Heart-to-Heart - Week 1

A Follow up discussion to the Sunday Sermon on January 11th, 2026

Opening Prayer:

Heavenly Father, by the power of your Holy Spirit, open my heart and mind to what you have to say in your word.  Give me a spirit of humility that is willing and ready to experience transformation into the image of your son, Jesus Christ.

In His name I pray,

Amen!

Read the following passages:

Revelation 2:1-7

1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

2 Corinthians 13:5

5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

John 14:15

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

1 John 4:7-21

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot[a] love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Consider:

Jesus commended the church in Ephesus for their works, endurance, and passion for holiness in their church body.  He then called them out for abandoning the love they had at first, and called them to repentance (turning from their sin and back to the love they had at first).

I’m sure we have all had days where spiritual disciplines and actions that we’re called to felt like work.  This is a normal part of the human experience and is not what Jesus is calling the church at Ephesus out for.  The church at Ephesus had, as a whole, abandoned the love of Jesus that originally was their driving purpose.   

Have you ever been guilty of continuing in the works of the faith out of a sense of duty rather than from a heart filled with love?  What did this result in?

Are you currently in a season of spiritual drought?  Might this be due to an attempt to continue in the works of the faith without the spiritual power that is required and can only come from communion with Jesus?  Take a moment to consider this whether repentance is necessary.  If so, take a moment to honestly confess this to God who is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Are you in a season of spiritual passion and vigor?  Praise God!  Hold fast to His love!  Keep an eye out for a friend or family member that could be encouraged back to the love of God. 

Discuss:

What are some practical ways we can test our hearts to find out if our true motives for action come from a love for Jesus?

What are some practical ways we can keep the love of Christ in view and stir our souls to a posture of love for Christ?

**please post your responses below**

Exhortation:

Repent and do the works you did at first!  Seek Jesus and serve Him out of a love fueled by His love for you!! 

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I pray that the entire Calvary community would be characterized by love for you, bearing fruit in keeping with repentance.  We repent of losing sight, either partially or completely, of the love that you have called us with and called us to. May we be in awe of your love, motivated by your love, and eager to share your love with humanity.  

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen!!