Love Letter

I want to invite you to open your Bible’s or your apps to Revelation Chapter 2. We are getting into the heart of our short series on Revelation today as we begin studying the seven letters to the churches. This first letter to the church in Ephesus is likely familiar to many of you. This morning I’d ask you to try and listen to this passage with fresh ears, and to pray that our God might give us new or renewed insights into the teaching and application of this text for us today. Let’s give this reading your careful attention as it is God’s Word.

Revelation 2:1–7 ESV

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

You may have noticed that I have titled this sermon “Love Letter” and I hope you can see the several layers of meaning behind that title. There is a rebuke and warning in this text concerning our love, or lack thereof. But this warning comes from the loving heart of Christ, who wants us to repent and return to him, that we might share in his love. And, in what is likely my last message to you all, this text was fitting for me to write this sermon as a letter of my love for you all; thanking you for the love you have shown to me and my family. I hope that will come through to you, even though we need to talk about a few hard challenges together. You know I normally like to have a clear outline for you all to follow along with me, but this morning I was just hoping we could talk heart to heart as we sit under this text together. How does that sound?

This passage very likely means exactly what you think it means. The church in Ephesus had become highly skilled and articulate in their theological precision, knowledge, and argumentation. For this they are commended. They have tested and verified who the false teachers are, and they have stood up for truth with endurance. They have even condemned the work of the Nicolaitans, whose identity we really do not know other than they must have been some deviant and heretical group. Christ sees all of this and commends them for it.

And yet, something terrible has happened. For all of their theological precision and argumentation, they have lost something that is crucially important: love. It is as the Apostle Paul said, that we can understand all mysteries and have all knowledge, but we have not love, we are nothing.

The warning and judgment is plain. The call is to repent and return to the love they had “at first”. If they do not, Jesus warns that he may remove their lampstand, meaning that he will close and disband their church.

In this passage, I think we learn that there is a kind of apostasy and walking away from the Lord which we don’t often talk about. When we use the word “apostasy” or talk about “abandoning the faith”, we often do so in terms of theological belief and knowledge. So, for example, if someone who has confessed to follow Christ comes to no longer believe that Jesus was divine the son of God, or that he did not really die for the sins of his people, we say this person has walked away from the faith.

However, what we read in this passage is that there is another way to walk away from the faith. The Ephesian church had gotten to a point where their theological precision and love for argument had superseded their capacity to love. As a result, they were in just as much danger of falling away from the Lord as those who might evidence a genuine love, but lack a true knowledge of Christ and his salvation.

This was not the way it always was for this church. We read of the church in Ephesus in Acts 20, of how they had loved Paul, how they loved Christ and the mission of the church, and how they wept over Paul when he departed, knowing they might never see them again. In his closing address, Paul told this church to take care, knowing that wolves and false teachers would rise up to tear the church a part. Somehow, in the time between Acts 20 and Revelation 2, this church had become experts in refuting false teachers. The scary thing, however, is they had become false themselves. They had lost what was most important. They had lost their love.

You see, the outward elements of our faith are always supposed to signify deeper, spiritual realities. Circumcision was to be an outward sign that would be fulfilled in a changed heart; fasting outwardly is to be a sign that we fast inwardly of selfish want and need; baptism is a sign of a deeper spiritual reality of Christ’s union with us.

So too should it be with our theology. Theological clarity, precision, knowledge; all of these things are good and useful only to the extent that they are evidence of a deep love for Christ and for others. Whenever theological knowledge becomes a barrier to fellowship, love, or service, it is useless. This is precisely the grievous error we find here. One commentator, writing on this passage, said this:

"Heresy-hunting had killed love and orthodoxy had been achieved at the price of fellowship."

I hope I did not exhaust my opportunity for Hamilton illustrations last week. I had Hamilton on the mind last weekend because this was the real illustration I was planning to use, also from Hamilton’s death bed. I mentioned last week that Hamilton had a questionable Christian faith his whole life, but in his last years he appears to have come to a saving knowledge of Christ. On his death bed he did profess faith, saying he relied fully on the saving merit of Jesus Christ. He also renounced the practice of dueling, saying that if he lived he would openly use his influence to oppose the practice. He even said he would be willing to join a church, should he live.

In these dying moments, one of the things he wanted most was to partake of communion. Calling the Episcopalian priest to his bedside, he was denied on moral grounds, because he had participated in this practice of dueling. So he summoned the Presbyterian minister (this is starting to sound like a bad joke), requesting that he might give the Supper to him. The Presbyterian’s response? Quote, “It is a principle in our churches never to administer the Lord’s Supper privately to any person under any circumstances.” As I was reading this scene play out, I couldn’t help but think, “Of course that’s what the Presbyterian said. Of course.” I would’ve been more shocked had the pastor acted with compassion and gone out of his way to summon an elder and some church members to bring the church to Hamilton. Instead, he coldly acted according to his man made principles. And that was that.

In a sense, this is what Presbyterians are known for right? The frozen chosen? We love to do things “decently and in good order.” And believe me, I love doing things decently and in good order (ask my wife). But when precision, principle, and a love for theological argument make way for hard heartedness, even cruelty toward others, we have tragically lost our way.

I’ve shared this story online before, so this may be familiar to some of you. I was drawn to the Reformed faith because I think it is a faithful expression of Biblical teaching. But truth be told, I was also drawn to the Reformed faith because what I found was a sinful love for precision, to win arguments, and to destroy others by dominating arguments and discussion. In my youthfulness and pride, this appealed to me. Sadly, this sinful love fueled much of my desire to attend seminary and enter the ministry.

I took a class on Islam during my first year of seminary. I was eager to take this class because I wanted to know how to crush and destroy anyone who thought that Islam was true. I wanted the exact 5 point argument I could use to shut down and win any argument with any Muslim I met. I hope you can recognize my sinfulness as I tell this to you.

I’ll never forget what happened on the first day of class. Our professor began with a sermon on what ought to motivate us as ministers to participate in the work of mission and evangelism. That motivation, of course, is love. As he preached, it felt like I was the only one in the room. A deep feeling of conviction hit me. At the big crescendo of his sermon, he exclaimed boldly, “If you do not love people, then you have no business being here!”

I was crushed, and I felt condemned by the extent of my sinfulness and pride. Yet Christ was kind to me, as he always is. Rather than leaving me in that place, or even pushing me out of my seminary studies, he began to change my heart. It took time for significant changes in mannerisms to take place. I began to realize how little I listened to others, that I listened in order to respond rather than understand. I realized how often I was the first to speak in every room or at any table, rather than giving the opportunity for others to exercise their voice and view. I realized how my contribution to most conversations was criticism and disagreement, rather than encouragement and kindness. I realized how much of my identity was and is wrapped up in being perceived as right and true, rather than being known for how I love like Christ has loved me. He is still working on my heart, exposing my lack of love in every area of my life.

I love our Reformed and Presbyterian tradition. I love theological accuracy and precision. I believe that is important. But one thing that is so hard and sad for me, having been in this world for several years now, is how little I hear clear and precise calls to love, to love simply and fully with all that we have and all of who we are, to love like Christ has loved us.

Too often our theology becomes a great excuse to make loving others way more complicated than Jesus did.

This is certainly true for me. And if I’m being honest, all I have to show for my sinfulness and foolishness is broken relationships, burned bridges, and plenty of missed opportunities to share the love of Christ with others.

I am here to tell you that amassing knowledge and theological precision at the expense of love…it’s just not worth it. It’s not. It only leads to broken relationships, bitterness, cynicism, and heart break. Trust me. I know.

I want to share some challenges facing the US Evangelical church, particularly those of the Reformed and Presbyterian variety like ours. These challenges will need to be met with an abundance of Christlike love. Before I jump in, I want to be clear from the start of this that my intention is not to point fingers at anyone or make us feel guilty or anything like that. Quite the opposite. I want to help us fan the flame of Christlike love that I know is present in this church. I know it’s present because I feel it all of the time; I know it’s present because of the love you’ve shown our family, because of the way I’ve seen you all love one another, the way I’ve seen the pastors and elders and deacons love the body here. I share these things because I believe God has gifted Shady Grove with love by the power of his Spirit, and my earnest desire is to help you grow in love just as I hope you will continue to help me grow in love, even if from a distance.

Can we do that?

One of the questions that commentators wrestle with in this passage is what kind of love has been forgotten. Is verse 4 speaking of a love for Christ? Or is it speaking of a love for other members of the body, or even a love for those who are outside the church and do not know Christ?

These are good and important questions to ask, but at the end of the day I think it’s splitting hairs. Wouldn’t we agree that a genuine knowledge and love for Jesus Christ leads to a genuine love for others? Isn’t that how we say it works? After all, this is the logic of 1 John 4, where John wrote:

English Standard Version Chapter 4

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

A right theological knowledge and love of God lead to a genuine love for others. Amen? Well, I believe that God is giving our churches a precious opportunity to practice this love. But the longer we wait, the harder it will be. If we don’t act soon, it may be gone.

In his book “One Blood”, the civil rights activist and pastor John Perkins says it this way:

Jesus intentionally brought together disciples who were very different - fishermen, tax collectors - not people who would naturally love one another. But he did this to show us what love looks like in practice. We have the privilege of putting this same kind of love on display as we love those in the body of Christ who don't look like us. It troubles me that there is no outrage at our collective failure to rise up to God's call to oneness.

You see, Christlike love requires that we move toward the outsider in order that they might be brought in to experience the same love from Jesus Christ that we have experienced. At minimum, this must mean a willingness on the part of those who are on the inside to sacrifice preferences and rights in order to make those on the outside feel more welcome, more represented, and more at home.

Who might the outsiders be in our churches today?

Here are some numbers from the pew research forum about our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America, or PCA. These numbers have haunted me as I have sought to help our church, and really our denomination, move forward in this world where we find ourselves.

According to these statistics, 71% of adults in our denomination are over the age of 50, and only 14% are under the age of 40. While 80% of our membership is White, more than 90% of our pastors are. Only 1.2% of our pastors are African American. We are a predominantly college educated, predominantly middle and upper class, and predominantly politically conservative denomination.

Please hear me. I’m not saying that being White, or college educated, or middle-upper class, or any of these things is wrong. Several of these words and categories describe me, and I do not feel guilty about any of them. But ask yourselves this: could it be that Christ is giving a special opportunity to his Church, in this cultural moment of upheaval and strife, to display the ministry of reconciliation in a powerful and dynamic way? I think so. There are plenty of social clubs to be a part of and causes to join, but the Church is supposed to be different. We are supposed to be a people that can only be explained by the gospel; where unlikely people come together across their differences by the reconciling power of the Spirit.

Jesus said that the best evidence that we are his disciples is how we love one another. John and James said that the best evidence we are loved by God is how we love those who are in need. Paul said repeatedly in his letters that how we treat others across our differences matters.

My fear and concern is that the world looks inside at our churches, when they look at how we treat one another when we disagree, and they don’t see the fruits of love. They don’t see Christ.

But what if we are being given an opportunity to change all of that? Isn’t that an encouraging and exciting thought? That even though we are a flawed, sinful, and broken people, that Christ would forgive us and still use us to display his loving kindness to the world? I’m not saying it will be easy; but it will be good. Very good. But it will only happen if we repent of our hard heartedness, our apathy, our pride, and focus our hearts on the great love of Jesus Christ.

I generally stay out of the business of what is happening in other Christian tribes and denominations. It’s not my place, we have a different authority and discipline structure over here, and I want to keep my attention focused on the people God has put right in front of me instead of being all concerned about people “out there”.

However, something is happening in Evangelicalism in the United States. And what’s happening “out there” is starting to affect what’s happening “in here”. Something dark, something sinister, something demonic is taking place. Lines are being drawn where none should exist, mega ministry leaders are marketing fear and false accusations against other believers to drive their own following, brothers and sisters are being turned against one another, churches are splitting, and, frankly, Christ’s name is getting drug through the mud.

I think recent events surrounding Beth Moore, who many of you are familiar with since we use her studies in our women’s ministries, are a good example of this.

You may have heard that Beth Moore recently left the Southern Baptist Convention, which is another evangelical denomination here in the United States. Her departure made national headlines in nearly every major news outlet, because she has a massive following and for decades has had a huge influence on Evangelical Christianity. The reason she gave for leaving the SBC was, quote:

“I am still a Baptist, but I can no longer identify with Southern Baptists. I love so many Southern Baptist people, so many Southern Baptist churches, but I don’t identify with some of the things in our heritage that haven’t remained in the past.”

Over the last several years, Beth has really become something of a hero to me. She has used her platform and influence to speak up for the marginalized, to speak out against racism, and to defend abuse victims. As a result, she has been targeted, attacked, and maligned by so-called Christians who have treated her like an enemy rather than a sister in Christ.

David French, a writer and commentator for the Dispatch, wrote a spot on article about Beth Moore’s departure and the broader darkness we see playing out in evangelicalism. Here is what he said:

As I've read the debates about Beth’s departure, I feel like something is missing. There’s an important part of the story that’s largely left off the table. In my view, the truly important emerging divisions in the Evangelical church aren’t just theological or ideological. They’re also dispositional and temperamental.

You can go down entire YouTube rabbit holes featuring video after video of Christian critics attacking Beth in sneering and condescending terms. The online abuse has been astounding. Critics dissected her public statements syllable by syllable, and fired missile after missile from their theological and ideological citadels. The message was simple--Beth Moore is wrong. The gloves are off.

He concludes,

It’s past time to acknowledge that we’re often turning our priorities upside-down. It’s past time to acknowledge that cruelty is its own form of apostasy. Cruelty is disobedience.

If you take anything from this message, other than Christ and his love for you, I hope it will be the great love that I have for you all. But if there is anything secondary you take away, I hope it is this warning: There are a number of people out there who claim the name of Christ but would like to seduce you with sharp words, bitterness, cynicism, accusations, suspicion, and hate wrapped up in what appears to be knowledgeable and theologically precise language. They may even have book deals and impressive mega ministries. Don’t fall for it. The Apostle Paul wrote,

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 ESV

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

We love these verses because they first and foremost tell us about the kind of love Jesus has shown to us. Do not measure the words and actions of Christians by theological precision alone. Measure them also by their Christlike love. And if there is any voice in your life - a pastor, a pundit, a politician - who is influencing you to be rude, suspicious, bitter, critical, or confrontational; let me ask you - is it worth it? I hope you’ll agree - no. It’s not.

Do not forget the love that Christ has shown to you. He loves you fiercely and fully. When Jesus calls us to repentance, he does so out of great love for us. Even though our love for Christ waxes and wanes like the moon, his love is like the Sun, constant, present, and burning brightly for you. Turn from all that does not lead to love, and come back home to the overflowing heart of love that Christ has for you.

I mentioned a few specific statistics about the PCA. You may have seen a recent statistic coming from a gallup poll, which also made national headlines. According to this recent study, church membership in the US, which as recently as 2000 was as high as 70%, is now below 50% of all US citizens. They break their findings down by generation. Church membership remains high among baby boomers, at 58%, about average for Generation X at 50%, but plummets down to 36% for millennials. While they don’t have data for Gen Z yet, my hunch is that number will be even lower. By the way, Millennials are those roughly between the ages of 26 and 39; Gen Z are those 25 or younger.

Nearly everyone agrees that in one way or another the Christian faith is on the decline in the West. When I hear leaders try to give explanations for this, the secular culture is often to blame. Or, we say, Jesus is weeding out false professions and purifying his church. Maybe.

But you know what I never hear anyone give as an explanation? That Jesus is removing lampstands. That he is the one closing churches. Yet isn’t that exactly what we see as the warning here? Jesus warned the church in Ephesus that if they did not turn from their loveless theology he would remove their lampstand and close their church. This warning was not just for the church in Ephesus alone, for verse 7 says,

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Could it be the case that the decline of Christianity and closure of churches in the United States is not principally because the secular soil is becoming rockier, nor because we are being purified of false professions, but because our churches are being judged for a lack of love? It seems to me that based on a passage like this, this is a very real possibility. My experience living as a younger Christian pastoring other young Christians leads me to believe this may very well be the case.

You may have heard terms like “exvangelical” or “deconstructing”. These are two common words used to describe a fast growing movement of primarily young adult Christians who are walking away from the Church, and in some cases Christianity itself, often because of deep wounds they’ve received in churches, because of experiences of feeling discarded or forgotten, or because they feel grossly misrepresented and misunderstood. When you hear these words you might think of ideas you disagree with, but when I hear these words I think of my friends, my loved ones, the precious souls I have shepherded and cared for.

It is very difficult to be a young Christian today. It is difficult because it can be so rare in friend groups and work places to be a Christian. It is difficult because there are many competing ideas and messages being delivered to us. It is also difficult because the cares, concerns, and struggles many young Christians have go unaddressed and unheard, or are misunderstood, in our churches.

As I have listened to my friends, loved ones, and others I have tried to care for these last several years, I have been heartbroken by the stories I have heard. I have tried to compile the struggles and challenges young christians are having with the US Evangelical church at large into a list that represents these challenges they face. While sharing this list lacks the personal touch of story, I hope you will hear the pain behind the items on this list. Here are some of the things I’ve seen and heard.

1. The uncritical adoration of politics and politicians is heartbreaking.

2. The fallout of purity culture is confusing.

3. The teaching surrounding sex and sexuality, which often blames and shames women, and treats men like they’re just animals unable to control their appetites, is harmful.

4. The reluctance to engage issues of abuse and racism in our churches and surrounding communities is maddening.

5. The lack of empathy for mental health struggles is crushing.

6. The culture war rhetoric and combativeness is frustrating.

7. The lack of social concern and outreach lacks authenticity.

8. Christian spaces are often not a safe places to say any of these things.

I have heard the same story from different people time and time again. It begins with a young Christian struggling with any one, or multiple, of the items on this list. They post about it on social media, or try to share their struggle in a group, or try to talk to someone in the church about it, and they are swiftly met with argument, dismissal, interruption, and even accusations of walking away from the faith.

I hope you can see how, if you have that same experience 2, 3, or even more times, you will begin to feel like you don’t matter; like your views and struggles are invalidated; like you won’t be listened to so why even bother?

Perhaps you can empathize with this struggle, remembering a time in your life when you felt dismissed, invalidated, or wrongly accused.

The reason why so many Young Christians are finding it difficult to belong to a church, and why so many eventually walk away, often does not begin with theological disagreement. It begins with being unheard, misrepresented, and dismissed.

You know what I’ve learned these last for years as a pastor at Shady Grove? This is probably one of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a pastor. The most important tool I have in my pastoral tool belt is not my seminary degree, it’s not my library, it’s not my theological knowledge.

It is my tears, and my willingness to listen.

If God has gifted you with a place to call home, resources, and a dinner table; I want to encourage you to use these things to make a safe space for young adults and young Christians to come and share their challenges and struggles with them. I know it’s still hard right now with COVID stuff, but the weather is getting nice. Be as creative as you can. Just please, don’t settle for an attitude like, “The young adults, the college students, are just over there, doing their thing, and we’ll just stay over here, doing our thing.” Invite them to share as much or as little about themselves and their story as they feel comfortable. If they’re struggling, listen, and put an arm around their shoulder. Let them know you care about them and are in their corner. Remind them of Jesus’ unending and unfailing love for them.

If you’re a younger Christian, perhaps in your 20’s or young 30’s, and you get that invite - accept it. The church is not perfect, nor are any of us. But the church is nevertheless a gift. And I promise you there are lovely, wonderful Christians who care about you and who love you.

I know, because our family has experienced that love here from this church. Speaking of tears, I cry much more now than I used to. So much more. Sometimes, we’re at home, just hanging out, or watching a show, and Neva looks over at me like, “Are you crying?” Yes, ok. I am.

Do you know why I cry so much more now? It has everything to do with the way this church has loved our family. You have loved us enough to let us into your lives. You have trusted us with your pain, your sorrow, your struggles. You have sacrificed your own interests in order to support the ministries we have tried to launch here. You have sacrificed your own resources to bless our family; you have visited us and dropped off food through a window when COVID first hit; you cared for our children; you watched our dog; you encouraged us when we’ve said we are discouraged. You have pursued us for friendship even when we are often too busy.

We have learned what it means to love Jesus by the tender prayers that are offered in our presence; by the faithfulness many of you have learned through real suffering and trials; by the exhortations to press on for Christ’s sake when ministry was hard; and by your forgiveness when we have done you wrong.

I believe with all my heart that God has gifted this church with a tender love and compassion. Our family has received this gift of love time and again from you. The only reason we have received this love is because the Spirit is at work here. When we leave here, not now, but soon, our memory of you will be a sweet reminder of the tender love of Jesus Christ.

My hope is that when you remember us, you will likewise remember our love for you all, our earnest attempts to make Christ known among you, and our desire to bear witness to the real difference the loving kindness of God our savior makes in our lives.

Fan the flame of love for Jesus Christ. May he cause the lampstand of Shady Grove to burn ever brighter.