EPHESUS: THE CHURCH THAT LOST ITS LOVE (REVELATION 2:1-7) The church in Ephesus was a very important church in the first century. It was established by Paul during his third missionary journey. He was there for about three years and used the location as the centre of evangelistic missions to the surrounding towns and cities, perhaps to some of the places mentioned in the list of seven churches. Over thirty years have passed since then. Timothy was there for some years, because he was in Ephesus when Paul wrote 1 Timothy. Later, the apostle John lived there and his letters are connected initially to the surrounding area. So it was a church that had received a great deal of spiritual input. Each of the letters to the seven churches follows the same basic framework: character of Christ, commendation by Christ, criticism by Christ, counsel of Christ and comfort from Christ. Exceptions are the letters to Smyrna and Philadelphia for neither of these churches received criticism, and the church of Laodicea, which received no praise. These letters were sent to churches facing trouble from the outside, from persecution by the Roman authorities. Although that was a painful trouble, it was not life-threatening. Other troubles came from inside the church, caused by false doctrine and sinful practices. Unlike persecution, these dangers were life-threatening, as we can see from the warnings One issue that needs to be clarified is the identity of the angels to whom each letter is addressed. Various suggestions are offered: the pastor of the congregation, the person in each congregation who delivered the letter to the church (the word ‘angel’ means messenger), the guardian angel of each church. It is likely to be a real angel, and elsewhere in the Bible they are depicted as functioning as witnesses for God. They observe public worship (1 Cor. 11:10). The character of Christ
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EPHESUS: THE CHURCH THAT LOST ITS LOVE (REVELATION 2:1-7)
The church in Ephesus was a very important church in the first century. It was established
by Paul during his third missionary journey. He was there for about three years and used
the location as the centre of evangelistic missions to the surrounding towns and cities,
perhaps to some of the places mentioned in the list of seven churches. Over thirty years
have passed since then. Timothy was there for some years, because he was in Ephesus
when Paul wrote 1 Timothy. Later, the apostle John lived there and his letters are
connected initially to the surrounding area. So it was a church that had received a great
deal of spiritual input.
Each of the letters to the seven churches follows the same basic framework: character of
Christ, commendation by Christ, criticism by Christ, counsel of Christ and comfort from
Christ. Exceptions are the letters to Smyrna and Philadelphia for neither of these
churches received criticism, and the church of Laodicea, which received no praise.
These letters were sent to churches facing trouble from the outside, from persecution by
the Roman authorities. Although that was a painful trouble, it was not life-threatening.
Other troubles came from inside the church, caused by false doctrine and sinful
practices. Unlike persecution, these dangers were life-threatening, as we can see from
the warnings
One issue that needs to be clarified is the identity of the angels to whom each letter is
addressed. Various suggestions are offered: the pastor of the congregation, the person in
each congregation who delivered the letter to the church (the word ‘angel’ means
messenger), the guardian angel of each church. It is likely to be a real angel, and
elsewhere in the Bible they are depicted as functioning as witnesses for God. They
1. THE DAILY LIFE OF THE CHURCH THAT WAS THRILLING The Lord begins His letter with words of praise. He compliments them for several things that
were true about the daily workings and life of the Church. Notice the things Jesus
commended and praised in the Church at Ephesus. First, we see:
A. How Fervent They Were In Service In verse 2, Jesus spoke of "thy labor.” The Church at Ephesus was more than a building
where people gathered. It was a body that worshipped on the first day of the week and
worked the rest of the week. The word “labor” describes the kind of working congregation
they were. The word describes "toiling to the point of exhaustion." It speaks of a
"strenuous and exhausting labor." They were such hard workers they were completely
exhausting themselves in the work of God. John R. Stott said of the Church at Ephesus that
it was “a veritable beehive of industry.” This was a membership made up of working people
who were praised by the Lord. They were a lot like John Wesley. It is said that Wesley traveled 250,000 miles by
horseback over 40 years of ministry. He preached more than 40,000 sermons, produced
more than 400 books, and learned 10 languages. At 83 he was annoyed that he could not
write more than 15 hours a day and at the age of 86 he was ashamed that he could not
preach more than twice a day. He complained in his diary that there was an increasing
tendency to lie in bed until 5:30 in the morning. I am afraid that many Christians are "lily" Christians. They neither toil nor spin. It is
estimated that in the average Church, 20% of the congregation will give 80% of the time,
talent, and money necessary to carry on the work of the Church. Another 40% will supply
the remaining 20% and the remaining 60% will do little or nothing. Jesus not only praised them for their work but also for their faithfulness. Notice secondly:
B. How Faithful They Were In Suffering Jesus praised them for their “patience” (Vs.2). The word means “endurance under trial.” For
these Ephesian believers, it was not easy being Christians. They found themselves exposed
to fierce opposition. Much of their persecution came from the many false religions that
existed in the city. It was one of the great centers for emperor worship. Many practiced the
magical arts from the Orient. There was profound reverence for Diana. All religions except
Christianity were accepted, thus the Christians found themselves snubbed in public and
maligned in practice. In our day, it is sometimes beneficial to be Christians. We often use our Christianity as an
advantage. But these believers were finding business hard for they were losing their
customers. Nobody wanted to buy from a Christian. Others found shopping difficult since
many merchants would not sell to Christians. Instead of Christians doing the boycotting as
so often is the case, the Christians were ones being boycotted. Yet these believers did not
give up, bail out, or fall back. They pressed on in patience. Probably no book has had greater influence on the Church apart from the Bible as John
Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. It was written while Bunyan was a prisoner in the Bedford jail.
He was preaching to a crowd outdoors when officers broke up the meeting and carried him
to jail. His crime was simply preaching without a license. He spent the next 13 years in jail.
When his trial came up, he was given a sentence of 3 months. After that time, he was told if
he would promise never to preach again, they would release him. Bunyan replied, “If I were
out of prison today, I would preach again tomorrow, so help me God!” That’s the kind of patience and endurance we need. How easy we let things get us down in
our life. The least amount of persecution or difficulty and we are ready to call it quits. We
need a faith that will endure under trial. The kind Jesus praised. We also see:
C. How Firm They Were In Separation Thirdly, we see that Jesus praised them in “how thou canst not bear them which are evil,
and hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars”
(Vs.2). Also we read, “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes,
which I also hate” (Vs.6). It seems that there were those in the Church that were teaching
false doctrine. They were called Nicolaitanes. No one knows for sure who they were, but the
name means “destroyer of the people.” The name itself indicates they were false teachers
who were destructive in their behavior and belief. Yet these believers were well grounded in
truth and would not tolerate false doctrine in any form or fashion. They had tried those who
were false in doctrine and had so marked them. Jesus praised them for their ecclesiastical
separation and doctrinal stand. Jesus never intended for His Church to be hodgepodge of ideals, theories, and doctrines. He
intends for His Church to be doctrinally sound, biblically settled, and theologically straight.
Liberalism and modernism must never be tolerated by the Church. Jesus praised this Church
for their stand for truth and on truth. The things Jesus praised about this Church should be important to each congregation. If
Jesus wrote your Church or mine, would and could He praise us for the same?
Secondly, we see:
2. THE DYING LOVE OF THE CHURCH THAT WAS TROUBLING Jesus not only rejoiced in certain things about the Church at Ephesus, but He also reproved
them for a certain matter. First He commended them and then He condemned them. Jesus
said, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee” (Vs.4). What was it that Jesus had
against this Church? First, we notice:
A. The Exciting Life Of The Church In The Past
Jesus spoke of their “first love” (Vs.4). The words describe a devotion to Christ that is full of
passion, excitement, and fervency that is openly displayed and uninhibited. Warren Wiersbe
describes it as the honeymoon love of a husband and wife. Do you remember when you first
were saved? Everything you learned was so thrilling. You wanted to read your Bible and
pray each day. You could not wait to get back to Church. You wanted everyone to know that
you had been saved. Being a Christian was the greatest thing in the world. You were so
excited about being saved and the Lord meant everything to you. That is what is meant by
“first love.” These believers in the past had been so excited about being saved. Serving the Lord was a
blessing not a burden. Sharing their faith with others was a joy and not just a job. They
were in love with Jesus and not ashamed of it. The words of A.J. Gordon are descriptive of
the love and zeal they had for Christ. My Jesus I love thee, I know Thou art mine; If ever I loved Thee, My Jesus tis now.
However, what had been true about the past was not true in the present for there
was: B. The Evident Lethargy Of The Church In The Present The complaint Jesus had against the Church was, “thou hast left thy first love”
(Vs.4). Jesus was saying, “You are a hard working group of people, you are
strong, endure persecution, and are doctrinally sound. But you have lost that
excitement, passion, and zeal that you once had.” Paul, when writing to the Church at Ephesus, closed the letter by saying, “Grace be with all
them that love our Lord Jesus in sincerity. Amen” (Eph.6:24). The word “sincerity” speaks
of an undying love. Paul’s charge was to let nothing cool their love for Christ. Now
thirty years later the one complaint Jesus had was that their love for Him had
cooled, their devotion had chilled, and their hearts had grown cold. They had lost
that honeymoon love. I can imagine that the services were dead. The music was drab and uninspiring. The
preaching was gun barrel straight but just as empty. Their zeal, passion, and
excitement were gone. They went through all the motions, but it lacked life. They
had lost the wonder of their salvation. Albert Schweitzer, missionary-physician to Africa once wrote: “For the tragedy of life is not
in the hurt to a man’s name, or even in the fact of death itself. The tragedy of life is what
dies inside a man while he lives, the death of genuine feeling; the death of inspired
response.” Thomas Carlyle put it this way: “Soul dead, stomach well alive.” Many believers could thus
be described. The soul is dead. Something on the inside has died. The passion has gone out
of worship. Zeal has gone out of service. Joy has gone out of the heart.
J.H. Jowett said, “The alluring wonder is largely absent from the Church . . . What then do
we need? We need the return of wonder, the arresting marvel of a transformed
Church, the phenomenon of a miraculous life.” To that we all must say, “Amen!” The third thing we notice about this Church is:
3. THE DEVASTATING LOSS OF THE CHURCH THAT WAS THREATENING Our Lord first commends the Church and then condemns them. Finally He
commands them to take certain steps in their life. Notice the instructions Jesus gave
to the Church. First, we see:
A. The Conditions Jesus Declared There were three things Jesus commanded them to do. First they were to consider
their former devotion. Jesus said “remember therefore from whence thou art
fallen” (Vs.5). The word “remember” means “to keep on remembering.” They
were to recall and reflect on the days when their heart was white hot. They were
to think often on the days when the Lord was near and His presence real in their
hearts. They were to remember how it used to be in their life. Secondly, they were to confess their fateful decline. Jesus said “repent” (Vs.5).
They were to confess their spiritual decline and deadness. They were to come
before God in repentance that they had allowed their hearts to get in the state it
was. Finally, they were to change their future direction. They were to “do the first
works” (Vs.5). They were to once again work and serve with a honeymoon love.
Once again their life was to be filled with passion, zeal, and excitement. The Lord expects nothing less of us if we have left our first love. If our hearts have
grown cold, we ought to fall on our faces and ask God to forgive us and to fill our
hearts with a burning love. He demands nothing less and deserves nothing less. Also, there were:
B. The Consequences Jesus Described There are two words Jesus said that ought to grip our hearts and get our
attention. Those two words are “or else” (Vs.5. Jesus was saying if there is going
to be survival there must be revival. Jesus told the Church to remember, repent,
and return “or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick
out of his place” (Vs.5). If there is no life there will be no light. Jesus was saying
that the glory would depart and that He would remove His hand of blessing if they
did not heed His commands. We all know of places where the “candlestick” has been removed. I recently was taken a
tour through a Church by its pastor. He has only been there for a short time and has a great
vision for the Church. As we walked through the impressive buildings and beautiful
auditorium, he told me a shocking story. Years ago the Church was one of the largest in the
city. Its history included large crowds and pastors of reputation and influence. Yet, in a
business meeting the Church voted not to do any more evangelistic work in their community
because of the kind of people that were moving into their area. One man stood up with
tears in his eyes and told them they had made the worst mistake in the history of the
Church. He was exactly right, for the Church now consists of buildings that a small handful
of older people are struggling to maintain. It is nothing but a memorial of a great past. The
light was removed and woe be unto any Church when the light is removed. History tells us that after the Church at Ephesus received their letter from Jesus, it
rallied for a while. But later it lapsed again and by the middle ages it testimony
had been obliterated. This Church with such a glorious history ceased to exist. One
traveler in that time tells about visiting Ephesus and “found only three Christians
there and these had sunken in such ignorance and apathy as scarcely to have
heard the names of Saint Paul or Saint Peter.” Jesus warned them such a thing would happen if they did not remember, repent, and
return. The Lord by their example warns us that the same thing could happen to our
Churches. If the life is gone the removal of the light is next. When the honeymoon is over a
divorce will soon follow. May God speak to our hearts and keep our hearts burning with a