Jesus Speaks to the Church in Ephesus
Revelation 2:1-7 - "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: 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 conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."
In the revelation to John on the island of Patmos, Jesus Christ sends a message to the church in Ephesus. He commends the Ephesians for their commitment to sound doctrine. The Ephesians held fast to the gospel truth communicated to them in Paul's letter. This further highlights the importance of sound doctrine. We have to know what we believe and be able to biblically support our convictions in an articulate and convincing manner. How can we properly witness to others about our faith unless we know the truth and can communicate it? The fact that Jesus commends their commitment to sound doctrine leads us to believe they encountered false teachers and rebuked the false doctrines by standing firm in the truth. If we cannot recognize false teachers and false doctrines, we will be led astray by their charismatic personalities. It's a reminder to know the truth and stand by it.
The problem for the Ephesians is that they became more about theology than they did about loving the God they comprehend so well. They began to drift from their passionate love of Christ and became more obsessive over a monotonous and rigid religious routine. Doctrine matters, but doctrine absent a love for God is useless. Remember what Paul told the Corinthians. He warned that knowing God and serving God absent love is useless. Genuine faith produces in us a burning love for God. The two go hand-in-hand. The Ephesians lost sight of this, which is why Jesus is warning them of their wrongdoing.
The call to action from Jesus to the Ephesians was for them to repent and turn back to a devoted love for God. The restoration to a right relationship with God involves a three-step process.
First, the Ephesians are to remember their first love. They are called to think back to their day of conversion and submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then they should naturally be able to see how far they have drifted from that tremendous love they once knew. They will see where their service to Him is out of duty rather than love.
Second, they were to repent. Repenting means they will have changed their inward heart posture toward God from a heart hardened by religious works to a soften heart that dwells in the love of God.
Third, they will begin actively do the things they did out of love for Christ. Their relationship with God will become more personal and more meaningfful. It will become real.
The warning of unrepentance is that God will remove the lampstand from the church. Though they may gather and continue their religious activity, Jesus will remove His spiritual blessing from that church, resulting in a lifeless church that no longer honors God because there is no repentance nor systematic love for Him. But if they repent and turn back to their love of God, which will then be the driving force behind all their actions, Jesus promises to them eternal life.
The warning to us is the same. Yes, doctrine is tremendously important. We should know the truths of God and live by them. But if we become too focused on the acquisition of knowledge and the routine of religious activity while we slowly drift from total devotion to God in love, we have a problem. I would argue today that the church has a doctrinal problem more than a love problem. Regardless, we must know God, we must proclaim His Word, and we must do all that we do in love of Him and to bring Him glory.
