To the Church at Ephesus

The Church at Ephesus

“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 lamp stands:  
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, 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 your first love.  
Remember the height from which 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 lamp stand from its place.  
But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” 
                                                                                      Revelations 2:1-7
The church at Ephesus. Christ notes their perseverance. That they cannot tolerate wicked men. That they have tested those who claim to be apostles or believers and are not. They have also endured hardship for Christ.
Then he notes what they are doing wrong saying, “You have forsaken your first love.”  In other words they have wondered away from God.
His call to them is to return to their first love. To return to Christ and doing his work.
I get the impression that they were doing what some churches are doing today. They are on a judgmental crusade quite often without really knowing it.
I have heard many non-Christians point to ministers and churches in the media and say all some churches do is point out the evil in the world.
They heap condemnation on people. They are more worried about their rights and restricting the rights of others than showing the love of God.
I had one gay man tell me that he sees some preachers in the media as bigots who would refuse him the right to marry. And if it were possible they’d put him in jail.
He pointed out that one evangelist even said back in the nineties that God was going to strike all homosexuals dead. I checked sadly he was right.
How can churches and preachers doing such things reach not only the gay and LGBT community but others also by making statements like that.
They can’t.
This is what I believe Jesus is talking about here. The need for the church to turn back to their first love Jesus. The same Jesus who said,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous...”
                                                                 Matthew5: 43-45.
If a person truly has the spirit of God in them they will show true love. They will not condemn of judge. That is a command from Jesus himself.
A person with the true spirit of God will exhibit the fruits of the Spirit which Paul defines as,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  
                                                                 Galatians 5:22,23.
It’s easy for not only preacher and churches but individual believers to, to wander away from what the true duty of a Christian is, especially in a society that gives us the right to free speech.
The church in Ephesus was doing some things correctly. They were questioning and standing up to those who called themselves apostles and were not.
They even hated the practices of the Nicolaitans who were compromising the teachings of Christ and the apostles.
Unfortunately at the same time they’d turned away from their first love, Christ.
Christ who said,
“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 
                                                           Matthew 22:37-40
That includes every man woman and child on this earth irrespective of who they are or their life style.
Think about it.