Home Cell Guide (Sunday 13th October 2019)
Christian greetings! Our topic last week was Remember the First Love (Rev 2:1-7, Matt. 22:34-40). The bottom line of all this has to do with the priority of your relationship with God. Where is God in your Life? God knows our deeds/ works, hard work and perseverance and no wickedness, preaching right doctrine. Jesus first commended the church in Ephesus and the same message comes to us as believers of ASCK, the lord watches over and knows what goes on in our lives, our ways, what we speak and nothing is hidden from Him. But in vs4 he says to the church, I hold this
against you; you have forsaken your first love and this is your problem. As All Saints’ we are doing outstanding services; we have no problem in doing what the church of Ephesus was doing but the problem is love for the Lord. Where is your love for God?
The real problem of the church in Ephesus was the loss of the first love. In comparison to the married couples when you first dated or early years of your marriage, you longed to see and hear from one another in other words the love for one another was hot and you had good quality time together and after a certain period of time this love has gotten cold/ disappeared and now you are at a point of just tolerating each other yet you are married and it’s at this point that there’s need to cultivate that relationship with one another. Your marriage relationship can be routine and take each other for granted; where is the love for your spouse? Did you really love your spouse? Do you really love God or the things of God, why do you love God?
Jesus challenges the people who confess loving him with their lips yet in their actions there’s no demonstration of Love. God commended the church in Ephesus but inside there was serious deficiency.
The church in Ephesus didn’t lack competence and capacity BUT lacked in
Character. Capacity and competence can never be substituted for character. In other words, their zeal for service was lacking the commitment for Christ. At a personal level, has love for things overtaken the love for God, there’s danger; today as a nation, individuals, families, Christians, we have love for positions, possessions, power and pleasure, we therefore to need return to God. Recall your first encounter with Christ, what things you used to do? Or they have become routine? Your bible study and prayer life are being done religiously with no Love for God. Is everything you do pointing to Jesus Christ, just remember the first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen, do not Harden your heart or else God will remove the lamp stand from you Vs 5 . The lord is calling us now to return to him with all our heart, with fasting, weeping and mourning. It’s not about making more rules and laws as a nation; the law of the Lord is enough; to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and as well love our neighbor then we would be at peace. We should not render our garments but our heart to the LORD. For He is gracious and compassionate slow to anger and abounding in love and He relents from sending calamity.
Questions and guidelines
1) Examine yourself and briefly share the things that you used to do as a new believer that have grown cold and your desire to return to God.
2) Remembering your first love as couples, Family, Church and Nation is their need to return?
3) Prayerfully choose to render your heart and return to the Lord.
Study helps: 2 Chron 6:9, Matt 15:7-9
Rev. Patrick Kamara
PRIEST IN CHARGE HOME CELL AND PASTORAL CARE