Fuel the Fire – By Pastor Dan Cravillion
08-02-15
First I want to thank the Lord
for his provision of rest for me and also, the Elders and the LEFC body.
Let me see a show of
hands if you are at least a 2nd gen Christian or have been a
Christian for more than 5 years.
· It is possible that you
are falling into a subtle trap just as I did & church at Ephesus did. Forty
yyears after
Paul launched the church in Ephesus and it seems to be perfect church characterized
by service, faithfulness & sanctification. Acts 19:1, 20:29-32, Rev
2:1-3
· Jesus is praising them
for their labor to point of exhaustion.
o
They are not spectators but involved & active in
teaching, sharing, and helping others.
· They are faithful: patience
& endurance.
· Have not lost sensitivity
to sin. They endure evil but not evil
men.
· They are solid
doctrinally which enabled spiritual discernment.
o
Only teachers who are faithful & true to Word of
God are welcomed to teach.
§ LEFC continues to stand
on God’s Word regardless of world/ US governmental stance
· They are doing it all for
glory of Christ…My namesake..
They had
great leadership (Paul, Timothy pastor), and did/believed all right things for the
right reason which is the Glory of Christ, but had a fatal flaw…their love/heart
had grown cold toward Jesus. Rev 2:4
·
They probably didn’t even realize passion/joy was now
duty. The honeymoon was over:
o
A church gets like that when its people get like that.
o
This is probably the 2nd & 3rd
generation of Christains, (1st gen. mostly gone) and they have strong tradition,
but not intense love.
They
have lost this simple perspective: Loving Jesus is the center of a saving
relationship with Him. Mk 12:28b-30,
Jn 21:15-17, 1 Pet 1:8a, 1 Jn 4:19-21
·
Christ’s love for us is fixed. Zeph 3:17, Jer 31:3, Ps 147:10-11
o
The issue is not Jesus’ love for us but our love for
Jesus.
·
All Christians love Jesus to some degree. But the intensity/level
of that love can change.
o
Scripture tells how to “return” to our passionate first
love. Rev 2:5
Remember
how it was. ..
·
There was a time when you didn't know much/accurate theology
but passionately loved Christ.
o
I believe Doctrine’s purpose is to develop TRUE
& INTIMATE relationship with Jesus.
·
If you are 2nd or more generation Christian,
find out how it was for a 1st gen Christian.
o
This principle is reflected many times in Old Testament.
§ The old testament shares
testimonies when came to markers/festivals
Repent!
Confess of your coldness in worship, your serving without joy, and doing things
out of duty; repent of loving knowledge and theology more than Christ.
·
Then change! Repeat things you did at 1st.
o
With your Spouse: you made time, were constantly
thinking about them, and initiated communication
§ You read the Bible, served
body/others, prayed, fellowshiped with other Christians.
·
The Christian life about a heart attitude (of love)
much more than conduct.
o
If the heart is right then service/offering will be acceptable
& will be a delight not a duty.
§ If you have
children’s hearts their labors are motivated by love not duty.
Are you
growing in your love for Jesus? Do you desire him more now than in the
past?
·
Christ can see what we can't. He can see our heart.
o
Ask the Holy Spirit to cause your 1st
love to increase constantly into a fuller love for our great Savior.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.