LONGSHOT

16MAR24

“1 To the angel of the Church of Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 ‘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 have found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 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 lampstands from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the work of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 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 (ESV)

Over the last couple of weeks I have had the privilege of being a part of a men’s bible study that is looking into the book of Revelation. When diving into the Letters to the Seven Churches, it is evident that this is some of the most important scripture we can read. Other than the Gospel and the message of Jesus Christ, what could be more important than what Jesus thinks of how the body of Christ operates. These letters apply to all Churches and believers, and we should all listen very closely to thoughts of our Savior, and apply it to how we live our lives.

Ephesus was the third largest city in the Roman Empire and was located in what is now the western part of Turkey. Known primarily for her shipping and trade, the Port of Ephesus was known as “the gate by which the west visited the east”. Ephesus was also known for being the location of the Temple of Artemis which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Ephesus was a centre for many things. As are many pagans cities, it was known for being a place of idolatry. The Ephesian society was known for being very sexually immoral. Sexual immorality was very common and in some cases even celebrated. These are the type of behaviors that the Church of Ephesus was up against.

Jesus says “2 I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my names sake, and you have not grown weary.”

The Church of Ephesus was a working church. Some other translations use the word labor instead of toil. Stating that Jesus knows their works and their labors, which believe it or not have different meaning. Labor means working until the point of total exhaustion. The Church of Ephesus was very good at calling out heresy. It says in verse two that they “have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. The church was so focused on mission and outreach that in Acts 19:10 it says “all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks”. The Church of Ephesus were so intent on serving the Lord, that all the residents in Asia Minor heard the good news.

But in verse four Jesus says “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” They got so caught up in the business side of the church that they lost their love for Him. They were so busy serving, that they forgot why they were serving.

I was watching a video by Dr. David Jeremiah on the church of Ephesus and I believe he stated it perfectly. He states, “We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works.” May we all never forget that.

In verse 5 Jesus says, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.” If you are reading this today and maybe you feel like you have drifted away from the Lord, or you are not as passionate in your faith as you used to be, pay close attention to this verse. Only you know from where you have fallen, or what vices you have let into your life that are afflicting you. But if you repent, and begin to do the works that you did at first, you will see that the love is still there. Maybe when you first became a Christian, you were praying often and reading your bible. Start doing that again and see that love start to grow inside of you again.

We can learn a lot from the Ephesians. We can be more like them when it comes to standing up for Biblical truth and calling out heresy. They lived in a time of sexual immorality and perversion, idol worship, and much more. We are living in very similar times to that of the Ephesians. Our society has put so much of an emphasis on self reliance, and that we come first. Our society pushes the worship of ones self, and if you feel it or believe it, it has to be true. May we stand firm and make our biblical beliefs known like the Ephesians did, but may we never lose our first love.

Prayer: Lord, give us a the courage to stand strong on our beliefs, even when it is hard and not popular. Give us a heart of servitude, but one that does not forget why we are serving. May we never forget our first love, and may everything we do seek to better glorify your name. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.