"Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love."
— Revelation 2:4 (KJV)
After fifty-eight years of ministry, I have watched America change. I have watched communities change. I have watched families change. I have watched churches change. Some of those changes have been good. Some have corrected wrongs that should never have existed. But if there is one observation that burdens my heart more than any other, it is this:
The American Church has lost much of its first love.
I am not speaking of every church or every believer. Thank God there are still faithful men and women who love the Lord with all their heart. There are still prayer warriors who faithfully intercede. There are still pastors who preach the whole counsel of God. There are still believers who would rather suffer for Christ than deny Him.
But on the whole, I fear that we have become comfortable where our forefathers were committed.
We have become satisfied where they were hungry.
We have become entertained where they were devoted.
We have become indifferent where they were grateful.
A Church That Once Knew Gratitude
I can remember a generation that had very little by today's standards. Many lived in modest homes. They drove old cars. They worked hard for everything they owned.
Yet they were thankful.
They thanked God for the rain.
They thanked God for the sunshine.
They thanked God for food on the table.
They thanked God for a church where they could worship freely.
Most of all, they thanked God for salvation.
When they sang, "Amazing Grace," it was not just another hymn in the songbook. It was their testimony.
They knew what it meant to be lost.
They knew what it meant to be redeemed.
They knew what it meant to have their sins washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Today we possess more than any generation before us, yet we often seem less thankful.
The Warning of Romans One
The Apostle Paul gives us a sobering warning:
"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful..." (Romans 1:21 KJV)
Notice where the decline began.
It did not begin with gross immorality.
It did not begin with open rebellion.
It began when people stopped being thankful.
A grateful heart recognizes God's blessings.
An ungrateful heart begins to believe it deserves them.
The difference is enormous.
When we cease to thank God for His blessings, we begin to take them for granted. Eventually we act as though we earned them ourselves.
That is the road that leads away from God.
We Have Become Comfortable
One of the greatest dangers facing the American Church is not persecution.
It is prosperity.
The church has learned how to build bigger buildings.
We have learned how to use technology.
We have learned how to market ourselves.
But have we learned how to pray?
Have we learned how to weep over lost souls?
Have we learned how to seek the face of God?
Many churches are full of activity but lacking spiritual power.
Programs have replaced prayer meetings.
Entertainment has replaced conviction.
Comfort has replaced sacrifice.
The church that once gathered around the altar now gathers around schedules and activities.
The church that once cried for revival now often settles for convenience.
The Loss of Our First Love
When Jesus spoke to the church at Ephesus, He commended many things.
They had sound doctrine.
They opposed false teaching.
They were faithful workers.
Yet the Lord saw a problem hidden beneath the surface.
"Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." (Revelation 2:4 KJV)
They still had religion.
They still had activity.
They still had knowledge.
But something was missing.
Their love for Christ had cooled.
That same danger faces us today.
It is possible to attend church every Sunday and lose our first love.
It is possible to know doctrine and lose our first love.
It is possible to serve in ministry and lose our first love.
The Lord does not merely want our labor.
He wants our hearts.
What Happened?
I believe many of us have become so blessed that we have forgotten the One who blessed us.
Moses warned Israel:
"Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God..." (Deuteronomy 8:11 KJV)
Israel was warned that prosperity could become a greater danger than poverty.
The same is true today.
When life is easy, prayer often becomes shallow.
When blessings abound, gratitude often fades.
When trials are few, dependence upon God can weaken.
The danger is not the blessing.
The danger is forgetting the Giver.
There Is Still Hope
The good news is that the Lord's message to Ephesus did not end with rebuke.
It ended with an invitation.
"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works..." (Revelation 2:5 KJV)
Remember.
Repent.
Return.
That is still the answer.
The answer is not a new program.
The answer is not a new marketing strategy.
The answer is not another political movement.
The answer is for God's people to return to their first love.
To fall in love with Jesus again.
To be grateful again.
To seek His face again.
To hunger for His presence again.
A Final Thought from a Country Preacher
As I look back over fifty-eight years of ministry, I am convinced that America does not primarily need bigger churches, better programs, or more impressive buildings.
We need believers whose hearts are on fire for Christ.
We need saints who are thankful for salvation.
We need churches that pray.
We need Christians who love Jesus more than they love the world.
The Lord has blessed America beyond measure. Yet the greatest blessing He ever gave us was not prosperity, freedom, or success.
The greatest blessing He gave us was His Son.
May we never become indifferent to the cross.
May we never lose our gratitude for grace.
May we never lose our first love.
"Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20 KJV)
