Ephesus
“UNTO THE angel of the church of Ephesus write: These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil; and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience, and for My name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God” (Rev. 2:1-70).
Ephesus
Ephesus was not the capital of the Roman province of Asia, but it was the most important city. Ephesus had an almost perfect location for the spread of the gospel because of its location near to the sea. For this reason it was home to vast sea traffic and commerce. Its population expanded with people from various backgrounds and ethnic groups. Ephesus became one of the wealthiest cities in Asia Minor. It was a centre of great commercial life and a crossroads of the empire and had great influence in the Roman world. The temple of Artemis ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient World. It had many different cultures operating together because the Lydians, the Persians, and the Greeks had occupied it, and so many different religions were practised simultaneously including those of the Jews, the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans. But around the year AD53 the apostle Paul began to preach Christ in Ephesus.
Preaching in Acts
The word Ephesus means desirable. It is also said to carry the meaning of having relaxed or let go. It was considered the most desirable city of the province and of Asia Minor. The message of Christ to the ecclesia of Ephesus is prophetic not only of the history of the city, which began in a desirable condition and ended in a heap of ruins, but also of the ecclesia. The ecclesia at Ephesus had been begun by the Apostle Paul. Paul visited Ephesus and re baptised the disciples who knew only John’s message and passed on the gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s preaching mightily stirred the entire city. According to Acts 20:31, Paul remained in Ephesus for three years. Since Ephesus was the metropolis of Asia, the message during this period spread over the whole province. It was doubtless during this time that the other ecclesias of the province were established (Acts18:24-28 and 19).
The ecclesia of Ephesus had received the labours of Apollos, Paul, John, and Timothy (The two letters to Timothy are addressed to him while he was present in the Ephesian ecclesia). Paul's ministry produced great results, stirring all Asia with the gospel message. The power and progress of Christianity in the city was so great that it threatened the supremacy of the great goddess Diana and the shrine industry under the control of Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen, and so, mob violence was the result.
Jesus lists seven marks of faithfulness in the Ephesian ecclesia, which He commends. Their love, faith, and zeal were manifested by their works, labour, patience, hatred of evil, zeal in testing false apostles, perseverance under persecution, and steadfastness to the faith. The Ephesian Christians demonstrated their love and faith by their works. I know thy works is common to all seven letters, but it does not always mean good works.
Labour Zeal and False Apostles
The Ephesian ecclesia was active; they took their faith seriously and put it to work. Their doctrine was orthodox they were not tossed to and fro with every wind of new teaching that came along. Their faith was well defined and well defended and they had persisted in their teaching and labour despite much discouragement and hardship. Labour in the Greek carries the meaning of labour unto weariness, and patience means persevering endurance. The patience of the Ephesians, however, did not indicate indifference to sin. Though these early Christians could not bear evil and evil men, they could bear persecutions, ridicule, and reproaches for Christ's sake. They could bear anything except the presence of evil and impostors in their membership. They had the gift of discerning spirits, and had taken to heart Paul's warning concerning the coming of false apostles and wolves (Acts20:28-30) for he had warned them that they would have trouble in this area. A careful reading of Acts 19 and 20 is enough to convince anyone of the unparalleled zeal of the members of the ecclesia at Ephesus.
When they accepted Christianity they burned in the public square before all men their books of magic. This is a worthy example for modern Christians. We too can dispose of the filthy and trashy literature, which is far more demoralising than the Ephesian books of magic. These books could have been sold, but these earnest believers did not intend that others should be corrupted by them. They were not ashamed of their faith. Mighty miracles were wrought among them-some of the greatest recorded in the Scriptures.
To the Ephesian ecclesia Paul wrote an epistle, containing some of the deepest and most sublime of his revelations of divine truth. It contains practically no reproofs, and indicates that a splendid spiritual state existed at that time. Ephesus was located on the highway between Israel and Rome, and through it passed a continual stream of visitors and strangers, and the ecclesia often had to discriminate between pretending believers and apostles and those who were genuine. For their ability and carefulness in this respect Jesus highly commended them (v2).
But the desirable condition of the ecclesia of Ephesus did not continue long. The early love, zeal, patience, liberality, and spiritual power waned, and strife and dissension took the place of unity and brotherly love. The prediction of Paul came true, and false teachers and doctrines multiplied. Worldliness crept into the ecclesia, and evil men were tolerated. Miracles and missionary work diminished and finally disappeared. Paul's warning recorded in Eph.4:14 that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness after the wiles of error was no longer heeded.
The early ecclesia was noted for its zeal and patient endurance under persecution, its uncompromising attitude toward evil and evildoers, its ability to put pretending apostles to the acid test of Scripture, and its fearless exposure of lying claimants to fellowship and leadership. Their ability to detect and expose false apostles indicates that there were other apostles.
They were noted for their love, unity, pure faith, missionary zeal, and abounding liberality. The Lord supplied all the men and means needed for preaching the gospel.
Our Lord perceived all, and appreciated the Ephesian ecclesias virtue, especially their ability to detect wolves in sheep's clothing and put them to the Scriptural test. They had found them liars (Rev.2: 2). They were the agents of Judaism masquerading as the apostles of Christ (2Cor.11:13-15). Wherever possible in the seven letters, Jesus gave praise, and wherever necessary He gave reproof. But He always recognised and mentioned that which was praiseworthy first, indicating that He is more interested in finding the good in His people than in discovering evil. This is an example for all who have to deal with difficult ecclesial problems concerning our members. After praising the virtues of the Christians of the first century, like a faithful friend Jesus points out their faults. He is able to see much to admire where we see much to deplore and condemn. Jesus has a very keen eye for that which is good.
First Love
For a while their love for God was so great and infectious that people were drawn into their fellowship. They were known far and wide for their faithfulness even in the face of persecution. But after commending them the Lord added, “nevertheless I have somewhat against thee.” Despite all the commendable things, there was something seriously wrong. Their greatest fault was that they had left their first love and their first works. They had relaxed, or abandoned, their first love. Their love for Christ had not been entirely extinguished; it had diminished and become lukewarm. When Paul wrote his epistle to the same ecclesia not long before, they were still in their first love (Eph.1:15). At that time there were apparently no signs of spiritual decline. Notice that when love is alive it is described as something warm, hot or passionate. But on the other hand when love is in decline it is described as cold. In Matthew 24 Jesus speaks of the coming destruction on Jerusalem and says there will many whose love will grow cold in the face of distress and persecution.
Very seldom does a man take one giant step from a life of virtue and goodness into a life of vice and corruption. Usually, he begins his journey into evil by taking little steps into the shaded areas. Areas tinted and coloured just a little almost unnoticed by those around him. Until one day, hardly aware that he has made the journey, he finds himself firmly entangled in a life of vice and corruption. We see the same kind of journey pictured again and again in scripture. (Samson, Saul, Judas, etc, etc).
Samson was a man of God. From birth to manhood his life was dedicated to God. He started his morning with God. He spent the day with God. He ended the day with God. But then gradually Samson started flirting with evil. Little by little, evil came into his life. Then we read one of the most startling verses in scripture (Judg.16:20).
It says the Lord departed from Samson and he didn’t even realise it. Samson had so deeply become involved with the pleasures of this life, that the once great man had become insensitive to the presence of God. When God left Samson he didn’t even realise.
It’s not the giant step we must fear it’s the little steps that ultimately lead us away from God. Exactly the same happened in Ephesus. Christ looked at the Ephesian ecclesia and saw many positive things (v3) what a brilliant description. But Christ did not stop there (v4) You have forsaken your first love.
The Lord can never forget the first love and the love of His people. To ancient Israel God said: “I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the first-fruits of His increase” (Jer.2:2,3). (Notice: love of thine espousal = first love, in the relationship with the ecclesia and Christ) Gods love for His people, as Christ’s for the Ephesian ecclesia was unchanged. The coldness was wholly on the part of the Ephesians. He had commended them for their works, labour, and patience. What was wrong? Of faith, hope, and love Paul says that the greatest of these is love. Love was lacking, and works without love are dead and useless. Love is the foundation of all true service. For the love of Christ constraineth us, declared the apostles regarding the motive and compelling power of their zeal and works.
A Serious State
When love diminishes, it is evident that some other person or attraction has superseded Christ in the affections. The Ephesian ecclesia had not abandoned the doctrines of Christ or the form of godliness. Her failure was in becoming untrue to the Person who is the very centre and substance of Christianity. She had deserted her Lord in the way of love. In spite of their doctrinal purity their love had cooled. The warmth of affection had given way to cold and lifeless conformity. The machinery of an ecclesia may be in perfect working condition and yet at the same time works motivated by love be on the decline. A dangerous situation brethren and sisters. Do we see this in our ecclesias or in our lives?
It appears the Ephesians were busy doing for Christ rather than being like Him.
Commenting on this loss of love, one writer says: Thou hast left thy first love. Is that serious, saith one. It is the most serious ill of all, for the church is the bride of Christ, and for a bride to fail in love is to fail in all things. It is idle for the wife to say that she is obedient, and so forth, if love to her husband has evaporated, her wifely duty cannot be fulfilled, she has lost the very life and soul of the Marriage State.
So brethren and sisters our love for Christ is a serious matter. Because it touches the very heart of having fellowship with Him which is the essence of our spiritual life. As his bride, we must love Jesus, or else we have lost our reason for existence. An ecclesia has no reason for being an ecclesia when she has no love within her heart, or when that love grows cold. It is a disease, a fatal disease, only the Great Physicians intervention can stop its progress, and deliver us from it. No peril can be greater than this. Lose love and lose all.
Love is the sign and evidence of Christian life. Zeal for mere doctrines may turn into hatred for those who differ in thought and our community has seen this time and again throughout its history. An ecclesia may be sound in doctrine and yet be guilty of relaxing the love once manifest. The great fault lies not in the outward but the inner life, visible only to Him, Who seeth in secret. The Ephesians had the work, the organisation, the workers, the crowd of worshipers, all as great and splendid as ever, but that which made the whole to be living and true had gone. And only Christ sees it. Is it, in any measure, so with us? It is so easy to offer our Lord the head, the hands, the feet, while the heart is far from Him. It is easy to drift into being an earnest and devoted ecclesial worshiper and worker, devout in service, busy in various works, teaching, visiting, speaking, praying, and yet to have left the first love. And I fear on the other side that some in large ecclesias are all but Sunday worshipers who contribute nothing and who justify themselves through their many excuses.
Signs and symptoms
Visible at first only to the individual is the loss of joy. Spiritual life becomes routine. You may feel that you have heard it all before. Even the Sunday service seems mechanical, routine, dull and drab. Is this a sign that you are beginning to lose your first love? Next you lose your ability to love others. The scriptures reveal that the reason we love others is because we have first been loved ourselves. Once we lose the consciousness of the wonder of God and his son’s love, we also lose our awareness of others and find our love for them fading. It becomes difficult to love. We become critical, censorious, complaining. We begin to choose our friends more closely and only associate ourselves with those we like. We lose compassion. We begin to loose a healthy perspective of ourselves. We become more and more important in our thinking. Instead of what the Lord wants and what will please him, we begin to think of what we want and what will please us. Gradually we become sensitive and touchy unable to bear criticism. This causes divisions and schisms within the ecclesia. Individuals then in the ecclesia are no longer interested in preaching, they are no longer concerned about those around them who are without Christ, but are focussed on themselves, their own comfort and their own pleasure. Life now just becomes a self-centred existence.
I suppose at times we have all been guilty to a greater or lesser extent concerning these things. But when a whole ecclesia begins to reflect that atmosphere it soon looses its influence. Its light goes out. Its lampstand has been removed.
The Warning
“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent”, is the warning. Remember the height from which you have fallen, is the Moffatt translation. The loss of love for Christ is a fall from a high spiritual plane. It represents a backsliding condition that needs to be repented of. When the ecclesia ceased to be occupied with her love for Christ, she fell. There can be no works without love. Works do not produce love, but genuine love shows itself in works. That of a bridegroom and bride, or a husband and wife illustrates the relationship between Christ and His Ecclesia in the Scriptures. Loss of love in the home, if not regained, will eventually prove fatal, and end in divorce.
The only remedy for waning love is to remember the first-love experience and then never be satisfied till it returns. Christ can never forget the first-love relationship. He remembers the beautiful love experience, and regrets its departure. The fault, however, is not His. It is the ecclesia that has relaxed her affection. A remembrance of his love is sure to create a desire on our part to return to it. The return journey, however, requires more effort and time than the fall.
Removal of the lightstand
Unless there took place a speedy reformation, the lampstand would be removed and the ecclesia would cease to be the light of the world. This was no idle threat, for Christ had already removed the lampstand from the Jewish nation and given it to another. To the Jews, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” It is the loss of love that forfeits the privilege of light bearing and of witnessing for Christ. The testimony of loveless members has lost its value and power. God values the service of love, and when this is lacking, the mere course of ceremony is offensive to Him.
The removal of the lightstand does not mean that individual members of the ecclesia would be lost or condemned. What it does mean is that the ecclesia would lose its ability to shine or to witness to the truth. They would become an ecclesia with no influence or impact spiritually upon those around. Still busy being religious, but entirely irrelevant. Still working, still traditional, but inconsequential, with no light and no impact. Sadly there maybe such ecclesias within the brotherhood in our days. Ecclesias where congregations meet year after year, Sunday after Sunday doing religious things yet having no spiritual impact on those around them, seeing no change in peoples lives. Their light has failed. An acid test of an ecclesia and an individual’s love for Christ is the desire to want to share the love and the hope that we have been introduced to with those around our ecclesial halls and with those whom we come across in our daily lives.
The very continuance of the ecclesia depends on her love for Christ, to whom she belongs. Love is the kernel of our religion, and the cooling of that love is the first sign of decay and is also often seen in the way ecclesial members are treated.
Praise
After ministering this severe rebuke Jesus added some more praise to mitigate the sting: “Still, you have this in your favour: you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, and I hate them too.” Brethren and sisters the praise after giving such severe reproofs and dire threatening is evidence of his most tender love and sympathy. All feelings of righteous indignation against evil is welcomed by Christ as evidence of life. There is hope where hatred of evil prevails. To love the things Christ loves and hate the things Christ hates is indeed praiseworthy. The Ephesians did not fall into the common error of believing that doctrine can be divorced from obligation and that an intellectual acceptance of the gospel is superior to moral character. Failing out of love was their only error.
Nicolaitanes
There has been much conjecture regarding the origin and identity of the Nicolaitanes, but they are doubtless included among those whom Paul predicted would arise in the ecclesia of Ephesus and draw away disciples after them, not sparing the flock. (Acts20:29-31). It is believed by some that the word Nicolaitane comes from Nicolas, meaning conquering the people, and indicates the danger of supplanting Christ as head, by false and counterfeit systems of hierarchy within the ecclesia. This sect is mentioned again in the epistle to Pergamos, and the statement indicates that they were gaining headway in the ecclesia. The Saviour tells the ecclesia of Ephesus that He hates the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, commending them for likewise rejecting such deeds. He tells those of Pergamos, He hates the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, who are within the ecclesia. The ecclesia is admonished to repent.
Who are these Nicolaitanes?
A Nicolaitane, as the Greek shows, means a follower of Nicolas. Not the deacon Nicolas of Acts 6:5. The name Nicolas comes from two Greek words, nikos, meaning conqueror or destroyer, and laos, meaning people or laity. The original Nicolas was a conqueror or destroyer of the people, Nimrod who led the rebellion against God.
Nicolaitanes in the ecclesia institute and practice a corrupt form of ecclesial government based upon conquering the people and keeping them in subjection. Thus, despotism and elite rulership over the laity (the ordinary people or flock) is another manifestation of the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes. How prophetic of Old and New Testament times, when shepherds of the Almighty’s flock ruled the innocent sheep with force and cruelty, feeding themselves with rich living while scattering the flock (Ezek.34:1-6). Peter warned other elders against this and that they should humbly serve the flock, (1Pet.5:1-6). The Bible concept is a priesthood of all believers. New Testament ecclesias were pastored by more than one elder, (Acts14:19-23, 20:17; Tit.1:5; James 5:14). God has a ministry (service) for all His people. Those who depend too much on human spiritual leaders, put those leaders in place of Christ, and are shunning the true high priest in Heaven.
Appeal
“He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” The appeal to hear the voice of the Spirit is seven times repeated in the epistles of Christ. While Christ revealed Himself to John as the author of Revelation, it was the Holy Spirit who inspired the prophet to write it. The term churches indicate that all seven ecclesias were to profit by each of the seven epistles.
It is a dangerous thing to refuse to listen when The Lord speaks, to close the ear to His appeals. In Zech.7:11-14, refusing to hearken and pulling away the shoulder and stopping the ears are said to lead to serious consequences. The heart finally becomes hard so no impressions can be made. “To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart.” The appeal to hear the message of the Apocalypse applies with special force to us in this last generation. A refusal to hear and obey will lead to the unpardonable sin. It constitutes a rejection of both Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Reward
The seven promised rewards make up the sum of all the good things that were lost through disobedience, and that are to be regained through faith. The word overcometh implies that our life in Christ is a warfare from which there is no discharge, but it is a warfare, our Master teaches, in which even the feeblest saint can prove victorious.
Paradise is definitely located in Rev.22:1,2,14 as being at the headquarters of the government of God. Man lost his right of access to the fruit of the tree of life and the blessings of Paradise through disobedience. He who overcomes will return to his long-lost Eden home and again have a right to its glories. The tree of life disappeared from the earth because of sin. It will reappear when Paradise is restored. What was lost through the disobedience of the first Adam will be restored through the obedience of the second Adam. Paradise is called the garden of God, and the garden of the Lord. This promise to the members of the ecclesia of Ephesus constitutes a mighty and eloquent appeal for repentance and faithfulness, to hear what the Spirit saith. And so brothers and sisters, the first promise of the first epistle of Christ is of the restoration of the first thing lost through sin. Access to the tree of life and its life-giving fruit.
