The Corporate Descent from Purity..

The early church was a glorious church! Consider what the Bible says about them in regards to their lifestyles and Christian disciplines:

Acts 2:41-47 “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

Here we see that after being saved, water baptized, and filled with the Holy Ghost, the virgin church:

a. Continued to sit under sound Bible teaching
b. Spent time praying and eating together
c. Fellowshipped with each other
d. Walked in the fear of God
e. Experienced signs and wonders
f. Were together in loving unity
g. Had all things common (shared)
h. Met each other’s needs
i. Met and worshipped daily
j. God continued to add people to the church

WOW! It wasn’t long after this however (approx. 70 years?), that we find the Lord Jesus standing outside of His own church! What happened? TO CHRISTIANS He says:

Revelation 3:15-16 " I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."

And again...

Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

But what has CAUSED this? What has birthed such an apathy in God’s people that they no longer allow Him in their midst? Well, the very first corporate mistake we find recorded in Scripture regards the church at Ephesus:

Revelation 2:1-4 “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, BECAUSE THOU HAST LEFT THY FIRST LOVE.”

This phrase “first love” can also be translated “love-feast”. They have left their “love-feast”. The people here no longer possess the affections they once had for the Lord. Their relationship with Him is no longer a love-feast. They have left this place of intimacy! The meaning of the word Ephesus is, “to relax; to permit; to loosen”. Could it be that the Ephesian church was found relaxed in their pursuit of Jesus, permitting the flesh to come in and rule (Rom 13:14; Gal 5:16), and growing loose in their convictions (Eph 4:26)? The corporate church at large began to grow lukewarm. What a sad story! And how sad it must be to the heart of God that this attitude in His people has, in effect, caused them to reject His wooings, and put Him outside.

Jeremiah 2:2 says, "Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness OF THY YOUTH, the love of thine espousals..."

How sad that this was only a memory, and not a current reality. Oswald Chambers has asked, "Am I as spontaneously loving to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Have I been kind to Him this past week? Have I been kind to His reputation in my life? If I find that He is not what He used to be to me, may it produce shame and humiliation , because that shame will bring the godly sorrow that works repentance."

May we be ever-conscious of our own hearts that we do not mimic this ungodly behavior. May we always be full of the extravagance of love to Jesus Christ as we were in the beginning, when we went out of our way to prove our devotion! The minute Jesus becomes common place in our lives, we have begun the descent from purity (Rev 18:4). May we ever possess a fascinated heart ablaze! How wonderful that our Lord’s counsel and cure is simple repentance (Rev 2:5).