First Love First Works

Reality Check:

IF you didn’t get into God’s Word FIRST thing this morning it’s because He’s not your “first love” – you are backslidden (Revelation 2:4-5). “Repent” now and confess your sins to Him. RETURN to Christ! NOW do we understand when Jesus says only a “few” will enter through the narrow gate? (Matthew 7:13-14)

We do well to ask God that our love for Him be supreme and spontaneous.

“You’ll want nothing more when you want to follow the LORD.” Liza Young

IS your life and are your words all about JESUS?

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;” 2 Corinthians 5:17-18

If all things have not changed at some point in your life, you are not yet the LORD’s. The good news is that you are reading this now and can meet Jesus. Go here: Making Peace with God

Charles Pray writes:

“God does not want a people who like Him! He’s looking for people who LOVE Him and Worship Him in Spirit and Truth. If you look up to fleshly men more than you do to God, you’re living in a false worship, and God will have no part of that. God does not share His Glory with anyone. Have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying and stop following the cults of this world. You are precious to God.”

Does God Know You?

“But if any man love God, the same is known of him.” 1 Corinthians 8:3

Notice “IF any man LOVE God”… “the same is known of him.”

WE are either full of self or we’re full of the Savior today. Which will it be?

EVER been in a relationship where you didn’t feel wanted or special to that person by the way they neglected you? HOW do we think God feels by the way we are treating Him? Is Jesus truly your “FIRST love” or a second class citizen? (See Revelation 2:4-5.) IF we don’t like being neglected, WHY would we neglect the LORD Jesus?

In this late hour, Jesus chides and beckons –

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works (evangelism); or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (Revelation 2:4-5)

When we genuinely “repent” and return to our “first love,” our hearts will be filled with the desire to help others know the only Savior.

Did you catch that Jesus said that if we do not love Him as our “first love” that “thou art fallen”? “Fallen” means departed, backslidden, apostate. Then Christ says we must “repent” to be restored to Him.

“Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?” Ezekiel 14:3

Those who pretend to serve God, those who read His Word and fellowship in prayer with Him only when they feel like it, when it’s convenient to their own self-serving, self-worshiping, self-idolatrous life, are backslidden and hell bound. Repent now, lay down your life and obey God. The fires of eternal damnation are going to forever feed upon your helpless, conscious soul if you don’t repent and return to Jesus as the “first love” of your life (Revelation 2:4-5).

If you have ONE idol in your life, that will damn your unrepentant wicked soul to hell irrevocably just exactly as a million idols will. Either you’ve truly repented and Jesus Christ is the MASTER of your life or you are as sure for hell as if you were already there. Any wolf posing as a pastor who isn’t preaching this to you is an agent of Satan. Repent, make Jesus your “FIRST love” for yourself and when you do, you will cease promoting and supporting Satan’s “ministers” and begin exposing them! (Read Revelation 2:4-5; 2 Corinthians 11:12-15; 2 John 7-11.)

FIRST LOVE FIRST WORKS … ACCORDING TO JESUS, ALL THOSE WHO “REPENT” AND RETURN TO HIM AS THEIR “FIRST LOVE” WILL, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, GET BACK TO THE “FIRST WORKS” WHICH WOULD INCLUDE EDIFYING THE BODY OF CHRIST AND WINNING LOST SOULS (REVELATION 2:4-5). WHEN JESUS SAVED YOU, IF YOU WERE TRULY BORN AGAIN, YOUR WHOLE DESIRE WAS TO HELP OTHERS BE SAVED. RIGHT?

Obedience and good works are the outflow of relationship with Jesus. Being rooted in an abiding fellowship with Christ is of utmost importance to our Father.

You are expecting God’s blessings and yet aren’t putting Him “first”? Not. Matt 6:33

“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3

First and foremost, the LORD created us for worship and not just work.

One of the few who support this particular Gospel outreach has had trouble seeing how what she does really counts for Christ. She has no idea or clue how much her help has contributed and for this she will be equally and eternally rewarded (John 4:36, etc.). We have no fuel without such participation nor do the other ministries of Christ – known by their obedience to His unaltered Great Commission command. Jesus says Go. Now.

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.” John 4:34-38

— ONLY God Himself determines and has told us what is right and wrong … period. Fallen mankind does not determine such. Check this …. “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination” Leviticus 18:22.  All un-redeemed men are sinners … it doesn’t matter the flavor of their sin. They need Jesus and only one entity in the earth is qualified to give them the Healing Balm. His holy Name is Jesus Christ and He came to the earth “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Will you personally participate with the true remnant of Christ in His Great Commission campaign? If so, what part are you playing? What is your contribution today? What are you doing to further this mission Christ sent His people to accomplish and for which He is holding us accountable?

The line has been drawn for certain and yet, the Great Commission is what Christ left us to do. We are to be about this our “Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). Why were some not about it already? The good news is that that one can repent and return to Christ as first love and when true repentance for doing our own thing happens, Jesus will restore this desire and direction to the heart of the repentant. Folks, God has not changed. He grants you no right to do your own thing – anything other than His work of saving and teaching souls for whom Christ bled. So many have been swept up and away from this Great Commission. They’ve been misled by wolves who pose as Christ’s representatives but are proven to be false by their refusal to preach the full counsel of His Word in order to equip the saints to do His Great Commission (Ephesians 4:11-12). They have monopolized, intercepted, and stolen the heart affections and resources of those who claim to be serving Christ. Read Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 34 to get a clue.

Many are caught up in and preoccupied with all kinds of other religious activities such as an emphasis on giftings, callings, movements, counseling, coping, psycho-babble, music, songs, church activities, chasing the elusive supposed and self-serving “revival,” etc. Any local church or movement that is not about the “Father’s business” of reconciling the lost is apostate, period. They are doing their own thing and perpetuating their own existence and anyone who supports such is also to blame and will receive the same judgment in the end (2 Peter 2:1-3; 2 John 7-11, etc.).  Any ministry or minister who isn’t about the “Father’s business” of the Great Commission, is false. Jesus gave us His Great Commission and expects and requires that we fulfill such. He’s watching. He shall bring us into account for such. He shed His blood to reconcile mankind and told us that if we are truly new creatures in Him, we are His very “ambassadors” and been given “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).

Long ago, our LORD warned us of false leaders and how they would exploit His people.

“Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.” Lamentations 2:14

Goers and Senders

Want to examine yourself to see if you are truly in God’s will? If so, reconcile honestly what you are doing in obedience to Christ by furthering the cause of His Great Commission command. Are you going and/or sending? Romans 10:14-15 tells us – “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (goer) 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? (sender) as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

Those who are not about the “Father’s business” are simply consumed with self-interest. Without exception, those who are given over to the LORD are filled with His desire to help those separated from Him by their sin.

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