Letter to the church of Ephesians
Revelation 2:1-20
The City of Ephesus was located on the western shore of Asia Minor what is now Western Turkey. . It was a seaport city. All trade coming by sea came through the city of Ephesus. The city boasted of its stadium and its tribute to the pagan god in which they worshipped in the great temple of Diana. Many people made their living as a part of this cult. The temple was considered one of the great wonders of the ancient world.
We read about the church in the city of Ephesus in five different New Testament books: Acts, Ephesians, Revelation and also in 1 and 2 Timothy.. When we examine some basic facts about the church in Ephesus, there are a number of lessons for us to learn from her history and happenings.
The church in Ephesus had a beginning. The details of its establishment are not recorded in the Bible. Paul briefly visited and preached in the city with Aquila and Priscilla near the close of his second-recorded preaching trip, but no conversions are mentioned at that time (Acts 18:18-22). Apollos came there to preach, and when he departed from Ephesus, “the brethren” in Ephesus wrote a letter on his behalf (Acts 18:27). So, there were “brethren” there at that time, though none are named except Priscilla and Aquila. All of that took place before Paul went there and met about 12 followers of John the Baptist and led them to the right path and baptized them. (Acts 19:1-7).
Ephesus derived its greatness from two sources, commercial trade and religion. During the Roman Period it was a center for the mother goddess worship, known to the Greeks as Artemis and to the Romans as Diana.
Diana is a beautiful name, and one might suppose that Diana would be a beautiful goddess. To the contrary, Diana of the Ephesians was a short, squat, repulsive-looking character covered with many breasts which emphasized fertility. It was believed by the superstitious Ephesians that Diana fell down from heaven. The magnificent temple of Diana took more than a century to construct. It was built about 400 B. C. and was burned the night Alexander the Great was born. It was Immediately rebuilt and is reckoned as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Worship in the Temple was comprised of the burning of incense and the playing of flute music as a result of which the people reached an emotional frenzy in which shameless sexual orgies were engaged . These immoral practices of the priestesses and the merchants hawking silver images made it a difficult place to preach the Gospel.
The city was also the place where its citizens practiced occult practices which explains the bonfire in which new believers burned their occult books (Acts 19:19).
The church in Ephesus received a letter from the apostle Paul. Written from a Roman prison around AD 60 about the time that Colossions was written. The letter did not address any particular error or heresy.
A careful reading of this epistle shows that they had done well. They appeared well organized and busy. During these early years they had been growing, expanding and doing the will of God. He commends their sincerity (Ephesians 6:24). Teaching is to Christians what watering is to plants – necessary and strengthening (1 Corinthians 3:6). Timothy (1 Timothy 1:3-4), Acquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:25), and Apollos had all spent time watering the Ephesian church. It should have been one of the most thoroughly instructed of all the first-century congregations. The picture now is a well-watered and self-sufficient church.
A few years later, tradition says that the city became the home of the Apostle John. This may or may not be true, but circumstances make it possible,. He was supposed to have taken Mary, the mother of Jesus, there to live (cf. John 19:26-27). This picture is of a church faithfully serving their Lord and producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:21-23; John 15:1-3).
However somewhere down the line the church was poisoned by false doctrine, and , sadly, the church died sometime during the second century. It evidently passed into apostasy as it is known in later centuries as a leading city for the councils of the early Roman church. The picture now is of a dead plant, brown and dried up.
The process of decay started about eight years after Paul left Ephesus ( Acts 19:8,10 :20:31) the apostle was able to divinely see an impending apostasy in that some would “fall away from the faith” These apostates would “follow deceiving spirits” (i.e., false teachers; cf.1 Jn. 4:1) who would seduce them away from the truth with false doctrines taught by demons. (1 Tim. 4:1 )These religious leaders would be hypocrites whose consciences had been seared as with a hot iron, perhaps beyond feeling (cf.1 Tim 4: 2)
They would be given to asceticism in such matters as forbidding marriage and the abstention from meat, not to mention yielding to “profane and old wives’ fables” (1 Tim. 4:7a ) There was a master-slave conflict (1 Tim. 6:1-2), along with the persistent agitation of some who were not content to stay within the bounds of the “sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ.”(1 Tim 6:3)
Such ones were puffed up, and in their ignorance addicted to disputes over meaningless matters, attempting even to enhance their financial resources by means of their doctrinal deception (1 Tim. 6:3-10).
There were “personal workers” of mischief. They crept into houses and took captive certain silly women who were burdened with sin and enslaved by various desires. .They “had a form of godliness but denied its power” . These false teachers were “ men of depraved minds” concerning the truth (2 Timothy 3:6-9, 13; 4:3-4).
There were false teachers who had “erred concerning the truth” and overthrew the faith of some, by such silly theories as the allegation that the resurrection of the dead was past already (2 Tim. 2:14-18).
The church also had the wrong teachings of Hymenaeus and Alexander – 1Tim 1:20 etc. We will come to this later on.
We now come to the letter to the Ephesians. Revelation was written by John around AD 79-95.
Each letter begins with a statement of the Lord’s omniscience like “I know your works or deeds” (cf. 2:2, 9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8, and 15). How awesome this is and how careful this should make us. This should make us careful to walk by the Spirit for it is Christ Himself, whose searching eyes, like a flame of fire, tries our works. Yet, how comforting for there is no problem and no condition that we face that He does not know or care about.
In each letter to the churches, there is a unique relationship between the problems they faced and the particular nature and character of the environment in which they lived. It is these conditions that presented particular temptations, testings, and problems.
Now let’s look at the church at Ephesus and its problems.
Two themes emerge early in the Ephesian story:
(1) the first is struggle. There's an ongoing fight against false teaching and false worship. Before Paul even establishes his own ministry there, colleagues Priscilla and Aquila are coaching Apollo in proper theology (Acts 18:24-28). Later Paul meets some followers of John the Baptist and leads them to the right path (Acts 19:1-7). Then we read about the exorcists who tried to usurp the authentic power of Jesus and Paul—and got thrashed by the demons in the process (Acts 19:11-16).
We also read in 1 Timothy 1:18-20 and in 2 Timothy 2:15-19 about two men. - Hymenaeus and Alexander. Hymenaeus and Alexander were two prominent men in the Church at Ephesus, who undoubtedly were Christians but who had become seriously sidetracked by the enemy. They had taken in and propagated false teaching, and as the result of this the apostle had to hand them over to Satan in order to teach them not to blaspheme. This reference to Hymenaeus and Alexander brings a warning to us all.
We note two things here: firstly Hymenaeus and Alexander were not the only false teachers in the Church. Why, then, were they judged for their grievous sin? Surely because they were the leaders in this evil work. Secondly, Hymenaeus’’ name is placed first. Why? Because he was the ringleader in this false teaching. This comes out in 2 Timothy 2:17-18. How solemn it was that Hymenaeus was not only guilty of false teaching but he was responsible for destroying “the faith of some”. No wonder stern measures were taken to remove these men from the Church. It is often better for a Church when some people leave –- look up Romans 16:17.
In 1 Timothy 1:20 Paul calls it ““blasphemy””. Why did he use such a strong word? Because their false teaching was a reproach upon the Divine character and the revealed truth of God. But notice in 2 Timothy 2:17-18 that the apostle says that false teaching spreads ““like gangrene”” False teaching in the Church is like a gangrene or a malignant tumour in the body. It eats away the healthy tissue, it spreads and it eventually kills. We need to be awake to this danger in our day; but most of us are not awake, we are asleep.
The case of Hymenaeus and Alexander shows us that there is an inseparable connection between faith and morals. In 1 Timothy 1:18-20 there is a striking sequence. First, these men ““put away a good conscience””; then, they “”shipwrecked their faith””; then, they lived lives that were careless and undisciplined. If we stifle conscience our faith will be affected; and then our lives will be affected. Every moral breakdown leads from a breakdown of faith; and every breakdown of faith leads from a conscience that has been dulled. How very important it is to keep a clear conscience –- look up Acts 24:16.
The judgment that came upon these two men is mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:20. They were ““handed over to Satan””. What do these words mean?
1. (1) They may refer to the Jewish practice of excommunication. According to synagogue practice, if a man was an evildoer he was first rebuked. If that proved ineffective he was banished from the synagogue for thirty days. If that failed to produce repentance he was then put outside for good.
(2) Paul may have meant that he had handed them over to Satan’’s territory –- the world, as distinct from the Church.
(3) Perhaps it means that Paul had the power to call down physical chastisement upon these two, as suggested by 1 Corinthians 5:5. Satan was held to be responsible for human suffering –- compare 2 Corinthians 12:7.
Earlier when Paul met with the elders of the Ephesian church, he warned them that "fierce wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. The time will come when some men from your own group will tell lies to lead the believers away after them" (Acts 20:29-30). The struggle was not only against outsiders, but against internal heresy as well.
(2) A second theme from the Ephesus story is love. Paul spent about three years building relationships in that town, so it's not surprising that, as the farewell meeting concluded, "They were all crying as they hugged him and kissed him good-bye" (Acts 20:37).
The love theme is found in the epistle to the Ephesians. "I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in love, so that you, together with all God's people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ's love" (Ephesians 3:17b-18). Unity is crucial here, not only in the bringing together of Jews and Gentiles, but also in the use of varied spiritual gifts. Later the apostle adds, "Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us" (Ephesians 5:1).
Yet even with all this love-language, the Ephesians are urged to "put on all the armor that God gives you," and the full setup is described in military detail. "For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age" (Ephesians 6:11-12 GNT).
Late in life, Paul wrote the two letters to Timothy, who was serving as pastor in Ephesus. The apostle's affection for his protégé is evident, yet the epistles are full of conflict. "Fight the good fight of the faith" (1 Timothy 6:12 NIV). The young minister is warned against false teaching and foolish debates. Apparently those "wolves" mentioned in Acts 20: 29-30, were continuing to threaten the flock.
These wolves were not literal animals, but false messengers who come in sheep’s clothing, though inwardly they are as ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15). What a tragedy that one of the reasons for the spiritual decay of the congregation in Ephesus came from her own believers ( Acts 20:30) Every local church needs to be on guard against false teaching. The only way to do this is to be grounded well in God’s word (Acts 20:32), then maintain a love for His truth above everything else.
Many speculate as to the cause of this lack of love for Christ as mentioned in Rev. 2: 1-20 may have something to do with the second-generation believers. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that many who had first heard of Christ through Paul and the others were dead. Maybe the church did what it always did without knowing why she did it. Maybe they partook of the Lord’s Supper every week because that’s what they always did without understanding that it is our love for Christ that warrants our participation in the Lord’s Supper.
Jesus told them that they were doing the right things without a right love for Him.
When our motivation is duty rather than privilege, it does not take long for a people to forget. When the next generation comes along they see the actions of the previous generation but don’t know why they do what they do. Why do we take an offering? Why do we meet on the Lord’s Day? Why we should not mingle with the doctrines of the world . Why do we have elders and deacons? If we don’t pass on the “why” with the “how” we are robbing our children and generations that follow. So it’s not just important to believe correctly but we must also love Christ supremely. Sound doctrine is not good enough.
(2) Though each letter is written to a specific church, all the letters close with the words “let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (pl.).” Each message is pertinent to all the churches, not only of John’s day, but of ours as well.
The opening words of verse 2, “I know,” serve to stress Christ’s omniscience, interest, and evaluation of the works, life, and activity of the church. Nothing escapes Him, nothing! Compare 1 Corinthians 3:12f; 2 Corinthians 5:9-10; Psalm 139:1-12.
“The One who walks among the seven lampstands.” “Who walks.” In the vision of chapter one, He is evidently standing, but here we see not only Christ’s constant presence in our midst, but His active ministry. In that ministry, He examines us for the quality of our production, He provides for our needs, and He is always available to us seeking to minister and to have fellowship. Our need is to be available to Him! This is also a note of warning and comfort.
“The One who holds the seven stars.” This is a note of warning and comfort. It stresses Christ’s authority, control, possession, and provision for the messengers of the local churches who have the responsibility to lead and teach God’s Word. They are in the hand of the risen Savior to whom all authority in heaven and earth has been given (Matt. 28:18). As the one who holds them, He will provide for, protect and enable them for their ministry. But this also stresses the church’s need to be both submissive to and dependent upon his Lord for all that is needed for its ministry.
It is strange that the church that had many problems earlier asmentioned in 1 Tim and 2 Tim. is now being commended by the Lord. He goes on to say:in 2:2b “That you cannot endure evil men” There comes a time when believers should no longer tolerate the actions of those who practice and teach false doctrines and must take the necessary steps as outlined in the Word. The Ephesian church had refused to allow apostasy and immorality to go on in the church. They exercised church discipline when men refused to respond to God’s Word (Matt. 18:15-18; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Thess. 3:6-15; 1 Tim. 5:19-20; Titus 3:10-11).
“And have put to test “to make proof of, to test, try, prove.” They remembered the word of the apostles regarding false teachers (Acts 20:20-31; Jude 17-18). There are three major areas to test:
(1) the message and doctrinal belief (1 John 4:1-2);
(2) the manner of life (1 John 3:10; 4:8; Jude; Matt. 7:15f);
(3) the audience, to whom do they appeal? (1 John 4:5-6).
Verse 3 summarizes their perseverance. They endured. They had not grown weary but things were not as they should be. Ephesus was orthodox in theology, practice, and service, yet something was missing which, if not corrected, would ruin their light-bearing capacity. The commendation is followed, then, by the condemnation.
For 2:4 says
“Forsaken first love.” The word “left” is, “to leave, forsake, depart.” It stresses an act for which one is personally responsible. This is not “lost love” but “left love” and suggest three particular problems:
(a) they had moved away from their original position of devotion and fervor for the Savior by a gradual departure (Heb. 3:7f);
(b) they came to put service for the Lord ahead of love, devotion, and fellowship with Him ( 1 Thessalonians 1:3 and compare Proverbs 4:23);
(c) their labor gradually came to be merely mechanical, the thing they were responsible to do, but the Savior wants it to be the result of the abiding life, the result of an intimate walk with Him through the Spirit of God (John 15:1-7; Gal. 5:1-5, 16-26; Eph. 5:18).
But the Man in the midst of the churches saw what was missing: they had left (not “lost”) their first love (Jer. 2:2). The local church is espoused to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2), but there is always the danger of that love growing cold. Like Martha, we can be so busy working for Christ that we have no time to love Him (Luke 10:38–42). Christ is more concerned about what we do with Him than for Him. Labor is no substitute for love. To the public, the Ephesian church was successful; but to Christ, it had fallen.
When the Lord first appointed the twelve disciples, it is significant that Mark tells us that Jesus appointed them for 2 main reasons
(a) to be with Him and
(b) to send them forth to preach and to cast out demons – Mark 3: 13-15.
The order here is very significant. The first order of His appointment was their fellowship with the Lord Jesus, with their ministry in the world being the product of that fellowship
With this in mind, we come to the Lord’s loving counsel and admonition.
The church as Ephesus from all outward appearances was a very spiritual church for it was certainly a church that was very active in the work of God. They toiled for the Lord, endured much, were doctrinally sound, and took a strong stand against the deeds of the Nicolaitans (vss. 2-3, 6). Nevertheless, something was wrong. They were guilty of a sin that is sometimes hard to detect. But the Lord, who knows our hearts as well as our outward deeds, counsels Ephesus to do three things that were desperately needed to reestablish their closeness and walk with the Savior, or they would lose their witness.
There is a very important lesson in this message for God’s people in any period of history, but the message here is particularly important for our performance oriented society. It is the warning that, if we are not ever so careful, we can lose our spiritual vitality, our spiritual witness and slip into mere orthodox routine.
The three things they needed:
(1) Remember. This is a call to reflect, to go back and recall the past. The Savior is saying, “remember the way it used to be in your relationship with Me.” Undoubtedly, the process of looking back is also a call to recognize one’s true condition. We can’t very well confess sin if we don’t clearly see it for what it is. Has our Christian life lost some of its excitement and joy? Are we finding our Christian work rather boring and dull, even to the point of drudgery? Have we lost the joy of the Lord, if so, is it because we have left the position of devotion to Christ?
(2) Repent. This word means to change the mind or purpose, to change one’s decision. It means to recognize one’s previous decision, opinion, or condition as wrong, and to accept and move toward a new and right path in its place. Repentance includes confession of sin with a view to stopping the bad behavior so it can be replaced with what was right.
(3) Repeat. “Do the deeds you did at first.” This is not a call to more Christian service or to renewed Christian activity. They had plenty of that. Then what does the Lord mean and how does this apply to us?
It clearly looks back to the beginning of a Christian’s life, but could it not include those deeds which should be first in a believer’s life and are the most important because of what they mean to us, to God, and our fellowship with Him?
So, what are the first deeds? John does not say, but in the light of the above mentioned passages they include the basic techniques and disciplines of fellowship and abiding in the Lord. It would include such things as honest confession of sin, prayer, Bible study, reading, meditation, memorization, fellowship with believers, being occupied with Christ and refocusing all of our life on Him, the faith rest life, reckoning on our position in Christ, etc. (cf. Mark 3:14; 6:30-32; John 15:4-8; Ps. 119).
Removal of their lampstand or witness is the alternative. Our Lord was and is saying, either do the above three or else you will lose your light-bearing capacity. The church of Ephesus does not stand today. Its light has been completely snuffed out.
They hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans. Scholars differ on their understanding of this group. Some think they were the followers of Nicolas according to early church Fathers (cf. Acts 6:5). But we are not sure of this. Also what their specific heresy was we are not very sure but the church at Ephesus took a strong stand against this heresy and is commended by the Lord for doing so.
A final exhortation (2:7a). “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” This is a loving call to hear what the Holy Spirit is teaching in these seven messages. Note the change from an appeal to the individual, “he who has an ear,” to the plural, “what the Spirit says to the churches.” This change broadens the appeal of each message to all the churches because the messages are representative and applicable to all of us. Here the Spirit of God who is the Spirit of truth and the author and teacher of Scripture is calling on us to evaluate our openness to respond to the things that need to be learned and applied in these messages.
Each message of Revelation 2 and 3 concludes with a promise to the overcomer, but there is a great deal of disagreement over the meaning of the overcomer promises. “Overcome” is “to conquer, prevail, triumph, overcome.”
The promise regarding the tree of life: “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7b).
“Paradise,” is a Persian word meaning, “a pleasure park, or garden.” The Septuagint uses it to translate the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2:8-10. To the oriental mind it meant the sum of blessedness. Christ, as the “last Adam,” is the restorer of paradise lost as is seen clearly in Revelation 22:1-4, and 14.
But what about “the tree of Life”? First, the tree of life is literal. It is not just a symbol for eternal life or for the person of Christ. In Revelation 21:1-22:5, John is describing the eternal state which includes the new heaven and the new earth with the new Jerusalem, a literal place with some 25 verses devoted to its description. It is not a symbol.
Second, it is probably not just one tree, but a collective term referring to a whole row of trees that exist between the river and the avenue described in Revelation 22. This is all a part of the beautiful park or paradise of God.
Third, having a right to the tree of life is not equivalent to salvation, nor is it necessary for the maintenance of life. Why?. All believers possess eternal life at the point of believing in Christ (John 3:16). Furthermore, eternal life, as God’s gift to those who believe, is never maintained by what we do. Compare 1 John 5:11-12; John 1:12; 3:16, 18, 36; 5:24; 6:47; 11:25, 26; 20:31; 17:3.
Fourth, the tree of life, then, must offer some kind of superlative experience and blessing though the details are simply not explained to us. It is left with a certain vagueness, but in 2 Corinthians 12:4 we read that Paul, when he was caught up to Paradise, heard inexpressible words which a man is not permitted to speak.
It is simply a special reward for those who overcome through a walk of faith that results in faithfulness; it is a special reward of special blessing that will somehow enrich the blessings of paradise. I am reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:58 which promise:
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.-1 Cor.15:58.
The city was famous for its idol worship, immorality and occult practices ( Acts 19: 19 ) The temple of Diana was one of the wonders of the ancient world and Emperor worship was also a feature of religious life in the city Yet with all this pagan background the Lord commended the believers in the church : “I know your deeds, your hard work and perseverance . I know you cannot tolerate wicked men and you have tested those who claim to be apostles but. are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary.” Rev. 2: 2-3 .
Its good to know that the eternal life that God gives us does not depend on our environment.
