Read with Me
Revelation 2:1-7 (HCSB)
“Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus:
“The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks among the seven gold lampstands says: I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. You also possess endurance and have tolerated many things because of My name and have not grown weary. But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
“Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in God’s paradise.”
Listen with Me
It is true that the whole book of Revelation is Jesus’ letter to the seven churches and is written in the style of apocalyptic using symbols and startling imagery to convey spiritual truths. Even so, it was a letter written to the Christians of John’s day with a very real, very current assessment of their situation, and includes very real warnings, and very real assurances that applied specifically to those people at that time. At the same time, it contains principles, warnings, and reassurances that are valid for Christians in all times and places, especially for those passing through times of suffering and persecution.
The first of the seven individual notes from Jesus is to the Church in Ephesus, and was to be delivered to them by the “angel” or “messenger” of the Church, what we would call today a “bishop”. Ephesus was an important city in the empire, founded in the 10th century BC. The most notable building there was the temple of Artemis of the Ephesians to the northeast of the city itself. The temple was a huge building that was listed as one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.
It had been worshippers of Artemis that fomented the riot that caused the apostle Paul to move on after ministering there for three years in about AD 54. John had lived in Ephesus for many years, he returned there after his release from Patmos, and he ultimately died there. Jesus begins by referring to himself as “the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks among the seven gold lamp stands”. The Ephesian Christians took pride in the fact that their city was the home of so prominent a person as John, the last of the original twelve apostles.
But Jesus reminded them by this title that it was He, not John or any other human being, who was in charge of the Churches and who walked in their midst. Their pride should be focused on being the people of the Savior.
In verses 2 and 3, Jesus lists some positive points that he knows about the Ephesian Christians. Key among these is that they worked hard for the kingdom, sharing the good news and at every opportunity, and helping new believers grow into disciples. It had not always been easy; they had faced much opposition. But they had kept going. In addition, they were not taken in by false apostles. Paul had warned that these deceivers, he called them savage wolves, would come in after he was gone. And he warned them to be on guard (Acts 20:29-31). And his warning had been effective.
They had also refused to accept the Nicolaitans and their willingness to compromise with the idolatry and immoral sexual practices of the pagans around them, claiming that they were no longer under the law but under grace.
Even though there was much good going on in the Ephesian Church, Jesus, who walked among all the Churches and who saw everything, even the hearts of all the believers, had something against them. They had let their love for Jesus and their passion for His agenda grow cold. They were still meeting, they were still doing the work of the kingdom, but their hearts were not fully committed to the Lord. It had come to the point that their religious acts were done by rote, by habit, not out of love or passion for Jesus or for the lost.
Jesus called to them was to repent, to make a U-turn and to return to the things that they did at first, and the ways they did them. This was not a suggestion, but a command from the Lord himself. And it came with a warning. If the Ephesians would not repent and return to their first love, Jesus would remove their lampstand. The organization of the Church might endure for years, even centuries after that. But they would no longer be Jesus’ people.
Finally, as he does in each letter, Jesus gives a promise to those who listen to His word, who act on them, and who thus overcome the world and its system. In this case, not only the Ephesians, but all the Churches that overcome are promised the right to eat from the tree of life in the presence of God. In plain language, this is a promise that they will receive eternal life and will live in God’s presence for all eternity.
Pray with Me
Father, even though this letter addressed very specific strengths and weaknesses that were present in the church in Ephesus, I can see where it can easily apply to us as well. It points out clearly the need to stay close to you in everything we do, never letting our love for you or our thankfulness grow cold. And we cannot under any circumstances allow ourselves to slip into compromise with the ways of the world or support anyone who is willing to do that. Lord, help us to see ourselves very clearly, just as You see us, so that we can quickly identify any areas in which we have grown cold or slack in our faith, or any other sins we need to repent of, so that we can live actively in Your blessings. Amen.