The Church at Ephesus

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 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. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ Revelation 2:1-7

     

The churches to whom Jesus was sending His message were the early congregations in Asia, as shown on the map above. The messages were given in order of the circuit the messenger would travel from Patmos, carrying the book to each congregation in turn, starting at Ephesus. These churches existed at the time, just as Christ described them, but they also represent various types of churches throughout history until the rapture will take away all true believers out of the earth. Ephesus being the first church to be visited with the message also portrays the beginnings of the Church in the earth. Jesus knows the spiritual characteristics of His Church in all places and in all times.

He who holds the seven stars (messengers, pastors) in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands is of course, our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesus was a working church, and He knew all about their production, their perseverance (load-bearing capacity) and their patient endurance. He knew that this congregation could not abide any category of evil, and when someone came posing as an apostle, these Christians would put them to the test. When found to be false, the imposters would be disciplined and rejected.

Ephesus had held up well under great pressure from the idolaters and Judiazers and were stable in the faith they had received from Jesus’ true apostles. They were human, however, and had old sin natures. Therefore they could be tempted and distracted by worldly activities which had nothing to do with the gospel or the Christian way of life. “First love” in verse 4 literally means “most important love.” That would be Jesus Christ. 30 years before this, Ephesus had been commended for her love (Ephesians 1:15-16). It is easy for the world to creep in. When churches become more involved in programs, activities and entertainment than in teaching the Word of God and honoring Jesus in all they do, that church is no longer serving the Lord. When a church’s message becomes about “YOU” and your wants and emotional needs rather than about Jesus Christ and Him crucified for your sins, that church has left her first love for the enticements of the world. When human good becomes our standard of service and the basis of our decisions in life, we have fallen—failed in our assigned duty—and unless we repent (about face) our light will be removed. The word “repent” is the Greek metanoeo. It means think differently. Reconsider. Change one’s attitude from how it is to how it needs to be. This is not regret. It is redirection. So, just correct your wrong priorities and get cracking with what God expects you to do.

The Nicolaitans were a sect who distorted the Word of God and the Christian Way of Life into licentiousness and set up a clerical hierarchy which was not authorized by Jesus. Verse 6 is interesting, in view of today’s public hysteria over anyone promoting Biblical standards. Those who do are immediately branded bigots by the liberals; both Christian and agnostic liberals. Well, Jesus said one thing these Ephesians had going for them was their hatred of the evil deeds of this insidious cult. Why? Because He hates their evil deeds, too.

The thing we churches must realize about evil is that it is not always repulsive and nasty. Quite often, it is beautiful and inviting. The test of evil is: does it contradict the Word of God? That can be done very sweetly and in an innocent-seeming tone. Emotions cannot think, and when God’s people start to make judgments based on emotional appeal, they’ve left their first love.

Anyone who “has an ear”—is willing to listen, to pay attention to the Spirit’s message to the churches. An overcomer is one who is secure IN CHRIST and is a winner in the angelic conflict, by virtue of knowing Whose he is. His priorities will be divine good. His love will be Jesus Christ and the Word of God. Jesus will authorize him to eat from the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God. The tree of life is symbolic of total happiness.

Total divine happiness is the reward for maintaining our first love, as individuals and as Church. As long as the Church remains in the world, there will be those congregations and individual believers who have their priorities straight. Jesus knows which ones they are.