1600-5 Church

REVELATION 2:1-7
heed the messages given to these churches. The first message is to Ephesus, an orthodox church, a church that was faithful to
Christ and to the Word of God, but it was a church without love.
1. The recipients (v.1).
2. The speaker—Jesus (v.1).
3. The commendation (v.2-3).
4. The complaint: they had left their first love (v.4).
5. The counsel: remember—repent—do (v.5).
6. The warning (v.5-6).
7. The promise: to overcomers (v.7).

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(2:1) Church—Minister: there are the recipients of this letter. The letter is addressed to the minister of the church as
well as to the church. This is striking, for it means that the Lord holds the minister responsible for the church and its wel-
fare. Christ expects the minister to study and heed the message himself and to lead the believers to heed the message.

DEEPER STUDY # 1
(2:1) Ephesus: at its height Ephesus was the most important city along the coast of Asia Minor. Two hundred and thirty cities
dotted the coast line of Asia Minor. Many had ideal harbors, but Ephesus was the queen among these coast communities. The
city had been founded to command one of the main highways of Asia Minor. Its attraction was not only its natural harbor, but
the rich, fertile land that covered the inland area.
Ephesus was, of course, a great commercial city. Its natural harbor and strategic location on one of the main roads of the
world made it such. However, in the middle of the first century, the harbor had silted up so badly that trade had declined
dramatically from the days of Ephesian glory. There had been attempts to drag the silt out, but the efforts were half-hearted
and finally abandoned. The people’s hearts were just not in the effort. Part of the reason for this attitude was the successful
and profitable trade Ephesus enjoyed from its religious cult. The great temple of Diana, or Artemis, was there. Diana was the
goddess who had a grotesque head and many breasts and focused upon the sensual pleasure of the flesh. The worshipping
pilgrims found their satisfaction in prostitution with a host of priestesses who plied the cult of the goddess. A great trade of
silversmiths had developed over the years, and tourist commercialism boomed year-round. This accounts for the guild of sil-
versmiths finding the crowds an easy mark for arousing opposition against Paul (Acts 19:24). As the years went by, the great
harbor silted up more and more, and the Ephesians depended more and more upon the trade that came from their religion and
superstition. The natural harbor of Smyrna, which lay close by, became a more suitable port and began to take away more
and more of the commercial traffic of Ephesus. As a result Ephesus became a dying city, living on its past reputation as a re-
ligious and philosophical center. The great city of Ephesus had a disease, the disease of sensual unrighteousness, and the dis-
ease did its work: it corrupted the people. The people, sensual and self-centered, lost their will and willingness to ply a com-
mendable trade. Thus, the disease of Ephesus proved mortal. The “lampstand” of Ephesus crumbled, and the light of Ephesus
died out (see Rev.2:1-7, esp. 5).
The church in Ephesus had a small beginning. When Paul visited Ephesus, he found only twelve believers in the city.
They had been won to the Lord by the immature but impresseive preacher Apollos. As a result they had been misinformed on
the presence of the Holy Spirit; they seemed to lack a consciousness of the Spirit in the life of the believer and the awareness
that He had already been sent into the world (Acts 19:1-7). After Paul’s instruction to these twelve, he began to teach in the
synagogue. He taught for three months. But the Jews were hardened and refused to believe. They murmured against the mes-
sage. Therefore, Paul moved the church into the school of a philosopher, Tyrannus. There he preached Christ for two whole
years. During this time it is said that the church was instrumental in sounding forth the Word throughout all Asia: “So all they
which dwelt in Asia heard the Word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks (Acts 19:10).
The Lord worked special miracles by Paul in Ephesus and the church witnessed some amazing things. From all evidence,
the spectacular was necessary in order to get through to the people. As always, God did everything He could to reach a
people. These experiences show the great love and movement of God toward man (see Acts 19:11-20). In viewing these ac-
counts, we must keep the background of the city in mind. Ephesus was a hot bed of Oriental magic and superstition. The
people were an emotional and sensual lot, easily moved to feelings. They were a devoted people, an expressive people, a lov-
ing people, and equally a lovable people (Rev.2:1-7, esp. 4).
As Paul preached and God worked miracles, many believed and the church grew mightily. The believers gave great evi-
dence of changed lives by living for Christ right in the middle of an immoral and pagan society. On one occasion, the church
demonstrated its new found faith by building a great bonfire and setting aflame all of its pagan and magical literature.

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(2:

1) Jesus Christ—Church: there is the speaker, Jesus Christ Himself. Note two significant facts.
1. Jesus Christ is the One who holds the ministers of the churches in His hands. This means that the minister...
• is chosen and picked out of the world by the hand of Christ.
• is nourished and nurtured by the hand of Christ.
• is placed where he is by the hand of Christ.
• is cared for, secured, and protected by the hand of Christ.
• is given a very special closeness to Christ by being held in His hand.
• is expected to be an instrument in the hand of Christ.
• is responsible to the hand of Christ.
• is to be held accountable by the hand of Christ.
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