“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 hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Jesus writing to a local church as one that has authority over all local churches. His evaluation of this church is not based on words but deeds, work and perseverance. Sometimes work is in the resistance of something as much as the building of something. When the Royal Air Force was standing against Nazi fighters and bombers victory was not their goal but the defense of the British mainland. Winston Churchill could say of this group of young men “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
The church at Ephesus stood a great battle against false apostles. These false apostles may have been of two different types and is reflected in Jesus words when he says, “you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans.” There is not clear commentary on who the Nicolaitans were and what their sins were. However, there are only two main schools of thoughts around this Biblical question and both are applicable to our lives as believers. The first school of thought is that the sect exalted clergy authority and position to an unbiblical level. The second is that they allowed for an increased indulgence of sexual practices in the church community. To stand against one or the other could make a group of believers weary, but the church at Ephesus stood strong.
The above sins are prolific in our modern church. He who walks among the modern lamp stands certainly has a charge to level against us. We love to be called Pastor and Father and Prophet and Apostle when Jesus clearly admonished to “call no man Rabbi… or Father… or…” What Jesus was working toward was the development of a Christian community that was entirely engaged. Certainly, there are offices that need to be respected and honored, but not to the exclusion of the saints being involved in the ministry. The Church at Ephesus fought this battle and they fought against a culture that had stretched sexual practices to the point of idolatry. This too is a modern sin.
In our battle for correct practice we can lose track of the relational nature of our love for Jesus. It is only in loving relationship that we can truly live like Christians. Hearing this message can be difficult in the course of a long Christian life. The Lord does not allow for excuses but calls the church to a change of mind (repentance) and reminds us of a victory to come. All the might of Hitler’s evil was arrayed against the RAF as all of Hell is lined up against the Church. Britain experienced its finest hour and the Church’s best days are in front of us. We will shine as lights in a generation that seeks self satisfaction through empty sexuality and esteem through meaningless titles. We will eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God as we fall in Love with a savior again.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Jesus writing to a local church as one that has authority over all local churches. His evaluation of this church is not based on words but deeds, work and perseverance. Sometimes work is in the resistance of something as much as the building of something. When the Royal Air Force was standing against Nazi fighters and bombers victory was not their goal but the defense of the British mainland. Winston Churchill could say of this group of young men “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
The church at Ephesus stood a great battle against false apostles. These false apostles may have been of two different types and is reflected in Jesus words when he says, “you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans.” There is not clear commentary on who the Nicolaitans were and what their sins were. However, there are only two main schools of thoughts around this Biblical question and both are applicable to our lives as believers. The first school of thought is that the sect exalted clergy authority and position to an unbiblical level. The second is that they allowed for an increased indulgence of sexual practices in the church community. To stand against one or the other could make a group of believers weary, but the church at Ephesus stood strong.
The above sins are prolific in our modern church. He who walks among the modern lamp stands certainly has a charge to level against us. We love to be called Pastor and Father and Prophet and Apostle when Jesus clearly admonished to “call no man Rabbi… or Father… or…” What Jesus was working toward was the development of a Christian community that was entirely engaged. Certainly, there are offices that need to be respected and honored, but not to the exclusion of the saints being involved in the ministry. The Church at Ephesus fought this battle and they fought against a culture that had stretched sexual practices to the point of idolatry. This too is a modern sin.
In our battle for correct practice we can lose track of the relational nature of our love for Jesus. It is only in loving relationship that we can truly live like Christians. Hearing this message can be difficult in the course of a long Christian life. The Lord does not allow for excuses but calls the church to a change of mind (repentance) and reminds us of a victory to come. All the might of Hitler’s evil was arrayed against the RAF as all of Hell is lined up against the Church. Britain experienced its finest hour and the Church’s best days are in front of us. We will shine as lights in a generation that seeks self satisfaction through empty sexuality and esteem through meaningless titles. We will eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God as we fall in Love with a savior again.
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