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After doing a little studying of the seven letters, it’s easy to understand why Ephesus would have been the first addressed.  Geographically, politically, religiously, and demographically, it stood preeminent among the rest.  While we don’t know for sure that this is why Ephesus is addressed first, it seems a likely conclusion.

A general structure is set up in the letter to Ephesus that will be followed pretty closely with the next six.  This pattern is as follows:

1. A Title for the Risen Christ

2. Praise of the Church

3. Rebuke / Criticism of the Church

4. Solution to the Problem Faced by the Church

5. Penalty for Disobedience

6. A Promise for those who Overcome

7. A General Admonition

With only one exception, all titles for the Risen Christ come from chapter one.  In this particular letter, Christ is referred to as “[He] who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.” (Rev. 2:1).  This title comes from Revelation 1:16 and is explained just 4 verses later.  The seven stars are said to be the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

In verses two and three of chapter two we see the praise offered to the Ephesian church.  They are said to have worked, toiled, patiently endured.  Christ goes on to say that the Ephesians cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, finding them to be false.  They had been bearing up for Christ’s name’s sake and had not grown weary.  Later, in verse six, we find it said of them that they “hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans,” a group of false-teachers misleading the people.  All in all, this sounds like a pretty healthy church – intolerant of error, hard working, discerning.  So what was the problem?

Verse four brings us their downfall.  Christ says of the Ephesian church that they had abandoned the love they had at first.  There are two schools of thought as to the object of the love they had lost.  Some commentators see this as the love they once had for Christ.  Others would refer you to Ephesians 1:15 as grounds to interpret this as love for one another.  I would submit the the latter (love for each other) is a natural byproduct of a love for Christ – like two streams issuing from a single fountain.  However adept they were at combating false teaching at this time, they had ceased doing so with the same motivation they had at first – whether love for Christ or for each other.  From the founding of the church at Ephesus around AD 52, they had battled with unorthodox teachings creeping into their congregations.  We see examples of this in Ephesians 4:14, both of Paul’s letters to Timothy, possibly in 1 John, and now here in Revelation 2:2,6.  Slowly, but surely they seem to have found a method for dealing decisively and effectively with the poison of false teaching, but orthodoxy for the sake of orthodoxy had become their motivation and the process was mechanical and empty.

But their rebuke came coupled with a remedy to the new problem they were made aware of.  Christ gives them in the first part of verse five a three part solution – Remember, Repent,  Do.

1. Remember – they are exhorted to remember the place from which they had fallen.  Often it is easy to forget how far we have fallen until we look at where we started.  Many of us have experienced the cycle of coming to the cross in amazement of what Jesus has done for us.  We are thrilled to tell others about His work on the cross and its accomplishment in our lives.  We are motivated to show the same love to others that our Lord had shown to us.  But after a while, time has a way of dulling the initial excitement.  We continue to go through the motions, but only for the sake of saving face or being “religious.”  We may be experiencing the exact same problem as the Ephesians in that orthodoxy has become our motivation, feeding on the pride of being right rather than the love that would compel us to share God’s truth with others.

2. The Ephesian church is next exhorted to repent.  Repentance will never come without realizing we have something to repent of. Ephesus is made plainly aware of their problem, commanded to remember the distance they had fallen, and are now told to repent.  Repentance doesn’t come easy for most of us – it involves admitting we were wrong about something.  It becomes especially difficult when we are supposed to repent of doing the right thing, but for wrong reasons.  Never is sin more easily justified than when it can be made to “look good” on the outside.  Often we find comfort in the motions when the love that ought to drive the motions is gone.  Never does the Christian life mean less or become less effective, however, than when we are motivated by looking right or playing the part.  Christ wanted them first to recognize that there was a problem (Remember) and then repent of it.

3. Do.  The Ephesians’ final word of instruction to turn this thing around was to do the works they did at first.  Since love was the motivation of the works they did at first, whatever the actual works were, had to be better than the ones they were currently performing without love.  We are not told specifically what they were, but we do know that they lie in stark contrast to the “works” that the church is currently doing.

If, we are told, the Ephesian church failed to do what the Lord told them to do to correct the problem, the penalty would be severe.  They are told that if they fail, Christ will remove their lampstand from its place.  You may remember that the lampstand was a symbol for the church.  You see, the lampstand itself was not the light, it was only privileged for a time to hold the light.  We, as the body of Christ, have nothing in and of ourselves worth sharing.  We can offer no life-transforming truth apart from that which was imparted to us.  Our jobs as individual Christians and collectively as the body of Christ is to shine the light of the Gospel to a dark and dying world.  Like I said, we are privileged to be used by God, but that is no inherent right.  The Ephesians were told that their lampstand would be removed if they did not correct their problem.  You see, God is not in any way dependent on us to accomplish His will.  While He is gracious enough to allow us to be a part of His plans, they will come to fruition with or without our cooperation.  Ephesus had been given their ultimatum.  The consequences of their decision would be severe and lasting.

The general admonition given in every one of the letters (though some receive it in a slightly different order) is for “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  There are a couple of interesting points to be made from this phrase that we will see in all seven letters.  The first, and I believe the more obvious of the two, is that each of the churches seem to be given direction to read each others’ mail!  All of the churches were not only to learn from their own particular situation, but also from the trials or triumphs of those surrounding congregations.  Second, I think it is crucial to see the individual aspect of this admonition – let him who has an ear to hear, not let the church who has an ear.  While collectively we form the whole body of Christ, our responsibility as an individual is no lessened by the corporate aspect of these letters.  Even if your entire church seems to be headed in the wrong direction, you have the individual responsibility of heeding the Spirit’s warnings.  It may prove to be a lonely road you end up walking, but you are to walk it nonetheless.  We will all be judged one day as individuals; there will be no discount for the price of “corporate” sins.

Ending on a positive note, the Lord promise the conquerors in Ephesus that heed His warning (verse 7) that He will grant them to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.  While we can only speculate as to the exact interpretation of this phrase, this and all the following letters seem to emphasize a contrast between the physical world and the spiritual world as if to remind us that our focus should be on heavenly things and we should place far less emphasis on the here and now.  This mention of the tree of life is possibly a reference to the return of the Edenic state in which the world was originally created, and that state to which it would eventually return, when Christ takes His seat on His eternal throne.  Whatever the exact implications of this promise are, we certainly want to be a part of it!

So learn what you can from the letter to the church at Ephesus.  Do the right things, yes, but first make sure that the underlying motivation for doing so is love – love for Christ and love for one another.  If you find yourself just going through the motions, stop.  Take a step back and recognize it for what it is – cold, lifeless, mechanical.  Remember the point at which you first embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the thrill it gave you to serve Him simply because you loved Him.  Realize the distance you’ve fallen and repent.  Decide at that point that you will no longer seek to just look the part, but to be wholly devoted to Christ and to others.  Only when you’ve done these things, is it possible for your to do again the things you did at first.  Ephesus was a real, historic church with real problems.  That first century church is no longer here, but its problems are.  Let’s learn from their mistakes.

Though most, if not all commentators agree that the 7 letters of Revelation 2 and 3 were written to literal churches in the first century, we modern Christians could learn much from the struggles they faced and the problems they were exhorted to overcome.  It comes as no surprise that these passages are the most frequently preached in all of the Apocalypse.

I’m currently teaching through the book of Revelation to a group of teenagers in the area.  It would be impressive enough if these teens were just to come faithfully to any Bible study, but at this particular study, Joe and I are asking them to tackle subjects that many adults would rather avoid.  I’ve already mentioned that I’m teaching through Revelation.  On alternate weeks, Joe is teaching through a course on logic.  Like I said, it’s an impressive thing that they continue to come week after week to learn to rightly divide God’s Word.  Joe has obviously done a good job with them.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand.  I am going to start a series of posts on the seven churches we just covered, with points of application for each.  Every one of them offers something we can learn from – whether it is something to emulate or something to avoid.  It would be good to try to relate each of the items addressed to both the current climate of Evangelicalism in general, and to us (individuals) in particular.  I, for one, know that I struggle with many of the same issues these first century churches dealt with.

Before I do so, however, I want to give you a chance to “chew” on the passage yourself.  The Holy Spirit’s guidance far outweighs any insight I may have and is better than any commentary.  The passage, again, is Revelation 2:1-3:22 (though it would be helpful to read Revelation 1:1-20 as well since it sets the stage for the seven letters.)  Just mouse over the highlighted text and it will pop up on your screen in the English Standard Version.  For now, here’s a sneak peak at the upcoming posts for the 7 churches:

1.  Error-Free in Ephesus
2.  Standing in Smyrna
3.  Placating in Pergamum
4.  Thoughtless in Thyatira
5.  Sleeping on the Job in Sardis
6.  Faultless in Philadelphia
7.  Lukewarm in Laodicea

Each letter follows a similar structure wherein the Risen Christ is given a portrayal or description that unmistakably refers to His deity – most of them coming from titles used of God in chapter one.  Next, the church addressed is given praise for something they have done well (all but two receive some sort of praise).  The commendation is followed by a rebuke (two are excluded from rebuke).  The church is then given a solution to the situation they are facing, a consequence of disobedience and a promise for over-comers.  All the letters include the exhortation “He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  It is noteworthy that although each letter was addressed to a specific church, each of the churches is invited to read the others’ mail!  The idea here is probably that each church could learn from the mistakes of the others even if they were at the time innocent of any of the particular problems of the others.

We’ll include links to some helpful resources as they become available to help you get the most out of your study of the seven churches.

Blank Chart for filling out the attributes of the 7 churches / Same Chart with Answers

Map of the seven churches of Asia

In a previous post, we critiqued a common [mis]use – or more appropriately under-use – of 1 Peter 3:15.  In this post, we’ll be considering a similar tendency we have with another verse – James 4:7.

James 4:7 is a very popular verse to cite when dealing with spiritual warfare.  Whether you’re trying to motivate yourself in difficult times or encourage a friend who’s down.  James 4:7 is no doubt a great verse to do just that, but I think often we leave the most important part of the verse out.

In the physical world, motivating statements can sometimes trigger just the adrenaline rush we need to finish strong.  That’s what is so important about half-times in sporting events.  The coach is given one more opportunity to say something inspirational or motivating to the team that just might be all they needed to get the job done.  We often use James 4:7 in similar fashion.  So what’s wrong with that? you might ask.

Well, when it comes to spiritual warfare, the best way to win is to admit defeat right off the bat.  I know, I know – that doesn’t sound very encouraging.  But the first step in victory in the spiritual realm is to admit that we don’t have it in and of ourselves to get the job done.  We have to rely on the supernatural aid God grants us.  I believe that is why it is so important to focus on the opening words of this verse:  “Submit yourselves therefore to God…”  You see, that is the vital component of spiritual victory.  Only then does “resisting the devil” go from futile to forceful.

The truth of this teaching can be seen as early as the Genesis 3 when Eve attempts to match wits with the Serpent in the Garden.  Because she was not submitted to God, she was unable to resist the devil.  How important it is for us today with all the temptation all around us to not miss that vital piece.  You wouldn’t go to battle without the proper armament.  Don’t go to spiritual battle without the proper spiritual armament either.  God bless you as you

The end result is a fleeing Devil and a spiritual victory.

We’re all familiar with Hebrews 11:1 in one translation or another. It rolls off my tongue in KJV or NKJV because of the first decade of my walk with Jesus in which I spent 8 years in those two translations. Now I use the TNIV and ESV primarily. So let’s use the TNIV.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

The Holy Bible : Today’s New International Version. 2005 (Heb 11:1). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

I’m a mathematically inclined person. When I see the word “is”, I translate that in my mind to “=”. So whatever is on one side of “is” equals, or is the same thing as, what is on the other side of “is”. Now with that in mind, think of how many times the author of Hebrews uses the word faith in Hebrews 11 (over twenty). So if you really want to grasp Hebrews 11, every time the word faith is used replace it with the phrase being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
So, with apologies to the International Bible Society & Zondervan, let’s proceed (and of course you can do this with any translation you’d like) . . .

The Holy Bible : Today’s New International Version. 2005 (Heb 11:1-40). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. (with apologies)