Scripture
But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do. Revelation 2:4 & 6

Observation
I saw a newspaper once that advertised with bold headlines the word “ANTI” three times with three separate things they were against. I only remember abortion from the list they gave, but they were anti two other things as well. I thought it strange for a church to market itself by what it is against. Certainly it was not attractive.The church at Ephesus was a church that was known by what it stood against but not for whom it stood beside. Their love tank was dry, but their venom against their enemies was full to the brim.In every church Jesus is looking for enough love and hate to keep it going. Every church needs some hate in it. For love to be authentic there must be something that we hate because it is a threat to what we value most. Otherwise our love is tolerance and compromise. Some churches pride themselves in their ability to love, but in the process tolerate what Jesus hates. To love him we must dislike some things.

But a church filled with hate without authentic love is a spiteful thing. It’s interesting that the first and most memorable of the churches chastised by Jesus was not reprimanded because of false doctrine but because of their coldness. The atmosphere of love is so significant to Jesus that he is willing to downgrade even a mega-church like Ephesus if people are indifferent toward one another.

Application
Of all the things pastors need to develop and redevelop in their congregations is an authentic and inclusive acceptance of one another and devotion to one another’s need. Love matters most to Jesus because God is love. In the end our churches will not be judged by seamless transitions, lack of technical glitches or a sermon that finished in the alloted time, but by the way we treated each other in the process.

Prayer
Father, let your love envelop my heart. What is in me will be in the people that I serve. Give me a heart filled with love and just enough hate to make it authentic. Amen.