephesian church to repent.
I stand at the door and knock. |
It didn't quite make sense to me.
Repent for not having first love?
Why?
What was the basis of repentance?
Then, one day
it landed on me.
The response required in the love of God, of Jesus Christ, though the Holy Spirit...
must equal the revelation we have received of him.
?
Let me explain.
The Ephesian church was rich in revelation and understanding of Jesus Christ.
They carried a high calling as an apostolic fellowship.
Founded by Paul, they were a hub or a center of the NAME.
Yet with all the work, pressures, challenges, opposition and false teaching and teachers, they lost the most beautiful expression of knowing Jesus Christ.
FIRST LOVE.
What is it?
Affection
First affection. All affections. No higher affection. Resolute focus in steadfast love. Perfected love alive and aflame. Unquenchable presence. Nothing in all the earth comparing to the affections for him.
Adoration
Adore. Acclaim. Be swallowed up by the magnitude of grace and glory in HIM. Loss for words. Life pulsing through us. Cells oozing love for him. Revelation pouring forth of his goodness and hope. The mind in complete stupor at his reverberating voice.
Awe
Struck Silent. Arrested by him. Complete enveloping amazement. Knocked off your horse. Slain in the Spirit. Weighty presence. Holy silence. Wind.
Wonder
How will this be so? Wisdom and revelation Spirit. Knowing without words. Hearing without sounds. Souls abundant and bountiful freedom. Riding on the Clouds he comes. Moving among the poorest of the poor he redeems.
Living HOPE
Living Word
the NOW KINGDOM reality.
"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to[a] a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,[b]10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 2 Timothy 1:8-10
They, like us, slid slowly.
Slowly sliding into a false teaching, a false mindset. Simple changes.
Letting go of affection and worship in the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Sliding off into the Kingdom coming second, third, fourth on the list.
They slid into a mindset that lacked zeal, fire, consummation and prayer.
A mindset not measuring up to the wonder and awe, and the sheer majesty of the work of Jesus and his efficacious power.
The sin is approaching the Lord Jesus in a stoic, regularity, expecting nothing, hoping for nothing, wandering in the routines of church going and running round and round the merry go round of banqueting tables with no warfare.
It is only the religious and Laodicean who think they are vibrant and alive when none of the signs of the Kingdom remain. It is the religious who settle for another day at church with no compelling involvement, no demands for grace activated in faith, no push for hope in the lives of the Saints. A mindset that settles for things as they are and ideas that tell them this is perfectly ok and right and true. Forms without power.
There is far to much happening in the Ekklesia of Jesus that is of little of no importance to the FIRST LOVE passion of a thriving Saint.
Repent? Yes.
As we look more deeply into the faithful service of the grace imparted to us through the sacrifice of Jesus and his boundless, abundant, victory in the CROSS, RESURRECTION, AND ASCENSION to the right hand of the Father, we see that the atmosphere's we settle for that lack first love passion
require repentance.
A new mind.
A new mindset.
An honor and love and adoration worship unto Jesus.
FIRST LOVE cannot be satisfied except by the object of our affection. JESUS. JESUS. JESUS.
It is deplorable for us to accept atmosphere's, worship, prayer, anything devoted to and in honor of Jesus that falls short of the wisdom and revelation we have received in him.
His love is boundless.
And so we are a boundless people of unending desire and love for HIM.
The Spirit and the Bride say, "COME".
Come to this fountain that fills the world with overcoming faith.
That lights the hopes of whole peoples.
That transforms the way we live each day.
That calls us into his presence and into carrying his presence everywhere.
The lack of desire. The lack of affections fires, Does not bear witness to the absence of presence.
His promise is "I am with you always."
Rather is witnesses against us.
Our religious satisfactions have climbed up into our affections, into the revelations of his love.
They've blown a cold wind across our soul's naked and exposed places.
We've covered up love in response to the wind.
Rather than pour out and invite in the warmth of the Holy Spirit.
To welcome the Spirit to bring revelation of Jesus.
His heart for the Lord.
His relationship with Jesus.
The HEALER.
The restorer of our souls.
Instead we start out on the journey to find this first love in other churches, other places.
We search and search for what we already possess in abundance.
The Holy Spirit will quickly and easily restore our souls in HIM.
Restore our first love.
If.............................. we repent.
Yet, we are satisfied.
The occasional "God showed Up" service is enough for us.
We don't actually want love to shatter our lives, tear apart our high towers of accomplishment or spill over into our day to day lives.
Here is the problem.
He will not have an apostolic witness that walks with a satisfied and religious mind.
Lacking everything spiritual and longing for nothing.
He will not have a servant who complains of want and lack when he is so abundant in joy, overcoming power and life changing Spirit.
He will not have a church complacent who touts their hard work, patient endurance and clear and precise teaching but has lost the most weighty reality of all in the character of God.....HE is LOVE and MERCY.
Yes. We need to repent to restore first love.
You and I know what it looks like.
We also know what happens when the winds of the Spirit blow right through our lives and plans and perspectives.
Yet nothing is as good,
No one is as kind,
Nowhere is so amazing as his presence.
Overwhelmed in his love
Basking in the truth of his mercies.
Drenched in loving kindness
the oil of his presence running down the beard.
We were made for first love. He has made every way for us to live in it always and forever. Oh what joy.
Lord, break down the religious satisfaction we so easily embrace.
Break up the ice formed on the lake of our souls.
Pour over our souls a fresh warm wind of the Holy Spirit.
Remind us again of the wonder and awe of the Son of God.
Refresh us in mind, heart and body.
Awaken us.
Awaken us.
Awaken us.
to FIRST LOVE again.
Jesus - living, alive, awake in power and love - Nothing about him speaks survival.
The way is exploding grace in front and all around us.
Kingdom Carriers
Holy Spirit wind walkers
Go ahead. Run with HIM.
Thanks for reading.
You can do this thing! He's got you.
The dialogue is awesome. Thank you. Testimonies? Share em with me. Re-Shares lov em. Thank you! With much love in Jesus
Jeff Reynolds --- Global Kingdom Harvest Ministries
www.jeffreynoldsministies.com
Love in the Lord
Jeff Reynolds
Global Kingdom Harvest Min.
www.mycapstone.org
jeff@jeffreynoldsministries.com
www.jeffreynoldsministries.com
I love your comments. Ideas and thoughts.
Please share em.
Re-shares are great. thank U.
Here are some other blogs posts that may interest you.
1.http://jeffreynoldsonedesire.blogspot.com/2015/01/7-things-enemy-devil-doesnt-want-you-to.html
Please share em.
Re-shares are great. thank U.
Here are some other blogs posts that may interest you.
1.http://jeffreynoldsonedesire.blogspot.com/2015/01/7-things-enemy-devil-doesnt-want-you-to.html
You can do this thing! He's got you.
Jeff Reynolds --- Global Kingdom Harvest Ministries
Brother Jeff
www.jeffreynoldsministies.com
Love in the Lord
Jeff Reynolds
Global Kingdom Harvest Min.
www.mycapstone.org
jeff@jeffreynoldsministries.com
www.jeffreynoldsministries.com
Jeff Reynolds ---
Brother Jeff
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