2nd class Love

Garth Heckman The David Alliance [email protected]      Deigo Garcia Diego Garcia is a remote island located in the central Indian Ocean, just south of the equator. It is the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago and forms part of the British Indian Ocean Territory   Many have lived through this scenario: a parent enters a Childs bedroom. Explains they are getting a divorce. The reason: They just don’t love each other the same way they did.  CAN YOU IMAGINE TELLING JESUS THIS?    Yet I hold this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first." (Rev 2:4)   REV. 2+3  Jesus tells us here that there are churches that are in grave danger: You looked good but are dead You compromised culture over Christ You allowed adultery in the church You allowed idolatry in the church You look no different than the world You allowed false teachers in your pulpits   We see something here - catch it: You can have impeccable theology, Model Christian behavior and no sin to speak of… and be Dead! (Like fake dessert in the glass case)    **You have heard “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing”.    Harry Burnette Reeses Reeses peanut butter cups… not using real chocolate or real peanut butter.   The scariest rebuke is to Ephesus: You look good. No one can tell by your actions… but I know - you no longer love me #1   Where’s the love? We desire love when we are stressed: 82% of men said they rely on physical affection and sex to cope with stress and burn out.    Many men have a hard time fully investing into Church/Christianity… because they do not feel the love of God.      We see a conundrum - we lost our love for God, we don’t feel Gods love.    On paper, they are the gold standard of a disciplined community. But then comes the "but." "Yet I hold this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first." (Rev 2:4)   *Jesus does not call them out on any behavior! He calls them out on heart!        mechanics vs. motivation.   Think of a musician who has spent years mastering every scale and every piece of equipment. They can play a perfect set without missing a note, yet the "soul" of the music is gone. They are hitting the right frequencies, but they aren't feeling the song anymore. In our own lives, we often fall into the trap of the "routine." We show up. We do the reps. We check the boxes. But duty is a poor substitute for delight. When we serve, work, or live out of a sense of "should" rather than "want," we aren't practicing love; we are practicing management.