You have forsaken your first love. Revelation 2:4
As I try to wet people’s appetites for deeper levels of passion and relationship with Jesus, I encounter many Christians who are afraid of drawing closer to God–even among Christians who are quite knowledgeable in the Bible.
They usually come with the same concern: “But doesn’t pursuing a deeper experience with God open us up to doctrinal error?” The answer that concerns us in this meditation is: ‘How big is your God’? If we are ever going to reach out and be touched by God we’re going to have to believe in a God who is big enough to keep us safe in our pursuit of more of Him.
Doctrinally speaking, we all know that God is all-powerful–He’s stronger than the devil. But if you talk with many Christians who say they believe that, practically speaking, their devil is bigger than their God. Some, because of their fear of error, have not only shied away from seeking an experience with God for themselves, they’ve actively discouraged other Christians from pursuing God.
After all, history shows us many deceived groups who based their beliefs on experiences even though it was in conflict with clear statements in the Bible. Under the guidance of such attitudes, fear becomes our teacher and walking by fear instead of by faith, we ironically end up equally in conflict with clear statements in the Bible that tell us to pursue God. Is this deception any less dangerous?
Those who focus on our need to protect ourselves and our flocks from deception will always be overwhelmingly aware of the power of the devil. But if our hearts are completely submitted to the One “who is able to keep us from falling” (Jude 24), He is the only One we find Almighty. We live by faith, not by fear.
Back to the point: Big-God believers are living by faith because “whatever doesn’t proceed from faith is sin” (Rom 14:23). Small-God people are motivated by fear. They see dangers around every corner. Like the Children of Israel, they find a ‘Moses’ to hide behind because they’re afraid of encountering God for themselves.
This fear keeps them focused on the little things of Christianity and hyping these little things into supreme importance. Minor truths become their focus and the kingpin by which they judge everything and everyone else—tragically, these things become spiritual placebos, overwhelming their attention and stealing their ‘first love’.
Others allow Christian celebrities and fads to capture their attention and their allegiance. This trendy teacher, that popular singer, another fad-teaching and their Christian involvement is saturated, again, with spiritual placebos which seem important at the time but deliver a small God who is easily marketed to the Christian masses.
To whom is Jesus speaking when he spoke today’s verse? Read the context: To people who tirelessly rejected what was false. To people who wouldn’t tolerate error. To these people he said, “You have forsaken your first love.” Sounds like Jesus thought there was more to Christianity than pure doctrine. He goes on to say, “Consider the heights from which you’ve fallen and repent.”
Having a small view of God isn’t just unfortunate. It’s sinful. He’s looking to be our first love.