The Three Rs

We’ve all heard of the Three Rs from school days, Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. But do you know the Three Rs from Revelation? Remember, Repent, and Return (implied) (Rev. 2:5). Alliteration is often a useful tool to help us remember key points in the written word, speeches, or debates. I use it here because what I want you to remember is one of the most important things you could have in your life’s arsenal to combat the evil wiles of your biggest adversary.

In the first three chapters of Revelation, John relates the message he got from Jesus Himself to the seven churches of the first century. The message hasn’t changed and is applicable for modern churches as it was then.

The church at Ephesus,

from all outward appearances, had their act together. They challenged and rejected false teachers. They refused to tolerate evil. But over a period of about 40 years, when the next generation had taken over, the motivating force behind their acts had waned. Their love of Jesus had become cold and they were going through the motions in a mechanical orthodoxy. “The loss of a vital love relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ opened the doors to spiritual apathy, indifference to others, love for the world, compromise with evil, judgment, and ultimately, the death of the church altogether.”[1]

Jesus warned them,

as God had to do with the Israelites many times throughout the Old Testament, that they “had left their first love.” He was very clear when asked “which is the great commandment in the Law?” (Matt. 22:36-38). He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This was the big sin the church at Ephesus was guilty of. And if you look closely at many churches today, they are guilty of the same thing, doing it all by rote, not because the love of Jesus compels them to “love God and love your neighbor.”

What was the consequence of not returning to “do the deeds you did at first”? Their lampstand would be removed (representative of judgment) and they would be a dead church. If you find yourself in this situation, there’s time to respond to the same message: Remember, Repent, Return, before it’s too late. Jesus also said, “…he who comes to Me, I will never cast out” (John 6:37). See Steps To Salvation for a look at how God views sin.

[1] MacArthur New Testament Commentary