Only one thing - Revelations 2:1-7

"As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor" (Ecclesiastes 10:1, NIV).  Regardless of the many good thing that we may be performing, one little thing can make the difference against us.  It seems unfair, but it's real.  Let me give you a closer example.  You may be an excellent driver, obeying each and every traffic law.  You do it not because you are afraid of a ticket, but because you value order and your safety.  But, regardless of your impeccable past, one day you may be distracted, like looking for a piece of gum, and unaware of the stop sign, keep on driving.  A traffic ticket would be a small consequence considering the risk of an accident and even loosing your life of someone else's.  But it was only one mistake!  You may say, but in real life, and as unfair as it may seem, one mistake can undo many good past decisions and actions.

In Revelations, God also mentions the church in Ephesus having only one bad characteristic.  They have many good things going on, and they are all recognized and praised: "your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil" (Revelations 2:2, NKJV) , among other things.  "Nevertheless I have this against you" (v4).  Yes, only one thing!  Why do we need to concentrate on one thing that needs to be fixed when we have so many good things going on?

Remember the story of the young rich ruler?: "You still lack one thing" (Luke 18:22), and was that one thing that kept him from following Jesus.

The one thing that is putting the well-being of the church in Ephesus at risk is that they have lost their "first love" (Revelations 2:4).  Though it can be interpreted in many ways, it is obvious that the good things going on in their lives and church do not com from the same source as before.  The first love could be understood as the interest in someone or something in which your whole being is genuinely and honestly involved.  But the motives, obviously, can change, and that, it seems, is the problem here.

Apparently it is not enough to do good, but also why we do good.  Had these people lost their identity?  Apparently so, because the counsel is: "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works" (v5).  The solution God gives is to remember who we are, to retake our identity.  Then, we can do good with the right intentions.