Love Letters

Who here used to write letters and send them in the mail? We have moved to such a technological age now if you want to write someone a letter you type it up and send it via the internet and it arrives in seconds to be read at their convienince. For this reason most emails, are typed up quickly and have very little form. Most do not take the care to check for grammer and spelling as we know that 99% of emails are read then deleted.

No one treasures an email, to be read over and over. There was a day though when letter writting was more then just relaying information. There was a day when a letter was an expresion of ideas, and emotions, from people you couldn’t just see whenever you wanted and so people would save their letters. That way when they missed someone they could pull out the letters and read them over and over again.

In fact the best representaion of what war was really like is not found in official military records but rather in the letters that were sent home from the soliders and were saved by family members and loved ones.

These letters share not just tactical information, but rather the emotion and longing to be home felt by the soilders.

I say all that to say a large portion of the New Testement was actually written as letters to different bodies of believers. Letters that were preserved and shared so that we have access to the today for the benifit of understanding what it was like back then, but also for our own study, growth and edification as we study it and learn from it to become the best disciples we can be, as these texts are timeless and if it wass true for the church back then. It is helpful and true for the church today.

What is more these letters can be read, and reread and held onto to help us through some difficult times. In fact the more we long to see Jesus and be where He is the more we appriciate having these first hand accounts and letters to which God preserved for us.

Which is why for the next 7 Sunday evning encounter Sermons what I would like to do is look at some letters that we have read here before, probably more than once, but by looking at and remembering these letters we as a church can make sure that we do not repete mistakes of other churches or if we have we can repent and turn back to God.

These letters are found in Revelation 2:1-3:22 They are messages written to seven different church’s and we are going to look at a different church each week and answering this question...

What does God expect from us?

Tonight the first letter we will look at is found in Revelation 2:1-7 It is a letter written to the church in Ephesus. Some have proposed that the proplems posed in these letters are representative of different types of churches in the world today. Others propose the are written for different eras with this letter being written for the early church. Others still say they are meant to be for the church at large.

It seems that most likly these letters were written to real churches but distributed as we see them, in one letter to be read by all, if for no other reason, there is nothing new under the sun. So if one church is struggling with a certain issue it only makes since that others may be as well.

However you choose to view these letters, one thing is sure. What God addresses in these letters shows both what God expects from His church and what He doesn’t want from His church.

So without further adue lets dive in and see if we can’t answer the question...

What does God expect from us?

Revelation 2:1–7 NLT

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands: “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

What does God expect from us?

There is sooo much we can learn and apply from this. like how God expects us to be patient, not to toorate evil. To test those who claim to speak for God. To perserveer. But the big one that seems to really be highlighted here is that God expects us...

To renew our Love!

Me: So many failed marriages are attributed to this cause. We fell out of love. or We just do not love each other anymore. The thing is that doesn’t just happen over night. In order for a couple who truly loved each other to “fall out of love” it takes years of neglect and indifference.

If one does not invest into a relationship, it is not a wonder that as the newness wares off so too will the feelings of infatuation. This is why I always tell married couples to keep dating each other, learning new things and remember what it is that attracted you to them in the first place.

We: Unfortunatly this same kind of thing can happen to us in our relationship with God. When we first came to God everything was new and exciting. We loved going to church and reading our bibles. We prayed nonstop. But over time the newness wore off. Our zealousness declined and we find ourselves feeling tired and indifferent. Do we love God? I hope so, but do we have the same passion and dedication as we used to?

God: This was the problem the churc h at Ephesus was facing. They were still doing all the things they were supposed to do, but the letter seems to imply there passion had diminished. They had stopped working to serve and reach others like they once did. God’s response to this return to your first love. Repent and return to doing what they did in the begining.

You: How is your passion level? Do you love God and people more everyday, or have you grown indifferent?

We: As a church may we never become indifferent. May our passion be as strong or stronger even then the day we first began. Let us do the work God has called us to, that our lamp stand so to speak would not be removed.

Let us be a church filled with Love for God and for each other, just as the two greatest commandments demand.

Next Step: Stand up if you feel the need to be revived, with new passion I want you to remain standing...