Erosion is slow, silent, and subtle. Often, it happens in our presence without our being aware of it or the toll it is taking. Soil can erode so slowly that the farmer fails to realize how much of his fertile land he's losing. The same thing can happen in a church. A once-strong, well-nourished, and healthy body of believers can ignore the warnings and overlook the signals that reveal that the church is on a long drift. It happened to the church at Ephesus. Even though they were warned by the Apostle Paul, they failed to be on guard and to remain alert. Tragically, within a matter of years, the erosion took such a toll on their spiritual lives, the Lord finally announced for all to hear, “You have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4).