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The Church of Ephesus

Revelation 2:1,4 'To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.'

There are seven churches specified in the book of revelation. When we read through the passages, we can see both positive and negative points. We can read commendations and condemnations about all these churches. Each churches received a unique message from Jesus addressing their strengths and weaknesses. The messages shared by the Lord are still relevant today. Firstly, we read about the church of Ephesus. Looking at the warnings given by the Lord, we can clearly understand the pattern of the Church expected by the Lord. The Church of Ephesus was one of the seven churches mentioned in the book of revelation. It was a prominent church known for its dedication and hard work. However this church has a set back. They had lost their first love. We can see how the Lord starts by appreciating them and starts to highlight their shortfalls. This is the model of the Lord. Today, let us meditate on the warnings and appreciations recorded for the church of Ephesus.

The Commended Church

Revelation 2:2 'I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars.'

Firstly, the Lord appreciates the church of Ephesus for their hard work and perseverance. The Ephesian church was diligent in their ministry and were vigilant in guarding themselves against false teachers. They were committed to the truth and worked tirelessly for the kingdom of the Lord. The major lesson we learn here is that a church should be always active, it should have the discerning spirit and committed to sound doctrine. We need to evaluate ourselves if we are condemned or commended by the Lord for our ministry in the church. The Lord is seeing the efforts we put in the ministry. Hard work for gospel is pleasing in the sight of the Lord. We need to ask ourselves if our church is an evangelizing church? Will my church be praised by the Lord ? It is very key that we spread the gospel of the Lord and receive the appreciation by the Lord.

The Rebuked Church

Revelation 2:4 'Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.'

The Lord is not appreciating the church but he starts to condemn their act. Only if we are rebuked by the Lord we can grow. The Lord rebuked the church for the shortfall. Despite their commendable deeds, Jesus reproved the church for losing the first love. What is first love ? The passion and devotion the church had initially for Christ. Many of us will slowly miss out the experiences of first love. There is a way where we reflect the love for Christ. Only when a person loves Jesus he can show love towards others and to the society. If people do not show their love on others, we can clearly understand they do not love God. The love will fade away. The love between a couple should keep increasing day by day it should not be the same. We should stand firm in the first love. The church was doing the work of God but their motivation had shifted from love to duty. In the beginning, we were rushing to Church as we had first love. But as days go by, we force ourselves to attend the church. We have signs of losing the first love.

1. Ministry becomes mechanical or routine.

2. Prioritizing knowledge and rules over relationships.

3. Lack of genuine compassion and care for others.

We read in I Corinthians 13:2 'And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.' The major lesson we learn here is Christian work must flow from a heart of love. Without the love, even the most sacrificial acts become meaningless. (I Cor 13:1-3)

The Repentant Church

Revelation 2:5 'Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.'

Thirdly, we see the church that received the rebuke of the Lord, starts to repent. The church received the reproof of the Lord and accepts the same. We need to consider how far we have fallen in our spiritual life. We must repent and re-start the things we did at first. Do we have the motivation we had at the beginning? Do we have the same desire now ?

1.Remember - We need to reflect on the depth of their love and devotion in the past.

2.Repent - We need to acknowledge where have we gone wrong and should turn back to God.

3.Return - We need to resume their first works of love and devotion.

Just like the church of Ephesus, we need to remember-repent and return to the Lord. Only then we can match to the pattern that is set by the Lord. The Lord also gives a warning to the Church finally. Jesus warns them saying, if you fail to repent, i will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. We as a church should bey very careful. A church that loses its love loses its light to influence in the world. Unless we repent we cannot revive the relationship with the Lord. It is only the repentance that will enable us to restore our fellowship with Christ. It will rekindle our love for him and his people.

The Overcoming Church

Revelation 2:7 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.'

Here we see for the ones that repent and become overcomers, the Lord gives them a gift. The Lord gives them the fruit of the tree of life which is in the paradise. Those who overcome by restoring their love and faithfulness will experience eternal life and fellowship with God. The tree of life represents eternal sustenance and communion with the Lord. This is the reward from the Lord on all those who remain faithful to his name. The church now becomes an overcoming church. It prevails all the shortfalls and receives the rewarding from the Lord. Let us examine ourselves by asking these questions. Apart from hearing the sermon, we need to make it a point to surrender ourselves to the Lord.

Examine our hearts : Have i forsaken my first love for Jesus ? Is my service rooted in love or obligation ?

Renew our passion : We need to spend more time in prayer and worship. By daily bible reading, the word of the Lord can re-kindle our love for Christ.

Prioritize love : Let the love for God and other be the driving force of your actions. People seeing us should know the love we have in Christ.

Guard against routine : Let us not do ministry based on check list. We need to do the ministry with joy and gratitude.

The church in Ephesus teaches us the importance of maintaining our love for Christ as the foundation of faith. We see Jesus values our work and perseverance but he desires our hearts above all these things. When we carefully understand the words of Jesus to the Church of Ephesus, it will help us return to our first love so that we can shine radiantly before the Lord. We read in I John 4:19 'We love Him because He first loved us.' Our love should be like a selfless love of Jesus. We need to pray that we receive the love of God and reflect the same towards others. Amen.

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The Church of Ephesus