The Lord Jesus Christ had messages for the seven churches of Asia Minor in Rev 2 and 3. His principal problem with the Ephesian church was that they had lost their first love. First love refers to the passion with which a relationship is born. It is fresh, pure, devoid of offences, reservations, or animosities. It is strong, exciting, and intense. Over time, however, if we are not watchful as believers, our passion wanes, our love grows cold, and before long, we lose our zeal for spiritual things.

As Moses consecrated the Brazen Altar for perpetual sacrifices in the old covenant, so is the heart of a believer dedicated to worshipping and serving the Father in spirit and truth. Similarly, as the priests of old had to tend to the altar continually to ensure that the fire kept burning, so must every believer be intentional about keeping the fire of the Spirit burning in their hearts.

If we are not intentional about it, we may unaware allow the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the busyness of daily tasks and routines cause our passions to wane. So, Paul admonished the Romans, ‘Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit, serving the Lord’ (Romans 12:11 KJV). RSV says we have to be ‘aglow with the Spirit.’ We must maintain our spiritual glow and remain lighted and enthusiastic about God and the things of God.

Nothing helps to stay aglow than to stay close to the Baptizer with fire (Matthew 3:11). The Lord Jesus is the One who immerses us in His Spirit and His fire. As we spend time with Him on His Word daily, He baptizes us afresh with His fire. We will always awake with His likeness as we behold His countenance. We are continually transformed as we behold His glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Of course, as this happens through the ministry of the Word, the ministry of prayer is equally so transformative. The Spirit always responds to our times of prayer and worship. Our effectual fervent prayer makes tremendous power available to us, dynamic in its working (James 5:16 AMP). The first Pentecostal experience was preceded by prayer (Acts 1:14), so also the renewal was preceded by prayer (Acts 4:23-34).

In spiritual things, it matters the company that we keep. We are influenced by the church we attend and the friends we have around us, especially our pastor and our mentors. Following Reverend George Adegboye, many years ago, challenged me to lifestyle evangelism. His practice of faith is contagious.

Belonging to the Rhema Chapel in my young years meant being part of a bunch of excited young people passionate about the call of God and about the supernatural. We held all-night prayer meetings every Friday, fasted a minimum of twice every week, read our Bibles diligently, memorised and quoted verses copiously while we preached and reached out to the Lord. If you keep the right company, their fire will rub off on you (1 Samuel 10:6-7).

To keep the fire burning, we must keep eternity in view. We are admonished to set our affections on things above, where Christ is seated in Colossians 3:1-2. Something about directing our minds to heavenly things helps us maintain our fire. Secondly, keeping our gaze on the eternal, like the judgment seat of Christ, keeps us driven to achieve the utmost for the kingdom of God within the time we have on earth.

Eternity consciousness reminds us that we do not have forever to live on earth nor timelessness to evangelize the world. Time is of the essence, and the harvest is ripe (John 4:34-36). We must reap the harvest with a sense of urgency. It is left to us all to employ the most effective method available to us to get the job done. If all you are effective at is inviting people to church, it is important. Local churches must build bridges to reach their communities.

Victor Adeyemi