Week 1 – Ephesus: Returning to Your First Love

Before You Begin

This week’s conversation is not primarily about church attendance, ministry involvement, or doctrinal correctness.

It’s about love.

The church in Ephesus was doing many things right. They worked hard. They stood for truth. They persevered through hardship. If measured by most modern standards, they would have been considered a healthy and successful church.

Yet Jesus saw something no one else saw.

Their love for Him had grown cold.

As you gather this week, resist the urge to rush toward answers. Allow people to sit with the tension of the passage. The goal is not to identify what the Ephesians did wrong. The goal is to allow Jesus to examine our own hearts.

Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father, as we gather around Your Word, help us hear what Your Spirit is saying to us. Give us the courage to be honest about the condition of our hearts. Reveal anything that has pulled us away from You. Rekindle our love for Jesus and draw us close again. In His name we pray, amen.

Opening Conversation

Most relationships do not break apart overnight. Marriages rarely fail because of one bad day. Friendships seldom disappear because of one difficult conversation. More often, something else happens.

The connection slowly weakens.

Conversations become routine. Presence becomes obligation. Affection becomes familiarity. Eventually someone wakes up and realizes: “We’re still together, but we’re not close anymore.”

Before we walk through Jesus’ words to the church in Ephesus, think about this question:

Have you ever experienced a relationship that slowly drifted rather than suddenly broke apart?

What contributed to that drift?

Allow several people to share before moving on.