Revelation Chapter Two: Ephesus

What you have seen: Chapter 1, What is now: Chapters 2-3, What is to come: Chapter 4-end.

Each of the letters written contains the same outline, and the outline reads like a performance review: what you're doing well, what you should work on, how to get to the next level, and the consequences.

What John writes reveals Jesus in some way that parallels what the church is experiencing. Their "performance review" also provide encouragement, emphasizes what needs correction, includes a call to action, and a promise for responding to the call.

As we begin to read about these churches, we see that the seven churches are not only real churches, located in real places, on a real historical timeline. They can also be seen as periods in church history as they align within periods of world history. Please plan to follow along with this during the next few weeks.

Before we head into today’s passage, I want to review last week’s message and give you some historical context about the seven churches John is addressing.

In the letter to the church of Ephesus, (the name means “darling” or “desirable”), Jesus reveals himself as the one who holds the churches and walks among them. Lamps are the churches shining the light of Christ, stars are their pastors/angelic leaders. Gold represents that they have been through a refining process.

HE commends them in their good works and perseverance. They don't tolerate wickedness and are excellent with handling truth and discerning proper doctrine. He especially calls out their rejection of Nicolaitan practices. It's not clear what this group practiced, but it had something to do with power and control and possibly with deviant religious rituals.

HE corrects them by noting that their love has grown cold. They were His darling, but they are now performing without passion. They are distracted by doing.

HE challenges them to focus on loving Him and then doing good out of that state of Love. He wants them to "do the things you did at first."

HE promises them paradise after they gain the victory over their fallen state.

About 10 years after the church had started, Paul wrote them a letter. This church was large, it was diverse, it was multi-ethnic and in a center of high culture and business. Ephesus was dedicated to the worship of Diana, but this church was strong.

Let's read together these excerpts from Paul's letter to the Ephesians:

Paul calls them to keep in mind the love of Christ. There is nothing they can do to make Him love them more. The simplicity of the Christian life is to live in the love of God. Then we are full enough with His love to love others.

He loved.
We loved.
We work together.