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Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

Revelation 2:5

Henry Cloud and John Townsend tell the story of Rich and Stephanie in their book, How People Grow. This couple had come to Christ, met, married, entered into pastoral ministry and been given a very small church in a very small town. They worked hard and the church grew from a few dozen to a few hundred then to a few thousand. Rich received the plaudits of his denomination and colleagues. But something was wrong. He still prayed. He still reads his Bible. He still attended church. He still went home to his wife and family. But something was wrong, very wrong.

Rich had become disconnected. His success had led to him becoming busy. Too busy. His busyness distorted his priorities. He stopped doing what elite sports coaches call the "one percenters". While to all onlookers he looked like he was in the perfect marriage the reality was quite different. He had grown apart from Stephanie and the desperation of their situation had not become evident until Stephanie rang their denominational leaders advising them that she was going to seek a divorce.

By this time Rich had succumbed to various temptations that a strained marriage often inflicts on disconnected husbands. The Denomination referred them to one of the counselors mentioned above. Even though Rich and Stephanie were still doing all the things that Christians should do, the counselor showed them that they had stopped doing the little things that had once brought them so much success. When they stopped doing the little 1% things that separate 'on fire' Christians from 'nominal' Christians they went 1° off course.

So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel?
1Samuel 15:17

The counselor helped them to realise that when they brought every need, care, triumph, desire, and question to God in prayer they were living in the blessing of God. It was this blessing that enhanced their marriage. When they both sought God in humble prayer for the 'little things' they were aware of each other's needs and drew closer to each other. They talked. They listened. They showed each other due attention. The counselor told them, "There's no future for your marriage." They knew it! Stephanie said she had no love for Rich anymore, and Rich felt the same about Stephanie. But the counselor said despite this they still loved God. There's no future for your marriage, the counselor said, but there's a future for your marriage for God. He showed them that their marriage was not just about their relationship with each other, but was actually about their relationship with God. The first thing they needed to, he counselled, was to once again bring God into their lives and relationship by praying and praying together for everything. It wasn't going to be be a "big" thing that ruined or saved their marriage but a series of "one percenters". The things that take up 1% of time, 1% of effort, 1% of prayer, 1% of money are the things that stop us from vearing one degree off the course of following God.

In Revelation 2, Christ commends the Ephesian Church for doing the 99%. But He rebukes for them for what we might call the 1% of slackness. What did He call these one percenters? All of the things they did when they loved God with a "first love". His rebuke to them was not meant to be merely a stab at their consciences- it was a correcting invitation to return home. In other words, Christ was firmly saying to the Ephesian Christians you have veared one degree off course and even though no-one else knows it, I do! Come home! Get back on course by talking things over with me and depending on Me for all of your needs rather than living in your own strength.

The one percenters of living passionately for Christ aren't a check-list of do's and don't's but a heart attitude of humility that says to God: I need You. That's why mature, passionate Christ-followers do what they do. They fellowship, worship, give, serve, pray, read, share, care, visit, work, love, because of God and for God. I want us to be a church that does the one percent of things that make 99% of the difference.