303 D Losing your first love

Market place facts: Losing your first loveMarket place facts: Losing your first love

MARKET PLACE FACTSModule 303 D

ON LOSING YOUR “FIRST LOVE” Mario Denton

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Overall purpose of this series on Marketplace

To understand and learn from various marketplace facts so that you can: • Be more effective and anointed wherever you are in the marketplace.

• Adapt and benchmark your market place practices and principles discussed in this series.

• Use these material to facilitate the work of evangelism.



Four possible stages they may have gone through in the

process of losing their 'first love':



2. From dogged devotion to indifference

3. From indifference tothe seduction of new

loves

4. From the seduction of new loves to open rebellion

against God

1. From fresh intimacy to dogged devotion

On Losing Our "First Love"



#1 From fresh intimacy to dogged devotion:

• When the unsullied, tender union and communion with Jesus begins to wane, it is often overtaken by a rigid legalistic adherence to the truth. We become ministry and program centered rather than Christ and relationship centered.



#1 From fresh intimacy to dogged devotion:

• Our inner life begins to take on a rigid metallic tone. Christian service is often accomplished at the expense of gentleness, kindness, sensitivity and humility. Our concerns seem to focus on such issues as success, failure, reputation and image. Joy, spontaneity, wonder and a spirit of freedom are replaced by standards of performance, conformity and getting the job done at all costs.



• I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. (Rev. 2:2-4)



#2 From dogged devotion to indifference:

• Our heart cools as our focus subtly shifts from intimacy with Jesus to achieving the task at hand. We find time with God to be duty driven, rushed and utilitarian. The Spirit’s touch, His unfolding of spiritual truth and sweet communion with Jesus become the exception rather than the norm. In time we find our heart coldly indifferent to the things of God. We’re not angry, just bored.



#2 From dogged devotion to indifference:

• …Israel was soon overfed; yes, fat and bloated; then, in plenty, they forsook their God. They shrugged away the Rock of their salvation. (Deut. 32:15b – Living)



#3 From indifference to the seduction of new loves:

• Slowly almost imperceptibly, we begin to embrace new seductions: The lust for money, seeking the respect and esteem of our secular-minded peers and pursuing new levels of comfort and pleasure not previously even considered.




• The things of God now seem bland, slow and out of date. By way of contrast, our new loves appear to be exciting, titillating, fast moving, fresh, cutting edge and liberating. Eve’s fascination with the forbidden fruit is now where we want to live.




• …The worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. (Mark 4:19b)



#4 From the seduction of new loves to open rebellion against

God:

• All pretense is now gone. We are in the new camp where the 'God thing' is passé. This is a new era for experimentation, casting off old restraints, freedom without responsibility and living existentially on the edge.




God:

• We are redefining the rules and laughing at the idea of consequences. Our lifestyle is characterized by self indulgence, questioning and challenging authority and doing our own thing. The sacred mantra is 'toleration' of all views, except of course, Biblical Christianity.




God:

• …Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. (Philip. 3:18b,19)



• are you clean as a whistle toward those outside of Christ? Above reproach? That is exactly the standard God holds you and me to: So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe. (Philip. 2:15) (See Eph. 1:4; 5:27; Philip. 1:10; I Thess. 3:13; 5:23; 2 Peter. 3:14)



The consequences of failing in the standard?

• Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.’ (Luke 17:1,2)



Learning, application and commitment: James 1: 22-25

• “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.

• Do what it says. • Anyone who listens to the word but does not do

what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

• But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does.” (NIV)



Learning, application and commitment

• One of the principles that I have learned from this lesson was …

• I intend to apply this principle in my market place by: …..

• With the help of the Holy Spirit, I will begin applying this truth immediately.



Prayer Focus• Father, In the name of Jesus, I

surrender myself to walk in the Word in the marketplace. Your word living in me produces the Life in this world.

• The word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. It makes my way plain before me.

• I boldly and confidently say that my heart is fixed and established on the solid foundation – the Living Word of God! Amen



Jesus said: Take what I have given you and change the world!



Sources and acknowledgementCHRIST@ WORK NEWSLETTER

• Copyright Notice• FCCI- Limited permission to copy without altering text or

profiteering is granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice. Copy is limited to member and/or FCCI small group use.

Unauthorized use of FCCI, Christ@Work, Crown Companies, their trademarks or logos is strictly prohibited.

• The “Facts of the Matter” is also available through the Internet: www.factsofthematter.org. R. Dwight Hill.

• Slides compiled by Mario Denton. • Please commit yourself to inform us of the results regarding the

effectiveness thereof should you wish to use this material.

http://www.factsofthematter.org/



Let's keep the good marketplace vibes alive. Let's network.

Become a member of the Crown Companies Marketplace Coaching Forum.

Tel (w) + 27(0) 82 88 29903. e-mail address:[email protected]

Website: www.crown.org.za

Blessings from Dr Mario Denton as the Africa: Continental Program Director - Marketplace


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303 D Losing your first love