The Problem.....

I am finding a problem in the church today. I am not only speaking of the church I pastor, but the church worldwide. We have become the church that John wrote about in Revelation 2: the church at Ephesus. John records the words of Jesus: "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this againse you, that you have left your first love." (Revelation 2:2-4 -- NKJV)

The problem is -- we simply do not love Jesus as we should. We love our church buildings, we love our youth, we love our senior adults, we love our programs but honestly -- DO WE LOVE JESUS MORE THAN THESE?

I believe it is time for a old fashioned love story to unfold in the church. It is time for our hearts to race and our palms to sweat because we are so in love with Jesus. (Debbie still makes my heart race!) We should be so excited as we gather together as blood bought children of God, that our gathering is contagious to the world outside the walls of the church.

The great evangelist Vance Havner once said: "We have left our love for Christ, and when love for Christ dies, love for each other, for the Bible, for souls, dies."

Please join me in praying for the church. Let's pray that we all fall madly in love with Jesus Christ all over again. Let's pray for a giddiness, an innocence, a hunger and thirst for Jesus Christ!