Written by: John Sernaque
Call to Worship
Revelation 2: 2-6
2:2 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:
2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
2:4 Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
Losing the Talent of Love—
This message is an example of the way in which the ministers of God are to give reproof today. Following the commendation for earnest labor comes the reproof for losing the talent of love, which is a most sacred trust. It was the love of God that saved the fallen race from eternal death (Manuscript 136, 1902). {7BC 956.7}
This message is a warning to hypocritical fanatics, who are no better than the Pharisees and Sadducees, whom Jesus called hypocrites. The meaning of the word Nicolaitanes is broken down as Nico= power above, and, laitanes= common people. Therefore, they are those who have power above the common people. While some do not start out as fanatics, it becomes for personal gain and power they seek to convert and behave as the Nicolaitanes, using the gospel to beat down and control their innocent victims into submission. They forget that the love of Christ Jesus is that which will persuade someone to surrender their life to Christ. Somewhere along the way, love for Christ is lost and those who started out with the best intentions turn into a hypocritical Sadducee or Pharisee, placing themselves and their methods above that of God’s Word. Instead of bringing people into the Church, they turn them away from the Church and into their own fanatical cult. “It was the love of God that saved the fallen race from eternal death.” These fanatics need to pay heed, especially to verse five, before their candlestick is removed, if it has not been removed already. Repent, and remember thy first love, Christ Jesus, while there is still time.
Our Father, which art in heaven,
We pray that all your people will remember Your love for humanity saved the fallen race from eternal death. It was from Your love for us that You sent Your only son into this world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through Christ Jesus may be saved. We pray that all Your children will surrender their life to You, giving You all the honor and glory. We pray that
those who seek power and control over others will be humbled and repent before it is too late for them. May we always remember our first love, Christ Jesus, the son of the living God. We ask for Your forgiveness, and it is in the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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