The First Love: God’s Counsels in the Depths of the Heart

The First Love: God’s Counsels in the Depths of the Heart

“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Rev. 2:4. What is the first love? Is it not a fervent desire to hear the voice of the Beloved, to delight in doing what pleases Him and to joyfully and attentively listen to His counsels and keep them? What else could the first love be?

The angel of the church in Ephesus had left his first love. He no longer stood in the counsels of the Most High. He no longer rejoiced to hear the voice of the Bridegroom, as he had done before. The result was that his last works were not as the first. If he continued in this way and did not repent, God would remove his lampstand from its place. Jesus dwells among the seven golden lampstands. Rev. 1:13. Up until this point, then, the lampstand—the church—stood in the presence of Christ. If the angel of the church did not repent and do the first works, God would remove his lampstand from His presence, and a more faithful angel and another church would take its place among the other six lampstands.

It would not surprise me to learn that there are also churches and angels of churches today who once stood in Christ’s presence, but who have now had their lampstands removed, because they did not listen to the voice of the Spirit in the depths of their hearts. Other angels and other churches have taken their places. All they are left with are some sterile memories of the glory and light they once had. They are envious and hostile toward the church that has taken the place they once held. Saul’s hatred toward David repeats itself. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun.

The angel of the church in Ephesus had many good attributes, but he had gradually become more occupied with the church than with Jesus Christ Himself. It is easy to go astray here, since the church is not always as spiritual as it should be. That is why before Jesus gave Peter his commission as shepherd of the church, He asked him: “Do you love Me more than these?” Every servant of the church ought to be able to respond from the heart, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You more than these.” Otherwise, his ear can become dull of hearing the voice of Jesus Christ and more open to the demands of the congregation. Consequently, Jesus is left standing outside the church, just as He stood outside knocking at the door of the church in Laodicea. Rev. 3:20.

An angel (i.e., defender, spokesman, leader) of the church who departs from this first love has done so because he has become occupied with something other than love for Christ. He gets puffed up by his involvement in religious affairs; then partiality, the pride of life, etc., follow in its wake. What people are able to give becomes the main focus. Partiality generally leads to a tragic situation within the church, where a “slum” area grows up beside a wealthy one. You get a kind of East End/West End syndrome, as in London. Such a lampstand (church) must be removed, for corruption follows close behind in the form of envy, jealousy, quarrelling, etc. The corrupter has gained entrance to the church. Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh. Both of these are against Judah. “And he shall snatch on the right hand and be hungry; he shall devour on the left hand and not be satisfied . . . .” Is. 9:20-21. The connection with the Holy Spirit is broken, there is no vision (divine revelation) and the people cast off restraint. Prov. 29:18. “A servant will not be corrected by mere words . . . .” Verse 19. It is like the confusion of Babel, which cannot be healed. They have left their first love and only the gifts remain. Spiritual revelations and divine vision have long since disappeared.

Therefore, repent and do the first works, before the lampstand is removed. Because once the lampstand has been removed, that church no longer has any hope of coming fully into the light. However, individual people can be saved if they leave the church that has had its lampstand removed and join a church that still remains in the first love.

If we want to return to the first love, we must go back to basics and demonstrate our love by keeping His commandments. However, to keep His commandments, we must be able to hear His voice. Faith comes by hearing. So we must return to a love for the voice of the Bridegroom—God’s Word—in the depths of our heart. God’s Word judges the thoughts and intents of the heart. Heb. 4:12. Through the Word we have the opportunity to judge our thoughts and intentions in their infancy, so that God’s thoughts and counsels can replace them. Faithfulness to God’s voice in the depths of our heart is the divine artery that brings strength and light to God’s church. Unfaithfulness to this voice will bring death and destruction. Here we find the altar, the judge and the judgment. From this altar rivers of blessing flow out carrying life and spiritual refreshment to people. The fruits of the first love spread to the whole church. It is a matter of life and death that a church has an open ear to what the Spirit is speaking.

It is written in Job: “Have you heard the counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?” Job 15:8. A church that cannot hear these most high counsels is condemned to die, regardless of how prosperous it is financially or how many members it has.

David praised the Lord who gave him counsel. Ps. 16:7. “The counsel of the Lord stands forever . . . .” Ps. 33:11. It is useless to oppose the counsels of the Lord. Similarly, you will never prevail against the prophets of the Lord, those who receive their orders from His blessed counsels.

A life lived according to God’s counsels is a life lived in the first love. “You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” Ps. 73:24. From this we understand that only those who allow themselves to be led by God’s counsels will be received into glory. “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him.” Ps. 89:7.

When people ignore God’s counsels and do not heed His correction, He, the Lord, will also laugh at them in their calamity, and He will mock them when their terror comes. Prov. 1:24-33.

“There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.” Prov. 19:21.

The preceding verses teach us that departing from the counsels of God is the same as departing from the first love. This law cannot be circumvented—neither by an individual nor by a church. The laws of the Spirit are eternal and immutable. Knowing and understanding them comes by listening and by obedience to the faith. If you rely on a revival that swept the country many years ago and on the blessing you received at that time, and yet today you do not listen to His voice and remain in His secret counsels, you are deceived. Christ lives eternally to intercede for us, to speak to us and to guide us into all the truth.

The apostle Paul kept nothing back, but he declared the whole counsel of God to the church in Ephesus. Acts 20:27.

Every servant of God should measure himself according to this standard and make sure that he passes the test. If he does, he will be able to say, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”

God’s church longs for such servants.