The church of Ephesus reminds me of Trinity Presbyterian in some ways. We, too, have taken a stand and separated from wicked people and false teachers (Revelation 2:2). Our congregation paid a terrible price to separate from a denomination that does not demand their leaders be sound in the faith or in their lives.
Virtually any Christian can be a member of a Presbyterian congregation, but our leaders must affirm the fundamentals of Christian truth and be committed to living an exemplary life. When that was no longer possible to maintain, we separated.
Trinity Presbyterian is also a hard-working fellowship, reaching out to others with such things as Heroes' Pantry, helping Texarkana's veterans with the needs of the body and the soul. We have stuck it out through thick and thin, knowing that God requires faithfulness (Revelation 2:3).
But there is one glaring negative about the church in Ephesus, a quality that is so bad that the very survival of that church was threatened: They had lost their first love (Revelation 2:5).
(1) We must remember what it was like in our honeymoon period shortly after we were saved (Revelation 2:5).
(2) We must repent, changing our mind and our way of life (Revelation 2:5).
(3) We must return to the practices of our early devotion to the Lord Jesus. What did we do back then when we looked forward to getting into the Word, times of prayer and praise, and fellowship with other believers? Return to those practices, begging the Holy Spirit to fan into flame the dying embers of a lost love (Revelation 2:5).
Though the text is not about dead marriage, but a stale relationship with the Lord Jesus, these same principle apply.
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After serving Grace Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Louisiana, Bob was honorably retired on Sunday, September 27, 2015, and given the title "Pastor Emeritus." This was forty years to the day after he became their pastor.
He now works for the Presbytery of the Gulf South as...
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