Revelation 2:1 – 7 “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. I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles. Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name. But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.”
Jesus is beginning to give specific messages to the various churches. Ephesus was a very important trading town located on a fine harbor with a huge library and a theater seating 25,000 people. Close to Ephesus was the Temple of Artemis (Diana.)Diana was the goddess of the hunt but also was considered a fertility goddess as well. According to legend, Ephesus was originally built on the site of the Oracle of Delphi, a pagan oracle whose utterances were likely demonic. During the time of Paul one of the major industries in Ephesus involved making of silver images of Artemis/Diana for sale to tourists. At one point, the silversmiths staged a riot against Paul because he was teaching about Jesus. (Acts 19) Between the worshipers of Artemis and those seeking answers from the Oracle of Delphi, there was a lot of demonic activity going on in Ephesus.
WHOO! Surrounded by pagan worshipers and libertines! It wasn’t easy being a Christian in Ephesus, and Jesus recognizes this. “I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles. Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name.” What a ringing endorsement! When the Christians at Ephesus heard those statements, they were probably looking around the room and smiling at one another. YES! God has recognized all our good works! Aren’t we wonderful!”
But wait! Jesus isn’t through! “But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” OUCH! Wait a minute, Jesus! You just commended us for being faithful! Couldn’t you have just left it there?
What does Jesus mean when he tells the Ephesian church that they have abandoned their first love? When we first come to know Jesus, no sacrifice is too great for us to make. We are so thrilled to be free from our sins that we would do anything for Jesus, go anywhere, speak with anybody. We have holy boldness and we want to tell all our family and friends about the fantastic changes in our lives. But as time goes on, that fire dies down. We start to become “sensible” and to mitigate our enthusiasm. After all, we don’t want to appear odd. Sometimes we substitute rules for faith and begin checking off duties as a substitute for prayer and praise and sacrifice. And those around us who are not Christians are trying to dampen the fires of our enthusiasm as much as possible.
As Christians we must continually subject ourselves to the inspection of the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can thoroughly search our hearts and minds and root out hidden sins. And it is not enough to merely ask the Holy Spirit to show us our hidden faults, we must confess these faults, seek forgiveness, and ask God to change us into His Likeness. Jesus is not criticizing the Ephesians for a failure to maintain a heightened level of emotion; Jesus wants the Ephesians to remember their original level of devotion to Him and to return to that level.
“But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ” Who were the Nicolaitans? The original Nicolas was one of the first seven deacons ordained in A.D. 33. It is unclear whether or not he later fell away from the faith or if there was another man named Nicolas who inspired the group known as the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitans were a small sect limited to Ephesus and Pergamum. Irenaeus, one of the early church fathers, believed that Nicolas gradually fell away from the faith and founded this sect: “The Nicolaitanes are the followers of that Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles. They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence. The character of these men is very plainly pointed out in the Apocalypse of John, [when they are represented] as teaching that it is a matter of indifference to practice adultery, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.”
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.”
Jesus is calling the Christians at Ephesus to return to their original level of dedication to Him, but He is also giving them an incredible Promise. Remember that when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of life in the Garden of Eden, they were cast out of Eden. But now Jesus is promising that all those Christians who are victorious will have eternal life and be with Him in Paradise.
What does this letter to the Christians at Ephesus have to do with us? These letters were not merely written to specific churches but also to the Church Universal for all time. The admonitions and promises in these letters are for all believers in all generations.
Today, we must ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and minds. Where are we relaxing? Where are we giving up? Where are we compromising? Have we abandoned our first love, if we have ever loved God at all? And then we must ask the Holy Spirit to give us the power to change and be transformed into the Image of God’s Son, Jesus.
PRAYER; Father God, help us to listen when you are speaking to us. Show us our faults and help us to repudiate them. Please transform us into the likeness of your Son, Jesus. Amen.
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