Cover Story: The Love Connect

COVER STORY

The LO VE

Connect

By Bishop Titus B. Stewart

“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works...” - Revelation 2:5

uestion? Have you ever sensed the Holy Spirit pleading with you to return to the “on-fire” love you had for Him when you first received your salvation?

What we see here is Jesus did with the church of Ephesus when He diagnosed their spiritual condition and told them that they had left their first love. (See Revelation 2:4) He also showed them the steps they needed to take in order to reverse their course and rectify the situation. This is seen in Revelation 2:5, where Jesus told the Ephesians believers how to return to the white-hot passion they’d possessed in the early years of salvation. He said, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works…” Notice that Jesus urged the congregation in Ephesus to do three things to correct their deteriorated spiritual condition:

Q1) remember, 2) repent, and 3) do the first works. I want to focus on the word remember… The Ephesian believers had lost their “first love”—the simplicity and passion that marked their early love for Jesus Christ. This tells us how far they had unintentionally drifted from the spiritual zeal that once characterized them. For this reason, Jesus urged them to stop everything they were doing in order to “remember” the precious fellowship they used to enjoy with Him before they became so spiritually sophisticated. Now, let’s look at the word “remember,” which is a translation of the Greek word mneia. In ancient literature, the word denoted a written record used to memorialize a person’s actions, a sepulcher, a stature, a monument, or a tombstone. The fact that the word mneia can denote a sepulcher is very significant in

the context of Revelation 2:5, because it suggests the Ephesian believers’ early experiences with Christ had become buried by years of activity.

Like dirt on a grave, the busyness of ministry had buried what was once precious to them. So, by using this word mneia, Jesus implored them to dig through the clutter of their schedules, routines, and activities and unearth the early memories of their faith when it was tender and new. (So they are called to Remember their past)

Furthermore, because mneia (“remember”) also refers to a statue or a monument, we see that certain memories should forever stand tall in our lives and never be forgotten.

Memories, however, must be deliberately maintained and cultivated if they are to remain vital in our hearts and minds.

Like an unmarked grave, important memories can be easily forgotten. Adults forget their childhood; nations forget their heritage; and Christians forget their early beginnings with Jesus. So in Revelation 2:5, we discover that churches can forget their past.

David said, (Ps 103:2)—“Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things He does for me.” David told himself to never forget the good things God has done. We also must make up our minds to never forget God’s goodness in our lives.

Point of Observation: I have discovered that God is so gracious to us. He knows we have spiritual amnesia. He knows that we are forgetful. So he gives us memorials. He commands us to do certain things that will serve as reminders. Now, here are three practical ways, among others, to combat spiritual amnesia.

1. Think: (Psalms 77:12)—“I will ponder all your works, and meditate on your mighty deeds”

2. Thanks: Engage your heart in gratitude for what He has done. (Psalm 77:12)—“I will give thanks to the

Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds”

3. Tell: Once we’ve spent time remembering and thanking the Lord for the great things He has done for us, the joy of those memories should overflow in our conversations with those around us. In Joshua 4, we find this instruction specifically regarding children.” (Joshua 4: 21-22)—“When your children ask their fathers in times to come, “What do these stones mean? Then you shall let your children know,

‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’” In the early years of the Ephesian church, the vibrancy and excitement of the Ephesian believers inspired the passion in congregations and spiritual leaders throughout the years. But as the years passed, this zeal for the things of God slowly ebbed away. Knowledge increased, but the believers’ fiery passion for Jesus diminished.

Undoubtedly, as the Ephesian church grew, so did its members’ schedules, routines, habits, customs, and traditions. They were so busy serving Jesus that they lost their intimacy with Him, and it is likely that they experienced a loss of joy in their service, since joy is impossible to maintain without a vital connection to the Savior.

So then, our love for the Lord must become contagious as we invest our time having daily devotions in the presence of the King.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Titus B. Stewart has achieved national recognition as a religious philanthropist, educator, religious leader, businessman and author.

He is the founder and chairman of T.B. Stewart Ministries and pastor of Greater Emmanuel Family Worship Center in Houston, Texas. Dr. Stewart has been married to Lady Tammy Stewart for 22 years and is father and example to their son, Trenton.