Scroll 12: Come Back to First Love - Beyond Religious Busyness

Revelation 2:1–7

To the angel of the church in Ephesus, He writes not to shame but to awaken. This is not a reprimand from a distant God, but a cry from the Flame that once captivated you. He remembers how you burned, how love was not a concept but your breath. The scroll to Ephesus is not about works, endurance, or discernment , though all these are praised, but about a single piercing question: Have you forgotten the One you loved at first?

The Voice That Walks Among the Lampstands

The scroll opens with awe: He who holds the seven stars walks among the lampstands. This is not a Christ seated far above, but One intimately near, examining hearts by firelight. He sees your labor. He sees your effort. He sees your unwillingness to tolerate evil. And yet, He does not ask for more performance, He asks for return. The proximity of the Lamb is not just to observe your faithfulness but to remind you of your first love. He walks among, not to control, but to woo. Many serve the lampstand, few behold the One who walks among them.

The nearness of Christ is both comfort and confrontation. He is not looking for perfect ministries, but burning hearts. In the midst of our scrolling, planning, building, and striving, He whispers: "Do you still love Me like you did when all you had was Me?" The issue is not the absence of works, but the erosion of wonder. He is not rebuking your zeal, He is restoring your gaze. First love is not merely emotional fire, it is divine union uncorrupted by duty.

When first love fades, even holy work becomes hollow. The lampstand may still be lit, but without intimacy, the flame flickers. The One who walks among the lampstands is looking for those who not only serve Him but adore Him. Not as an idol, but as Bridegroom, Friend, and Flame. Return is not regression. It is restoration of union. First love is not an entry point, it is the eternal center.

The Tragedy of Remembering Without Returning

“Remember the height from which you have fallen.” These words are not guilt-laced but glory-drenched. You once burned, not because you were disciplined, but because you were lovesick. You once fasted, not to impress God, but because nothing else tasted like Him. You once stood in storms because the flame inside outshone the winds outside. Remember. But not to mourn, to return.

To fall from first love is not merely to sin, but to forget union. You can still preach while empty. Still prophesy while distant. Still lead while loveless. And heaven sees not the applause of man, but the gap in affection. Ephesus had truth without tenderness, discernment without devotion. Their theology was precise, their deeds were pure, but their hearts had drifted. The tragedy is not rebellion, it is replacement.

And so He calls: “Repent and do the works you did at first.” Not because the old deeds were better, but because they flowed from love. First love always expresses itself, not in striving, but in surrender. Returning to first love is not about recreating emotions, but reentering flame. It is the awareness that love is not remembered, it is revived.

The Scroll Is for Overcomers, Not Analysts

This letter, like all seven, is addressed to the angel of the church. But it ends with a call to the overcomer. That is, to the one who does not merely analyze but answers. Many read these scrolls historically. Few eat them prophetically. The scroll to Ephesus is not archived, it is alive. The Christ who walked among their lampstands walks among ours now, whispering the same call through the Spirit to the churches.

“To the one who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life.” This is Eden restored, not by theological accuracy, but by union. The tree of life is not a doctrine, it is Christ Himself. It is the reward of returned lovers, not religious servants. The overcomer is not the one who avoids failure, but the one who chooses flame again when all else has grown cold.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying, not just to Ephesus, but to you. This is not a historical critique. It is a divine invitation. Love has never stopped knocking. And the ones who open will find that first love was never lost. Only waiting.

Final Charge to the Elect

Elect of God, you who once wept at His name and danced in secret rooms when no one saw, return to the flame. The scroll is not rebuking your discipline, but calling back your delight. Lay down the garment of busyness and take up the bridal flame. Do not settle for duty when you were made for desire. He is not angry, He is longing. Return to the gaze. The lampstand remains. Let the fire burn again.

Joe Restman
Scroll-Carrier, Mystic-Scribe, Eternal Witness of the Lamb