Gary Hall
I was raised as a Roman Catholic and intended to become a priest after I left school, but the Lord had other plans for me. In 1973, at the age of 17, I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour at the headquarters of the Liverpool City Mission. This immediately caused problems regarding my family. My mother and father were against what they called my "change of religion". The situation came to a climax when I arrive home one evening from a Christian friend's house only to be met by my father on the doorstep with the words, "You don't live here anymore". So at the age of 18 I would have been homeless but for the kindness of friends. One cannot rely on the goodness of others for too long, so I decided to move into a local boarding house. What I saw and experienced there cannot be written here. Eventually, after spending time living rough and in the Salvation Army hostel, I found my own apartment. I had fallen away from the Lord for two years at this time. My thoughts went back to my childhood desire to become a Roman Catholic priest. I made enquiries and found that the only real option for me was to become a monk in the Franciscan Order. The Saturday before I was due to leave for the monastery in Guildford, Surrey, I pleaded with the Lord, asking, "Lord, is it your will that I should become a monk like St. Francis?" That evening I attended a tent meeting in a local park. A preacher from Northern Ireland, Derrick Bingham, was teaching from the book of Nehemiah. During the service the preacher turned to my direction (there were about 500 people present) and said, God does not want you to become a monk like St. Francis of Assisi." Here was my answer from the Lord. From that moment I made a complete break from the Catholic Church and have come to see it as the biggest cult that this world knows. In 1979 I joined a church, The Mission, in the neighbourhood where I was living. From the moment I walked through the door of that small building I knew that I was home. The godly lifestyle and inspired teaching of Pastor Charles Bolton (promoted to glory 12 December 2003) and his wife brought me back to my first love for Christ. The church had no young people, but I never once felt that I was out of place. These people obviously loved the Lord. In my desire to reach others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ I began to give leaflets out in Liverpool City Centre. Many a Saturday afternoon was spent witnessing to those willing to stop and listen. On one Saturday in late Autumn 1979 I was approached by a girl with an Irish accent. She asked if I was a Christian and where the church I attended was located. The next morning the same girl was found at The Mission. To cut a short story shorter, six months later on March 29 1980, we were married by Pastor Bolton at The Mission. Margaret, my wife, also comes from a Catholic background, but was soundly converted to Christ and from the errors of Rome whilst visiting relatives in New York in the summer of 1979. (You may find her personal testimony one day on these pages.) In 1986 Pastor Bolton retired from the ministry at The Mission. The leadership of the church was handed over to me. To be very honest I did not fully understand what this would entail, but the Lord has been good and has led me each step of the way. Through the Lord's power we have been used to reach many hundreds of people, though our fellowship is actually small in number. In 1988 we changed the name of the church to Living Word. I am convinced that God is about to pour out His Spirit in revival one last time before the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ (see my article on Revival on this site). This revival will not come via the charismatic movement, it will not come from Toronto or Pensacola, it will not come from the ecumenical movement or the so-called Churches Together - these movements are bankrupt of the truth and the Spirit of God. This final revival will come as a result of the true believers in Christ Jesus getting right with Him. The revival will include a return to the Authorised King James Bible. My great desire is to see people coming to know Jesus as Saviour and Lord, to see backsliders returning, and to see the church of Christ revived. Though I have many failings I love the Lord Jesus Christ with all of my heart. I am willing to serve Him wherever and whenever He sees fit. The word of God is the delight of my life for I'm still amazed after all these years just how fresh and new The Holy Bible is each day!
View all articles by Gary HallIntroduction
The problem with the Ephesian church, as recorded in the book of Revelation, was that they failed to put Jesus first, and therefore did not truly love Him with their whole heart. They had many good things going for them in that they upheld Scriptural truth and holiness, but in reality they were a dying church. The form of Christianity that they were practicing was defective.
Inscription
“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks” (Revelation 2:1).
The city of Ephesus was steeped in idolatry and immorality, and had heard the word of God from the apostle Paul. The church he founded there had somehow lost its way even though it appeared to be very Scriptural and spiritual. In verse one we find the Lord moving in this church despite the fact that it was backsliding. They were not fully devoted; nevertheless Christ still held them in His hand. The Lord does not give up on any church since someone in it might repent and start a revival!
Inventory
“I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted … But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate” (Revelation 2:2-3,6).
Here was a solid, Bible-believing church. The Lord commends them for the following things:
a) They laboured for Him.
b) They remained faithful despite the persecution they endured.
c) They refused to compromise with the world.
d) They did not entertain false teachers.
e) They detested the clergy-class that was creeping into Christianity.
Most churches today do not come close to this standard of Christianity, and still think that the Lord honours them with His presence. It is possible to be a remarkable church and still not come up to the Lord’s standard. There is no perfect church unless Jesus is there.
Indictment
“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (Revelation 2:4).
This is the one thing that made this otherwise perfect church defective; they had left their “first love.” This could not be tolerated by the Lord. If the situation was not resolved the defect would spread like a cancer and destroy them.
The Ephesian church was on fire when it came to activity, yet their hearts were cold towards the Lord. Yes, they upheld Biblical doctrines, withstood error, and knew Christ as the Lord of the church, but there was no heart devotion. They practiced holiness while their hearts were far from Christ. “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (Isaiah 29:13). They religiously did all the right things without zeal for the Lord.
Instruction
“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent” (Revelation 2:5).
The Lord Jesus Christ teaches the church its three “R’s”: “Remember … Repent … Remove.”
1) “Remember” – Think back to the wonderful experiences they had in the Lord. Were they not zealous, devoted and holy in the past? Can they not see how far they have fallen from God?
2) “Repent” - It is impossible to hide behind the commendable if our hearts are not on the Lord. Repentance here is not because of sins, but for the greatest sin the church could commit, that is, failing to truly honour the Lord. In this sense “repent” directly relates to a return to their “first love.”
3) “Remove” – They were in danger of becoming a Christless church if they continued to ignore their greatest need. When the Lord leaves a church religion always fills the void. Soon, unless they repented, “Ichabod … The glory is departed” would be the true name of this church (1 Samuel 4:21).
They had a choice to make. The remedy prescribed by Christ could not be administered gradually, instead there had to be a decisive response to His instructions immediately. It is as though He was saying, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15).
Incentive
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7).
The Lord promises them a great blessing if they would respond favourably to His call. They would enjoy the eternal fruit of everlasting life in His presence. Does this not infer that they would not share in this reward if they continued practicing defective Christianity? Did Jesus not warn them that their light would be snuffed out if they did not repent? To be overcomers the Ephesian church did not need more faith, a greater depth of holiness, or more knowledge of the word of God; no, all that was required was that they should “Love the LORD [their] God with all [their] heart, and with all [their] soul, and with all [their] might” (Deuteronomy 6:5).
Conclusion
Revivals, holiness movements and churches have failed at this very point. Somewhere along the way they ceased to put Christ first. Right doctrine and holy living cannot be faulted, but they mean nothing if the Lord is not the Master. “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1). It is possible for our head to be on fire for God but our heart stone cold toward Him. As our love for God declines, so His reproof increases. Maybe the answer is not more holiness, a greater stand against error, or an increase of faith, maybe all that is needed is a return to our “first love” to bring revival. It is foolish to hide behind ‘Christian Living’ if the Lord is reproving us for not loving Him from the heart. We can be as far from the Lord, with all our talk of holiness and sanctification, as the religionist and hypocrite if we continue in defective Christianity.
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