The early church didn’t begin with impressive buildings, polished programs, or institutional power. It began with hearts set on fire by the risen Christ. A people who had seen the Lord—truly seen Him—could not help but speak, could not help but love. They gathered, they prayed, they gave, they suffered—all because of a love that had turned their world inside out. And yet, even a church as faithful and fruitful as Ephesus could let that love grow dim. Christ Himself saw it and said so.

“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.” (Revelation 2:4–5, BSB)

These words are not to be read coldly. They come from the lips of the One who walks among the lampstands. The One who knows our deeds—and our hearts. He saw Ephesus laboring, discerning, enduring. But He also saw what was missing. Love. Not just emotion, but affection. Not just duty, but devotion.

The warning is just as timely now. In our day, we’ve built ministries that can run without prayer. We’ve filled calendars but emptied hearts. We’re active—but are we still in love with Christ? That’s what Jesus is asking.

He isn’t calling us to more programs. He’s calling us to more of Himself.

He says, “Remember.” That’s the first step. Remember when grace first found you. When Scripture was alive. When prayer was sweet. When your heart burned at the sound of His name. Can you recall that? If you can, then you know how far you’ve drifted. And so He says next: “Repent.” Not with vague emotion, but with specific return. Turn around. Come back. And then: “do the works you did at first.” Not because they earn His favor, but because they flow from His love.

This return isn’t a backward longing. It’s a forward movement to Christ. The early church had power, but it wasn’t their own. Jesus told them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…” (Acts 1:8, BSB). That’s the same power available today. But it is not found through fleshly effort. It comes when we wait, when we yield, when we walk in step with the Spirit rather than sprint ahead in our own strength.

Look at how those first believers lived. Acts 2 says they devoted themselves “to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” They were not a crowd—they were a family. Church wasn’t a service they attended; it was a life they shared. Too many today are lonely in the pew. But that’s not Christ’s design. He calls us into koinonia—a deep, Spirit-formed fellowship that shares tears, joys, burdens, and bread.

And how they spoke! “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard,” Peter and John declared (Acts 4:20, BSB). That’s what love does—it spills over. Has our silence revealed our forgetfulness? Have we grown quiet about the One who gave everything for us? When love is fresh, witness is natural. You don’t need to be told to talk about Jesus—you just do.

But there is a cost. And this is where many pull back. Philippians 1:29 tells us, “It has been granted to you not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him.” (BSB) What a thing to say—granted. Suffering isn’t punishment for the Christian; it’s a gift. It means we’re walking close enough to Christ that the world notices. The early church counted it joy to be found worthy to suffer for His name. We, too, must learn to carry our cross, not just wear it.

Friend, has your love grown cold? Has your service become separated from your affection for Christ? Then hear the voice of Jesus today. He is not angry in the way we often think. He is calling. With tenderness. With truth. “Remember… Repent… Return.”

What would it mean for you to do that? Not later, not after this season settles down—but now. What would it look like to go back to your knees, back to His Word, back to that first love?

The Savior who once drew near still does. He waits. And He is more than willing to fan the embers of your heart into flame once again.

“Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind us up.” (Hosea 6:1, BSB)

Complimentary Cross References:
Jeremiah 2:2
Luke 24:32
Psalm 51:12
Hebrews 10:24–25
Romans 12:11