seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
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Here's the link to the commentary I read.
To the angel: As discussed under Revelation 1:20, this angel may be the pastor of the church at Ephesus, or an angel looking in on the workings of the church at Ephesus. In some way, this angel represents this church; but the letter isn’t written just to the representative, but to the whole church.
Ephesus: This great city was also world-famous as a religious, cultural, and economic center of the region. Ephesus had the notable temple of Diana, a fertility goddess worshipped with immoral sex. This tremendous temple to Diana in Ephesus was regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was supported by 127 pillars, each pillar 60 feet tall, and it was adorned with great sculptures.
“The Temple of Artemis was also a major treasury and bank of the ancient world, where merchants, kings, and even cities made deposits, and where their money could be kept safe under the protection of deity.” (Longenecker in his commentary on Acts)
“Ephesus was a stronghold of Satan. Here many evil things both superstitious and satanic were practised. Books containing formula for sorcery and other ungodly and forbidden arts were plentiful in that city.” (Longenecker in his commentary on Acts)
I know your works: Jesus looked at His church, and He knew its condition. It was no mystery to Him. There may be sin or corruption hidden in a congregation, but it isn’t hidden to Jesus. He would say the same thing to us today, both as individuals and as a congregation: I know your works.
Your works, your labor, your patience: Jesus knew what this church did right. They worked hard for the Lord and they had godly endurance. Patience is the great ancient Greek word hupomone, which means “steadfast endurance.” In this sense, the church in Ephesus was rock-solid.
You have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary: Also, the Ephesian church continued doing these things without becoming weary. They showed a godly perseverance that we should imitate. By all outward appearances, this was a solid church that worked hard, had great outreach, and protected the integrity of the gospel.
Nevertheless I have this against you: Jesus used a sobering word — nevertheless, which means “despite all that.” Jesus took into full account all the good in the Ephesian church, yet despite all that, He had something against them.
You have left your first love: Despite all the good in the Ephesian church, there is something seriously wrong. They have left — not lost — their first love. They once had a love that they don’t have anymore. This can be described as “a definite and sad departure.” (Robertson)
Though they had left their first love, everything looked great on the outside. If you would have attended a service of the church at Ephesus, you might have thought, “This is a happening church. They are doing so much, and they really guard the truth.” At the same time, you might have had a vague, uneasy feeling — yet it would probably be hard to pin down. It wasn’t hard for Jesus to see the problem, even though everything probably looked wonderful on the outside.
Left your first love: What love did they leave? As Christians, we are told to love God and to love one another. Did they leave their love for God? Did they leave their love for one another? Probably both are in mind, because the two loves go together. You can’t say you love God and not love His family, and you can’t really love His family without loving Him first.
The Ephesian church was a doctrinally pure church. Sometimes a focus on doctrinal purity will make a congregation cold, suspicious, and intolerant of diversity. “When love dies orthodox doctrine becomes a corpse, a powerless formalism. Adhesion to the truth sours into bigotry when the sweetness and light of love to Jesus depart.” (Spurgeon)
First love: There is a definite, sure difference in their relationship with Jesus. Things aren’t as they used to be. It isn’t that we expect that we should have the exact same excitement we had when everything was brand new in the Christian life, but the newness should transition into a depth that makes the first love even stronger.
Remember therefore from where you have fallen: The first step in restoration for the Ephesian church is for them to remember. They need to remember from where you have fallen. This means remembering where they used to be in their love for the Lord and for one another.
Repent: This is not a command to feel sorry, or really to feel anything. It means to change your direction, to go a different way. It is an “urgent appeal for instant change of attitude and conduct, before it is too late.” (Robertson)
Do the first works: This means that they must go back to the basics, to the very first things they did when you first fell in love with Jesus. These are the things that we never grow beyond.
Or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place: Jesus gave them a stern warning. Unless they repent, He will remove their light and His presence. When their lampstand was removed, they could continue as an organization, but no longer as a true church of Jesus Christ. It would be the church of Ichabod, where the glory had departed (1 Samuel 4:21).
But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate: Jesus — probably so the Ephesians would not be overly discouraged — gave this church another compliment. They were complimented because they hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans — but who were the Nicolaitans and what were their deeds? The doctrine of the Nicolaitans is also condemned in Revelation 2:15, and in that passage it is related to immorality and idolatry.
The Nicolaitans, like all deceivers that come from the body of Christ, claimed “not that they were destroying Christianity, but that they were presenting an improved and modernized version of it.” (L. Morris quoting Barclay)
He who has an ear: This qualifies everyone — or at least everyone who will listen. This letter was not only written to the church at Ephesus in the Apostle John’s day. It is written to us, and to all Christians throughout the centuries.
To him who overcomes: Jesus made this promise to him who overcomes — but what does this overcomer overcome? We usually think of overcoming in dramatic terms of overcoming sin and in spiritual warfare, but here Jesus seems to speak of overcoming of their coldness of heart and lack of love marked by leaving their first love.
I will give to eat from the tree of life: The promise for these overcomers was a return to Eden, a restoration, and eternal life. This was meant first in the eternal sense of making it to heaven, which was no small promise to a church threatened with the removal of Jesus’ presence. It is also meant in the sense of seeing the effects of the curse rolled back in our own lives though walking in Jesus’ redeeming love.
In the midst of the Paradise of God: Originally, the word Paradise meant “a garden of delight.” Eventually, it came to mean “the place where God lives.” Where God is, that is Paradise!
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Jesus dictates this letter to His Apostle [and best human buddy] John. It would be read to the whole church in Ephesus. Then it would go on the "circuit" and it would be read to the other churches too.
As usual, I didn't copy and paste the whole commentary on these seven verses. People just love to fluff up everything written in the Book of Revelation. So, the commentary gets longer as the problem grows.
In Ephesus, they had lost their luster! Oh, people were still vacuuming the rugs and dusting the pews. The preacher was still working on his sermon a little every day so it would be as perfect as humanly possible for the Sunday Service. The teachers were all studying the lesson to be taught. The Prayer Mongers were putting extra lotion on their knees so they would support them while they prayed. The Pew Warmers were still coming to the meetings every time the doors were open to see and be seen.
The Church at Ephesus had lost its luster. People kept checking the sky expecting Jesus to come back any moment. As time passed, days turned into weeks, then months, then years, then decades, and they started to doubt. They expected Jesus to show up with His Legions and send Rome packing. They were looking forward to the day they could make a public declaration without fear of being imprisoned or hung on a cross.
The Church at Ephesus had lost its luster. Religion started to take hold. The Pew Warmers started to rub off on the congregation.
The Church at Ephesus had lost its luster, but it still hadn't totally lost its way. They were still teaching the true Gospel... not the bigger badder version full of nothing but fluff and tradition. For that, Jesus was happy for them.
So, what did the Church of Ephesus have to do to get right with Jesus? They needed a Revival! They needed to stop searching the clouds for Jesus to appear and get back to Spreading the Word. They had to get back to the Mission!
I used to sing in the choir when I got to a new church. I remember the excitement of learning the new music. I remember how I would leave choir practice, singing and smiling! I remember the excitement of belting out the song when it was finally ready for presentation to the congregation on Sunday Morning. I remember the feeling of putting on my choir robe for the first time.
After time, the song would get old. We wouldn't belt it out with enthusiasm anymore. We were "perfected". We had sung the same song so many times. We lost our luster. We would always look for a "new song"!
When Jesus dictated this letter to John, had been less than a century since Jesus started His Ministry. The Gospel was brand spanking new. Everyone expected Jesus to show up at any time... They trusted Him. Then that trust lost its luster. People started the religion of making excuses and going back to traditions that got them no closer to Jesus than they had been when they were paying the Temple Tax and following the rituals.
Do you still look at the sky?
Do you really expect Jesus to appear? I do.
Jesus said He would return.
He never lied so He will return.
Have you lost your luster?
Has the church turned you off?
Has religion turned you off?
Ephesus was guilty of losing their luster.
Ephesus had lost its luster!
