Free Grace Women

Introduction:

The first church listed in our study of Revelation chapters 2 and 3, is the church of Ephesus. It is often described as the “abandoned love” or “loveless church.” Ephesus was the largest city in Asia Minor. This port city was known for its commerce and great idolatry. At the heart of the city, you would find the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC) also known as The Temple of Diana. It is designated as one of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Apostle Paul visited Ephesus on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:18-21) and his third missionary journey (Acts 19:1-41). Of the seven churches in Revelation, Ephesus is the only one for which we have an additional epistle, written by the Apostle Paul. 

Description of Christ: 

Christ is depicted as:

“He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:” (Revelation 2:1 NKJV)

We can easily know what the seven stars and seven golden lampstands represent by reading what Christ tells John in Revelation 1:20. The stars represent the angels of the seven churches. The lampstands represent the seven churches. Christ is holding the stars in His right hand which is a symbol of strength and control.  Christ walks in the midst of the lampstands; this shows the believers that He is walking among them. When they were persecuted by Jews or Greeks He was there. They are not alone in this bustling, idol-worshiping city. What does this mean for us today? Just as He walked among the Ephesians, He walks with us. “…I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV) We are never alone–even if we don’t feel Him, we have His promise. We need this reminder today that Christ is always with us, that He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort and encourage us. 

Works:

In Revelation 2:2-3, the Lord commends the works of the Ephesians. He has found them to be diligent and patient in their ministry. They were zealous against those who were evil. Some had arisen in the church who claimed to be apostles. The Ephesians examined them and found them to be liars. Paul had warned them to walk in the light and to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but to expose them (Ephesians 5:8-11). Among those suffering persecution, they persevered and did not grow weary. They continued to labor in Jesus’ name. Their labor was not in vain. The Lord knew their works and they were commended for them.  Today, there are false teachers invading the church. We need to examine their doctrine with the Scriptures. We should be diligent to search for the truth, to persevere and to not grow weary while we labor for the Lord.

Praise/Rebuke and Instruction:

The Lord also sees where they are amiss in their walk.

“Nevertheless, I have this against you…” (Revelation 2:4 NKJV)

They have left their first love. The Greek word John used for love is agape.  Agape means unconditional love, without any ill will toward another. This is the love God showed us when He sent His Son and that Christ showed for us when He died on the cross. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 NKJV) What does “left their first love” mean?

“They loved Him and were serving Him, but not with the same dedication and zeal they had in the beginning.” (The Grace New Testament Commentary)

Christ should be our first love if we desire to be an overcomer. 

The Lord desires them to remember from where they have fallen and to repent (turn from sin). He desires that they reclaim the zeal they had when they first believed. He wants them to remember what Paul taught them when he served with them. Paul had implored them to bear with one another in love and to keep the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:1-3). He is calling them to do the first works, or He will remove their lampstand from its place. Remember that the lampstand refers to the church of Ephesus, so this is not referring to a loss of salvation but rather a loss of effectiveness and reward. Salvation can never be lost. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8 NKJV). However, we can lose the privilege of serving the Lord, due to our failure to love. They are then praised for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which the Lord hates also. The Nicolaitans were an early Christian sect who were teaching heresy. The Lord not only sees our outward actions (works) but He knows our hearts, thoughts and feelings. 

One commentator makes this observation: 

“Like the church at Ephesus, we are exhorted to renew our love for Christ and the Church” (From Philippe Sterling’s chart of the Seven Churches of Revelation).

We should ask ourselves, have we left our first love? Is serving Christ just a task on our to-do list? Are we bearing with one another in love? 

The Ephesians were called to attention in Revelation 2:7. They were called to listen and hear what the Spirit said to the churches. Likewise, the Scriptures were given to us for instruction. The church is in spiritual warfare against the powers of darkness. We are called to be alert, to listen, to hear God’s Word so we may withstand the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-13).

Reward:

“…To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7b NKJV)

To be an overcomer means to be faithful, to endure while we live out our lives on this earth. It is sad to say but not all believers will be overcomers. Some will not endure or be faithful to the end. They still have eternal life but will lose out on rewards. The tree of life is a depiction of rewards. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve walked daily with God. By being an overcomer, we have greater intimacy with the Savior. Our reward will not only be a closer walk with the Savior here on Earth, but also a closer relationship with Him during the Millennium and in the eternal state. Our Christian walk will not always be an easy one; but if we endure, stay in fellowship and rely on His promises we will be rewarded at the Bema. 

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (II Corinthians 5:10 NKJV)