Repent & Do The Things You Did At First...

Brother Maynard's post "To Clarify This Journey" got me thinking, as he eloquently put into words what I -- and many others -- have been trying to say. And I wonder: Would it be fair to question the current state of the church by applying the following passage (Revelation 2:2-7)?

"I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." (emphasis added)

The first part of this passage reads like a good, solid, Bible-believing church, doesn't it? Good deeds, hard work, enduring hardship for the faith, not tolerating false teachers, not glossing over sin -- sounds pretty impressive!

But all of this hard work, perseverence, doctrinal orthodoxy was for nothing, because they'd lost their first love. Losing that love was so heinous that the only word that could be applied was "repent". WIthout recovering that love, Jesus is warning them that they are about to lose their lampstand (ministry) completely.

Bro Maynard's post is, if I could sum it up, a heart-cry for "going back and doing the things (we) did at first". Well said, Bro.