The high school I attended, Bluefield High School in West Virginia, was a "football school." That had not always been the case. However, legendary coach Merrill Gainer took over a football program there that had previously won only one game over several seasons. By the time my family moved to Bluefield, the team had been transformed into a powerhouse that won four state championships, boasting three perfect seasons.
Then, shockingly, Coach Gainer resigned. His teams were still winning. He was not yet at retirement age. Without giving warning to a school and to a town that revered him, he retired from coaching. Several years later, when he reflected on why he had resigned, he simply said, "I lost my joy in it. I still knew how to coach kids. My players learned the game and did all the right things. But, I just didn't love it anymore. And, I could tell, my teams had lost their heart for the game, too."
I thought about Coach Gainer when I read Jesus' letter to the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:1–7. I think that most people would have considered that church to be one of the great success stories of the early days of Christianity. It was, from the first, a place where people were very open and responsive to the message about Jesus. We read about its founding in Acts 19:
• Many there were converted dramatically from paganism.
• The new believers publicly renounced their cultish practices by burning their books of witchcraft.
• Scores of people turned from idolatry—so many, in fact, that the livelihood of the local craftsmen who made silver images to the goddess Diana was threatened.
And, under renowned pastors and Bible teachers like the Apostle Paul, Timothy, and even the Apostle John (the author of Revelation), the church people had learned the faith, become hard workers in the church, defended the gospel against heresy, and stood strong against anti-Christian forces.
But, 40 years had passed since the church's founding. At the time of Jesus' letter to them, something was missing. The church members' heads were filled with the right knowledge. Their actions were appropriate. But, their hearts were cold. They didn't love Jesus anymore.
The end of my first story: Coach Gainer regained his love for coaching. He came out of retirement and took over a high school team in Roanoke, VA, that had won only one game in three seasons. Within a year, Merrill Gainer coached them to a state championship.
First loves can be restored. That's what we will think about this weekend.
To His Glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
