A Message To The Loveless Church Series

Week 4

“A Message To The Loveless Church”

Date: June 19, 2002

Place: Allendale Baptist Church

Text: Revelation 2: 1-7

Introduction

A boy came home from church one Sunday evening got ready for bed and said this prayer; “God we had a wonderful day in church today… wish you could have been there.”

Now we come to the section of Revelation on the “church” which is also referred to in the New Testament as “the Body of Christ”. From chapter 1 to chapter 3 the church is mentioned some 19 times, from chapter 4-20 the church is not mentioned.

 What has happened to the church? She is not in the world; she has been taken out of the world.

* Now we will begin to study the seven letters, given by God to Jesus to the angel to John to give to the church.

 These seven letters have a 3-fold interpretation & application.

1. Contemporary – they have a direct message to the local church

2. Composite – they have a message that can be applied to all churches.

3. Chronological- they are a panoramic history of the church from Pentecost to the Rapture.

Verse 1

“To the angel of the church of Ephesus”

Each of the seven letters is addressed to the angel of the church.

 This is the Greek word angelos meaning messenger

 This we believe to be referring to the Pastor of the church.

God always sends His message to His church through His messenger, the Pastor. God never goes around nor does He pass by the pastor.

The pastor- God’s anointed, God’s appointed man.

Read the job description of the pastor from the church constitution:

Now let me sum up what the says according to God’s Word

To Pastor is to;

Evangelize – the lost

Equip – the saints

Exalt – the Lord Jesus Christ

The church- comes from 2 words: ek-meaning out of & kaleo- meaning a calling.

This is where we get the word Ekklesia- meaning “called out from the world.”

 We are called out from the world to give the message of salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 It also means “assembly”. This is where one of the denominations arrived at their name.

 We are an assembly of God

Now about the church in Ephesus

1. Ephesus was called the “vanity fair” of the ancient world.

2. Ephesus was an inland city 3 miles from the Mediterranean Sea. 4 great trade routes went through Ephesus making it known as the gateway to Asia.

3. It was the center of worship with the temple of Diana, which was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. 425 ft long; 225 ft wide; 100 marble pillars 56 ft High. Diana was the goddess of fertility; some say it was a house of prostitution.

4. The city of Ephesus was also known for the Artimisian games, athletes from all over the world would travel to Ephesus to compete in these sporting events, much like today’s Olympics.

5. The church in Ephesus was founded in 52 A.D by the apostle Paul. At the time of the writing of Revelation the church was over 40 years old.

6. The church of Ephesus had 4 pastors until this time: Paul, for some 3 years, Timothy, who had been having some problems with the deacons & the WMU (not WOM) and Paul told him to take a little wine for his stomach; Tychicus, and then the Apostle John.

 In chapter 1 John sees Jesus in the midst of the lampstands, or in the midst of the churches.

 In chapter 2 John sees Jesus walking in midst or walking in the midst of the churches. He is on an inspection.

(When I was working for Coca- Cola and Dr Pepper, we would prepare for months knowing when the owners & CEO’s & stockholders were coming in for a tour of the facilities & stores.

Verse 2 The Commendation

“I know your works”

 They were a working church. They were busy about the Lord’s work. They were busy serving God

“ I know your labor”

 There is a difference between work & labor

 Work is the word ergon which means a task or duty

 Labor is the word kopos and has the idea of working at a cost, or toil resulting in weariness.

 Someone has said the work they did had cost them a price; ridicule, persecution.

“I know your patience”

 This is the word hupomone (high-po-mo-nay), which means load-bearing capacity.

 He was implying the church had been through a lot and had stuck with it.

“You cannot bear those who are evil.”

 Not just those who are outside the church, those worshipping the false gods.