Day 35

“‘I know your deeds and your labor and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people, and you have put those who call themselves apostles to the test, and they are not, and you found them to be false; ³ and you have perseverance and have endured on account of My name, and have not become weary. ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Rev 2:2-4 NASB.­

This is Jesus’ analysis of the church at Ephesus. He has a number of positive things to say about it. It is an energetic church that knows how to work (v.2). It is a patient church that endures without getting weary (v.2-3). It has discernment and is doctrinally sound (v.2 and 6). It is interested in truth and does not want to see falsehood gain entry into the church. It would be easy to get excited about this very effective church, but there’s one small problem: the church is backsliding in love (v.4).

There are many paradoxes in the Christian life and paradoxes can be hard to maintain. On one hand, there is the call to be faithful, energetic, discerning, and doctrinally sound. On the other hand, there is the call to be masterful in love. This is a difficult tension to keep in balance. Checking someone out to see if they are doctrinally sound at the same time we are trying to love them can be hard to do. The desire for sound doctrine and decisive action often leads to the loss of mutual love, which is the badge of discipleship. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35, NIV.

Martin Luther tried to explain the difficulty of balancing faith and obedience by using the illustration of a drunk peasant on a horse – you don’t know which side he will fall off on! I find that true in my own experience. When I emphasize love and the gospel, obedience seems a little less important. I find encouragement in the experience of Ephesus. The early Christians had the memory of walking with Jesus and they had the living apostles with them, yet they had to deal with some of the same issues we struggle with today. If the early Christians had this same problem, we should not expect to have an easy time of it. We need the Holy Spirit’s presence at all times if we want to keep our balance.