Application Guide: “Who are You Falling For? Part 4” (Rev. 2:1-7)

 

Sept. 18th, 2005: Kimber Kauffman, Senior Pastor of College Park Church, began walking through the seven churches mentioned in Revelation 2-3 as part of his series on worship. This Sunday, Pastor Kimber preached on the church in Ephesus, a church with full heads, busy feet, and empty hearts. He challenged the congregation to consider how far we have drifted from having a hot, on-fire love for Christ.

 

  1. Christ is still at work among the churches. He is aware of the state of our church.
    1. What would Christ say if he wrote a letter to the church today? What would he say to the church in America? To College Park?
    2. What would Christ say we’re doing well, and what we’re doing poorly?
    3. Are we even conscious that Christ is at work in our church? Or has church attendance simply become an empty, hollow ritual? Are we even fearful of the idea that Christ could remove our lampstand (v. 5)?

 

  1. Toil and labor becomes drudgery if it’s not done with a heart full of love.
    1. How can we make sure that our commitment to orthodoxy, hard work, and church activities are always seasoned with a love and passion for Christ?
    2. How can we know if we have “full heads, busy feet, but empty hearts”? How can we know if we are bearing up under trial simply with “Stoic indifference,” or rather, with a deep joy that comes from loving Jesus?
    3. When have there been times in your own life that service has become drudgery or you have burnt out from doing ministry? Is this related to a lackluster love for Christ on your part? How has Satan worked in your life to cause your love to drift? What other factors are involved in this?
    4. Is there evidence that your Christianity and church-going is a “relationship, not a religion”? How is the relationship going?

 

  1. There are three steps we need to take if we are to regain an exuberant love for Christ: remember, repent, and resume.
    1. Remember: Where did you use to be in regards to your passion for Christ? What was your passion for Christ like when you first became a Christian? How and why has this love for Christ waned? How can we hold on to our first love while also maturing and deepening in our faith?
    2. Repent: In what areas do you need repentance in order to reconcile your relationship with Christ? Are you bitter and angry? Do you have a complaining spirit, thinking you deserve something from God? Have you backslidden into a life of laziness and comfort?
    3. Resume: How are you going to recapture the love you had at first? What will your service and toil for Christ look like if it is motivated by love?