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Contending for the Word Q&A, November 22, 2025
Revival Begins with Returning to Our First Love
Theme: Testing the Spirits, True and False Revival
Introduction
Welcome back to Contending for the Word. As we near the end of this week’s series on true revival,
we turn to one of the most convicting passages in Scripture. It is possible to defend sound doctrine,
labor faithfully in ministry, reject false teaching, and yet quietly drift away from love for Christ.
A church can be orthodox but cold, precise in doctrine but lacking affection for the One who is the Truth.
Faithfulness is not only right belief, it is right devotion.
True revival brings the heart back to Christ Himself.
The Question
Why must revival involve returning to our first love for Christ?
A Loving Warning from the Lord
Jesus speaks directly to the church in Ephesus with both tenderness and holy authority:
“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Remember therefore from where you have fallen, repent, and do the works you did at first.”Revelation 2:4-5
The Ephesian believers resisted false teachers. They endured trials. They worked hard.
But somewhere along the way, their affections cooled. Their zeal for Christ faded.
They defended truth without delighting in the Savior.
Jesus does not want correct theology without communion with Him.
He desires hearts warmed by love for His name.
When Affection Grows Cold
A believer can quietly drift into:
- Duty without devotion
- Knowledge without love
- Defending the faith without fellowship with Christ
- Activity without adoration
- Precision in doctrine but distance in worship
Discernment without affection becomes dry, harsh, and lifeless.
True revival restores joy in Christ and warmth in the soul.
Returning to the First Love
How do we return?
- Remember the grace that saved you
- Repent of coldness and distraction
- Return to fellowship with Christ in His Word and prayer
- Rejoice again in the wonder of the gospel
The Christian life is sustained not by sheer willpower but by God’s renewing grace.
Christ does not call us to strain harder, He calls us to come nearer.
True revival does not begin with noise or excitement.
It begins with rekindled love for the Savior.
Revival That Warms the Heart
When Christ revives His church, He does more than correct doctrine. He ignites affection.
He restores wonder. He makes obedience sweet again.
To love the truth is to love Christ.
To contend for the gospel is to cherish the Gospel Giver.
To defend the faith is to delight in the Faithful One.
If we champion truth but lose our love for Christ, we gain nothing.
True revival begins when He warms our hearts once again.
For more from Contending for the Word Q&A please visit our page at Servants of Grace or at our YouTube.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
