I find it interesting in what Jesus said to the churches in the early days.
As Jesus expanded on all the things good about the churches, with all the things he commended them for and what they were doing, he still found the most important thing was missing.
He says; in Revelations 2:4 Having commended the church in Ephesians for its doctrinal integrity and persevrance in the face of adversity, Jesus reveals in verse 4 what he found lacking in the Ephesians church. The love that they had in the beginning for Him.
What remained was devotion to the truth, doctrinal, but not devotion to the Lord.
Let us compare that to a good marriage:
How would it be if the wife performed all the duties of a wife but without genuine love for her husband?
The same can be said for the husband.
What if the husband continued to work to provide an income for his family and kept performing the household duties that fall to a husband, but no longer loved his wife? Wouldn't the marriage be a cold, sterile relationship?
On the other hand, duties performed out of love for one's spouse give meaning and warmth to one's marriage.
I have come to see that most of the modern-day churches are doing this very thing.
So many programs, functions, talking of spreading the gospel, even many mission trips, where in itself these things are good. But if the church followers are doing all they do out of a righteous not out of a heart that truly loves the Lord Jesus Christ putting him as their first love, it becomes just a do so only. "Good works."
Asking: is the music the focus of drawing new church attendees? Is the programs to draw people to Jesus or the CHURCH? What about drawing people to the main one? The Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins?
So many who truly took Jesus as their personal Savior maybe many years ago, get caught up in the programs, and small groups, what will we do this weekend, my friends, my church seat, all about my, my, my!!?
I know for myself, that it took a long time for me to come to Jesus as my personal Savior because, I saw busy church people, but not Jesus as the focus.
When I led my elderly brother to the Lord, just a month before his passing, that was his reason for not understanding and coming to Jesus. He saw pastors on TV church only talking of money, and not making the main thing the MAIN thing. I helped him get straight on that, sadly, some are not saved themselves. And he did take Jesus as his own personal Savior.
Let's all that know the Lord, let Him be our first love. Let us put Him above any church activities or let the church be number one to us. Let Jesus who died for your sins, be and stay the FIRST in our lives.
JESUS may YOU always stay FIRST in my life.
For the King and His Kingdom SarahTylerAuthor.com contributing writer for: