Blackout

"Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”—Revelation 2:5

In the spring, the storms come fast and furious—the skies grow dark and the wind increases. Almost as if there were a concert beginning, the lights are brought low, as the orchestra of creation plays a thunderous melody for all the world to hear. God’s power is on display as thunder echoes through the heavens and the vast glow of lightning bolts hangs in the night sky in a short burst of electricity. The wind howls as it whips through towns, blowing back doors, rattling leaves, terrifying trees, and shaking light poles. Spring thunderstorms leave a host of damage in their wake—downed power lines, split trees, flooded streets, and power outages. Power outages leave families in the dark—which can be a very scary thing. But our power outages are nothing compared to the power outage described in today’s passage.

Jesus is talking to the church at Ephesus. The church was a good church of knowledgeable believers who had defended the truth of Christ, stood against false teachers, and stood up for God. But they had one problem—they lost their first love for Christ. He tells them to “remember therefore from where you have fallen.” He wanted them to remember the state that they came from—like a couple that fell in love and got married, but somewhere along the line failed to cultivate that love and things had grown stale and cold. He wants them to “repent, and do the works you did at first.” Which means that they are to do the things that they did when they first fell in love with Christ—zealously pursuing Him, taking great steps of faith, desirous to learn the Word, share the truth of Christ, grow in holiness, and a host of other things that we are not privy to. But, Jesus also gives them a view of what will happen if they don’t repent—which means to turn back, do an about face and head back in the right direction. That is to say, He will take their “lampstand” from its place—which is a metaphor for His presence and blessing upon their status as a church. They are in danger of a blackout—Christ removing the light of His presence and blessing upon them as a church so that He will not recognize them as His followers when He comes again. Their love for Christ (and one another), along with the works of righteousness, displayed the genuineness of their faith. When one’s works don’t reflect one’s faith (when one’s walk doesn’t reflect their talk), the true status of their relationship with Christ is revealed. As James said,

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead”—James 2:14-17.

How can we keep from living in a blackout? By maintaining our first love. How is that done? By continually cultivating our love for Christ by reading His Word, taking greater steps of faith, fellowshipping with other believers, and continually communicating with Him in prayer. Our relationship with Christ has to be worked on, just like a married couple must seek to cultivate their relationship with one another. And when we do, we don’t fear any blackouts; we live in the light of Christ’s presence, joyously delighting in His peace and blessing on our lives as we continually seek Him. Amen.