Revelation 2:1-7

(Revelation 2:1-7)

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;  I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

 

This is a letter to the Ephesus church among the 7 churches in Asia Minor. Introduce Jesus as the one who walks between the seven golden candlesticks, holding onto the seven stars in his right hand. Then, Jesus says that he knows to praise the church in Ephesus three things. 『I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:』

First, he knows the labor of the Ephesus church. The Ephesus Church was a traditional church. This is the place where the apostle Paul visited while returning from the second evangelism tour, and then immediately went to Ephesus during the third evangelistic tour, stayed for two and a half years, lectured and evangelized. It is known that 1 Corinthians was written during that period. Later, when the apostle Paul left Ephesus, Timothy was left behind to minister. The Church of Ephesus served as a gateway for the Asian churches, and the Church of Ephesus was the one where Jews and Gentiles worked hard to become one. For this reason, it was the Ephesus Church that the Apostle Paul took care of through the book of Ephesians and through 1 and 2 Timothy to be properly established. Jesus knew and praised these numerous labors.

Second, know the patience of the church in Ephesus. The Ephesus Church was a persecuted church. As stated in Acts 19, there has been great persecution from the time of the apostle Paul's ministry due to the riots of the worshipers of the goddess Ademi. There have been socio-economic rejections only for being a Christian. Nevertheless, the members of the church in Ephesus endured without denying Jesus. This is what Jesus knew and praised.

Third, he knows the faith of the church in Ephesus. The Church of Ephesus did not tolerate the wicked. The wicked refer to those who preached the false teachings of the Nikoladang. They were taught that they could do anything because they were characterized by lawlessism, and the body was evil. However, the members of the church in Ephesus did not tolerate this and exposed false things. Esu praised them for not being deceived by lies and trying to keep their faith right.

But Jesus rebuked the church at Ephesus one thing, ``But Jesus rebuked the church at Ephesus one thing: ``But I have something to rebuke you, and you have forsaken your first love. Initial love is the most essential thing to save the spirit of your neighbor. Jesus rebuked the form of faith that had cooled down in sincerity, labored with a sense of duty, and endured with patience.

Because of that, Jesus commanded the church at Ephesus three things: “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 』. The most important thing is to do it behind the scenes, and if you focus on something else, you lose your essence. 『Or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 』. Finally, he urged the church of Ephesus: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. 』There will be difficulties in evangelism to save the spirit. But it is a fight to win.

The Church of Ephesus refers to the traditional church today. These are churches with a long history. These are churches that already have many ministries unfolding in the passage of time. These are churches that endure people from different generations and regions to become one. These are churches that strive to keep conservative faith. The characteristics of these churches are safe and organized. The role of the church is to save the spirit, and as the organization grows, various things cause neglect of its original task. He commands, "Think where you fell." He commands, “Repent and have the first act”. In other words, it is to think about when the church that must save the spirit became a church for the world. The church has become a church that has become large, privatized, and ups and downs, and is biased toward institutions, organizations, and forms.