Christ Speaks to His Churchs--Ephesus
Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
We all dread performance appraisals; they can often make or break a career. In the Book of Revelation we read our Lord’s spiritual evaluation report to His churches. While specific local churches are singled out, the counsel and critique apply to us today.
These 7 letters tell us what Christ thinks of His church; they contain encouragement and warnings we can’t afford to ignore. The 7 letters reveal Christ-the word "revelation" means "unveiling". John walked with Jesus, but now his knowledge of our Savior is expanded as Jesus speaks to him in a vision.
Scholars estimate that this book was written around 64 AD. It was written in exile. John the Apostle was banished to the island of Patmos, a penal colony. He was cut off from the rest of the world-but he was not cut off from Christ. Paul writes to Timothy about being in prison, noting, "but God’s word is not chained" (II Tim 2:9).
Letter writing was common and very important in the ancient world. Correspondence was made possible by the system of roads and safe passage made possible by the Roman Legion. The navy drove away pirates making sea travel safe. Travel was a new freedom; people could travel with confidence. It was easier to send letters in John’s day than ever before. 21 of the 27 books of the New Testament are letters addressed to individuals and communities. There was (surprisingly) no governmental postal system, yet each trading company had a staff of letter-carriers which could be contracted to carry personal correspondence. God’s word came to a world prepared to transmit it. Epistles became the life-blood of the church.
John’s letter did not travel far; the island of Patmos is near the province of Asia Minor, or modern-day Turkey. The 7 churches form an irregular circle and are given in the order in which a messenger might visit them. Today you can see the ruins of these cities and the remains of the churches.
These letters were not private correspondence. It is likely that all 7 received all 7 letters. There were other churches as well in the area, and they probably also received copies of these letters (and the rest of Rev). Notice that each one contains the directive: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." The plural is significant-these are letters for all believers.
I’ve often wondered about the connection between these letters and the rest of Revelation. This prophetic book would appear to be complete without the letters, and vice-versa. They are included as cover-letters giving God’s appraisal in light of coming apocalyptic events. The point is this: Get your affairs in order in light of what is soon to come. The coming Christ critiques His churches!
Christ’s first message is to the church in Ephesus. This city, whose name means "desirable", was the gateway to Southwest Asia, and the most prominent city in the Roman province of Asia Minor. Pergamum was the official capital, but Ephesus was by far the most important and prosperous city.
Ephesus was called "the landing place". Its harbor made it a strategic center for the spread of the Gospel. However, in later times when Christians were brought through Ephesus to face death in the Roman arena, the city was called the "road to martyrdom."
Ephesus was granted by Rome the right of self-government and even its own currency. It was a prosperous metropolis with a thriving market, theater, and a stadium that seated 25,000. The main attraction of the city was one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, the Temple of Diana. It was 4 times the size of the Parthenon (Athens), and was surrounded by 127 pillars of marble overlaid with gold and jewels. Diana was a fertility/ nature goddess and the center of an extensive religious cult.
Ephesus was a meeting place for many religions. You might wonder why Rome tolerated the worship of Diana-because it did not interfere with the (additional) worship of Caesar. The early Christian church was persecuted for their exclusive devotion to Christ. There was no other Lord. Believers were singled out for refusing to worship Caesar. The exclusive claim of Christ conflicted with the Roman edict to venerate the emperor.
The church in Ephesus was established by Paul during his 2nd missionary journey (Acts 18). On his 3rd missionary journey Paul remained in Ephesus for about 3 years, and the Gospel spread throughout the region. John’s letter to this same church is written some 30-40 years later.
The preaching of Christianity hurt the tourist trade in Ephesus. The city’s silversmiths were seeing a diminishing demand for their silver souvenir replicas of Diana’s image and her temple. These idol-makers stirred a riot against Paul (recorded in Acts 19).
We now come to the first letter--chapter 2, verse 1. The letter is addressed to the "angel" of the church of Ephesus. The Greek word angelos often refers to human messengers (Lk 7:24, 27, 9:52). In this context, the messengers of the 7 churches are likely their pastors.
Verse 1 describes Christ as the One who controls the messengers and is present in and among the churches. The word for "hold" means "to hold authoritatively". Christ is sovereign over His churches. He is thoroughly aware of their problems and progress. In Leviticus 26:12 the Lord promises, "I will walk among you, and will be your God and you will be My people."
Since He is in their midst, Jesus can say in vs 2, "I know your deeds." We see in vss 2-3 that the Ephesian church had toiled to the point of exhaustion, patiently living with the hostility of a society that opposed their beliefs, goals, and efforts.
Christ commends the church for opposing heresy. Jesus warned that after His departure false teachers would infiltrate the church, spreading deceit. The Ephesian church appraised all teachings and opposed false doctrine. They refused to tolerate any compromise with unbiblical and pagan worldviews.
Very little is known of the heresy the Ephesians were opposing. Verse 6 identifies the group as the "Nicolaitans". This is probably not be their actual name, but a description; the term means "destroyers of the people", an appropriate title for false teachers. We try to be tolerant people and we condemn wars fought in the name of religion. But we must not be so easy-going that we fail to point out error. The uncompromising character of the church enabled it to prosper, even in the midst of persecution.
In spite of their orthodoxy, the spiritual vitality of the church at Ephesus was gone. "You have forsaken your first love", Jesus states in vs 4. Take note-they did not lose, they "left" their first love. And so the Lord challenges the church to restore their spiritual passion. The toil, the endurance, and the orthodoxy were present, but the love was gone. Outward success is no substitute for spiritual devotion. Our ultimate goal must be to exalt Christ, our first love.
The correction Jesus gives is threefold: Remember, Repent, and Resume-verse 5…
"Remember the height from which you have fallen". I.e. see your situation for what it is, and how it used to be. Recall the zeal you once had for God when you were a newborn believer. The church had regressed, and Jesus is calling for self-examination.
Next is a call to repent. Repentance means a change of mind, heart, and direction. Repentance is sorrow converted into action.
Third, Jesus says resume> "do the things you did at first." Return to the start, and this time do it right! In Monopoly, you sometimes draw a card that says: "Return to GO." Do the things you did when you first trusted Christ. Maintain a vital prayer life, read the Scriptures, share your faith, be excited about fellowship and worship. Restore your spiritual passion!
Then comes a warning-the Lord may have to remove their lampstand (by the way the KJV "candlestick" is a poor translation-candles hadn’t been invented yet!). The city of Ephesus was slowly being cut off from the sea due to soil erosion, and its Christian church suffered from spiritual erosion; they were in danger of losing their spiritual impact. A church without devotion to Christ and compassion toward others ceases to be a church. Christ cautions the Ephesian believers that He may have to remove their church as a testimony to Him.
The church is often referred to in Scripture as God’s "bride". Our Lord’s observation is that His bride has "fallen out of love". The honeymoon is over! Without love, churches become lifeless and useless. Christ is the Light of the world, and the church reflects His light. A church without light is no longer a beacon and its lampstand is removed.
The reward for overcoming is found in vs 7--access to the tree of life. An overcomer is one who has remained faithful to Christ; genuine faith will produce a life of faithfulness. The book of Proverbs describes the fruit of the tree of life as wisdom (3:18), righteousness (11:30), and hope fulfilled (13:12). The overcoming Christian has paradise restored, in this life and forever.
According to tradition, the Apostle John was buried in Ephesus. There are remains of a basilica, under which are subterranean grave chambers. Archeologists have uncovered a rectangular base of a statue with this inscription: "To the praise of God, we have removed the demon Diana and put in its place the sign which drives all idols away-the Cross, the imperishable symbol of Christ."
The church died only when the city died. Erosion turned the harbor into a malarial swamp, and in AD 263 the Turks invaded Ephesus. The Temple of Diana is just a pile of rubble. The church remained faithful to the end. John elsewhere assures us, "Everyone born of God overcomes the world by trusting Christ to give the victory" (I Jn 5:4).
Prayer: Lord Jesus, enable us to remain faithful to You; restore our spiritual passion, and cause us to evaluate ourselves so that we may correct any weaknesses and stand firmly for You. Increase our love and devotion for You, and our compassion toward others. May our doctrine and our dedication both be up to Your standard. In Your most holy Name we pray, Amen.
