Text: Revelation 2:1-7
Scriptural References: Prov 14:14, Heb 10:38
As we saw last week, there are some
structures common in the letters to the seven churches. But one thing we should
note is that we must not be dogmatic about these structures. The structures are
just like a guide and can also be restructured or renamed as the case may be.
The Church at Ephesus
Ephesus in the Bible means desirable.
It was called the vanity fare of Asia and all men around the world at that time
came there to buy different things including idols. The temple of Diana which
was one of the Seven Wonders of the World at that time was located in Ephesus.
Thus, for the church in Ephesus to be able to contend with these things, it had
to stand firm in Christ. It had to understand how the environment operated and
the circumstances it was surrounded with, so it could know how to make the name
of Christ glorified in such a place, and it had to be very spiritual for it to
remain in existence.
This is a typical way of how life is
generally. For one to be able to make it, he/she needs to understand the
environment surrounding him. When a man knows where he is coming from, where he
is, and where he is going, he will know how to serve God. Many times, we tend
to wait for motivation before we serve God. There are certain advice we are
still receiving today that we ought to have outgrown, having awareness that the
kind of lifestyle we exhibit can determine whether we succeed or fail in a
particular environment. Some lifestyles are suitable for some environments
while others are not. This implies that we all need to study our environment
carefully so we can cultivate lifestyles that would help us succeed.
In the letter to this Church, Christ
revealed Himself as the one that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, who
walketh in the midst of the seven candlesticks. Here, Christ was emphasizing
the need for the church not to allow anything interfere with their walk and
relationship with him. He was telling them that no matter what happened, their
walk with Him must never be tampered with, they must do everything possible to
maintain that walk.
Christ commended the good works the
church in Ephesus was doing. He commended their labour, patience and their
stand against evil. He even commended their hatred for the deeds of the
Nicolaitans who were a set of people that misinterpreted and perverted the
Gospel. But He said He had something against them, and that is “they had left
their first love”. Christ meant that their love had grown cold. This love can
be broken down into three (3):
-
Love
for the Lord
-
Love
for the brethren
-
Love
for sinners
Our relationship with Christ is like
a marriage, and we must never allow it grow cold. There are certain things
(such as reverence for God, reading and studying the Word of God, maintaining a
healthy prayer life e.t.c.) we should never outgrow as Christians; but rather
we must keep growing in them. These are the things that will help us remain
steadfast as Christians.
When God gives you commendations and
also adds that He has something against you, your concern should not always be
the commendations but rather, the things He has against you. This is because
that little thing that He has against you can destroy you if not tackled. That
thing you think is too little that God is always calling your attention to can
be the one to destroy you. It was the accusation that God had against the
Church of Ephesus that destroyed them at the end. Today, that Church no longer
exists. In the Bible, God warned Moses against anger but it was still that same
anger that prevented Moses from entering the Promised Land. God also used King
David to warn his son King Solomon about sexual immorality but we see that at
the end, it was sexual immorality that destroyed King Solomon. What is God
warning you about? Don’t make the mistake of just waving it off; tackle it so
that it would not be your downfall tomorrow.
There are three key lessons we can
learn from the Accusation to the Church at Ephesus: These lessons are:
i. We must constantly compare our past
with our present. In other words, what I was is important but what I am is more
important.
ii. Where I was is not as important as
where I am.
iii. That little or that one thing I
consider small is enough to destroy all.
Christ concluded His writing to the
Church at Ephesus with the promise of a special meal if they heeded His advice.
This means there is a great banquet and reward awaiting those who heed the
instructions of the LORD, and as such, we must not live as if it all ends here,
we should be conscious of the fact that when we respond to God’s advice and
instructions, His reward awaits us both here and after this life.
