The Loveless Church - Ephesus
7 Churches of Revelation - Intimacy with God
On our trip to Turkey in 2015 Lisa and I visited the ancient city of Ephesus where we took the photo of the centerpiece of the city - The Library of Celsus.
Read [ Revelation 2:1-7 ]
The Ephesian Church - 7 Churches of Revelation
Published originally on October the 17th 2017. Now heavily revised.
Context: The church of Ephesus was established through Apostle Paul's teachings over the period of three to four years [ Acts 19:9 ] [ Acts 20:20 ]. It was a harbor city and a commercial center which made it a strategic and important church in Asia Minor. At one point all the churches from Asia Minor gathered there to hear Paul's teaching [ Acts 19:9 ]. Three whole letters of the bible; [ Ephesians ], [ 1 & 2 Timothy ] were written specifically for Ephesus with mentions in the books of [ Acts ] and [ Revelation ]. Apostles and prophets were sent from Jerusalem after Paul left and Paul also sent his personal representative, his spiritual son Timothy [ 1 Timothy 1:3 ].
The church in Ephesus would have had strong early church doctrine. Because of their ethnic makeup [ Acts 19:17 ] they would have been fluent in two of the main languages of the bible - Greek and Hebrew and operated in the “one new man” [ Eph 2-3 ]. There was a recognition of apostles and prophets [ Ephesians 4:11 ] and, according to [ Acts 19:5-7, 11-12 ] the manifestations and the power of the Holy Spirit were present from their birth as a church. They had one of the earliest biblical example of apologetics [ Acts 18:24-28 ], learnt the bridal paradigm [ Ephesians 5 ] and acknowledged spiritual warfare [ Ephesians 6 ]. At their core was the one of the earmarks of the reformation; the Gospel message of being "saved by grace through faith" [ Eph 2:8-9 ].
The Ephesian church had apostolic theological foundations from the bible college of Paul and Timothy. Without a doubt they would have been theological powerhouse in their day.
In [ Revelation 2:1-7 ] the Lord had commended the church for:-
Good works - labor for the Gospel and the kingdom. [ Rev 2:2 ] - They would of had no lack in second commandment ministries that served people.
Patience and perseverance [ Rev 2:2-3 ] - required to resist spiritual opposition or persecution.
Discernment - clearly they did not tolerate apostasy, immorality and sin. They exposed false apostles and also hated the work of the Nicolaitans [ Rev 2:2, 6 ]. It appears the Ephesian church took heed to Paul’s warning in [ Acts 20:29-31 ] that there would be wolves coming that would distort the truth. As such, the false prophetess Jezebel as mentioned in the church in Thyatira would not have been tolerated by the church in Ephesus.
The church in Ephesus would have been an inspiring church to witness.
The Plumb Line of First Love
In [ 1 Tim 1:3-7 ], in the context of false doctrines, myths and endless genealogies, Paul rebuked certain members of the Ephesian church for not loving from a pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith. They were partaking in idle talk and were desirous to be teachers of the law ( ministry ).
It is apparent that by the time Paul sent Timothy to the church the lack of love had already manifested to some extent. In the book of [ Revelation ] Jesus addresses the full manifestation of this:
[ Revelation 2:4-5 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far 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 lampstand from its place. ]
Despite all the praise that Jesus had for the church in Ephesus, there was an interjection that seemed to put a dampener on all the surrounding verses. The issue that Jesus identified with the Ephesian church was a core issue - it was the plumb line of first love [ Matt 22:37-38 ].
Tragically, the lack of first love seemingly overrode all of the positive exhortations, leading to Jesus to say to them - "Consider how far you have fallen!"
Second Commandment First Place
[ Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus declared, ‘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.” ]
In [ Matt 22:37-38 ] The Ephesian church is a stark reminder of how a church can fully operate in the second commandment ministries but neglect the first. In the present day many churches and ministry training disciple believers on how to:
minister to people,
pastor people,
teach and preach to people,
evangelise to people and ultimately,
how to love people.
These are of course all good biblical things. However Jesus’ rebuke to the Ephesian church makes it clear that no amount of these visible aspects of “good works”, “perseverance” or even “discernment” are a substitute for first love.
In this journey that the Lord has been leading us on, I have become increasingly aware that I have not been obeying the first commandment as I ought to and my personal need to return to first love.
Modern Characteristics of The Loveless church
In "Taking Our Cities" for God, John Dawson makes the statement -
"If satan can not build his stronghold in the area of your weakness he will build his stronghold in the shadow of your strength."
In modern a day parallel, there are Evangelical churches whose strength is being word-based and theologically knowledgeable. These ministries can do expository preaching, are adept in hermeneutics, systematic theology and can exegete scripture within context and the original languages. It's a church that that knows Christology back to front. Like the Ephesian church, because of their strong biblical teaching they have no lack in "discernment" or “discernment ministries”. However, sometimes to the point of even discerning out the true word of the Lord and servants of the Lord.
The biggest crime of this modern day Ephesian church? As with the ancient Ephesian church, it is falling from the heights of their first love. This “first love” is not just an affection but is intimately linked with not cultivating or guarding the lampstand.
[ Revelation 2:5 Consider how far 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 lampstand from its place. ]
In the Old Testament, the lampstand is the seven candle menorah found in the Holy Place from the tabernacle of Moses to Solomon's temple [ Exod 25:31-40 ]. The Levitical priests were commanded to keep the lamp burning continuously, day and night in ministry to God:
[ Exodus 27:20-21 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come. ]
The ministry of the lampstand in the Days of Eli
What is the significance of the lampstand? In the days of Eli in [ 1 Samuel 3:1 ] the word of the Lord was rare and there was no widespread revelation in the priesthood. In [ 1 Samuel 3:2 ] and [ 1 Samuel 4:15 ] Eli's eyes were dim, a natural condition reflecting a spiritual blindness. With the eyes of the flesh, Eli saw Hannah as a drunkard [ 1 Samuel 1:12-16 ] when Hannah was actually making supplication to the Lord. Consequently, he was unable to deal with the severity of the stench in the nostrils that his sons had become to the Lord [ 1 Samuel 2:12-17 ] [ Samuel 2:29 ] [ 1 Samuel 3:11-14 ]. These symptoms of a lack of discernment and spiritual blindness pointed to the reality and the heart of the issue; that is that the ministry of guarding the lamp of God was not being tended to and it was about to go out.
[ 1 Samuel 3:3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. ].
As a contrast to the Eli priesthood, Samuel, even as a child ministered to the Lord [ Samuel 2:18 ] [ 1 Samuel 3:1 ]. He maintained the oil and guarded the fire of the lampstand according to [ Exodus 27:20-21 ] and in doing so, kept the first commandment in the first place.
The Eli priesthood is a type of leadership, called by God's name no less, but one that has lost its ability to ( or never taught to ) hear the voice of the Lord. It was supposed to be the priesthood and "mature" ones that were supposed to get the word of the Lord but they weren't.
The priesthood of Eli was in such a predicament in their day to the point where the Lord had to raise up a new priesthood for Israel. It’s clear that the Lord was bypassing Eli to speak to Samuel [ 1 Samuel 3:7-11 ] and ironically it was through the mouth of a child that the Lord pronounced judgement. The conclusion to the Eli priesthood was Ichabod. A Hebrew play on words signifying an end of a line in ministry. Ichabod; "there is no glory" or the “the glory has departed”.
A lampstand restored but wineskins hardened
During the intertestamental period prophesied by the prophet Daniel in [ Daniel 2 ] and [ Daniel 7 ] Antiochus Epiphanes, enabled by the Hellenistic Jews, erected a idol of Jupiter in the second temple. There rose a zealous movement of Hebraic Jews that were genuine in their worship to the Lord. This was known as the Maccabean revolt.
The Hebraic Jews overthrew the Hellenistic Jews, tore down the idol and restored and purified the ministry of temple namely the guarding of the lampstands ( ministry to God ). Famously, the menorah miraculously burned for eight days even though there was only sufficient oil to burn for a day.
However in a matter of generations their wineskins dried up and hardened. They eventually became the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' day.
The word of the Lord then came to a locust eating, camel hair wearing nazarite - John the Baptiser in the desert and not to the established religious order of the day. It was an indictment on the Jerusalem institution.
Note: some scholars believe that John the baptiser was actually the legitimate high priest instead of Caiaphas. Born to Zechariah and Elizabeth, John was of the Levitical lineage and was therefore scripturally qualified for the priesthood that year. He prophetically "presented" the lamb of God at the Jordan [ John 1:29 ].
In like manner many denominations did spring up from true moves of God through true Spirit filled leaders ( who probably never intended to start global denominations ). These fathers of reformations had genuine revelation from the Lord. Some flowed in the gifts of the Spirit and were legitimate apostles ( sent ones ) and prophets ( ones who speak from the heart of God ) that highlighted or restored aspects of the word of God.
We are not necessarily privy to their private life of prayer in the secret place - a requirement to produce the type of revelation they had, however we have the fruit of their intimacy through literature and books. Because of this though, we haven’t been forced to cultivate our own intimacy with God and get firsthand revelation from the word as guided by the Holy Spirit. Over decades and centuries, the denominational wineskins did eventually harden and became "the tradition of the elders". The tradition of the elders were either inscribed in written form or established as an unspoken church culture. The churches became institutionalised and as we speak, these institutions are at the point of becoming hellenised and ultimately secularised.
Without renewal, every move of God becomes an old wineskin.
Spiritual Drought
It seems that Australia has been in a spiritual drought, partly because we haven’t tasted a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a great awakening or revival to the scale of nations and continents like America ( Azusa st, first and second Great Awakenings ), U.K. ( Welsh Revival ) and Africa and others. We’ve had small localised revivals but for the most part we’ve been in a spiritual drought for a long time.
A New Generation of Priests
Hot off the heels to the fall of the Eli priesthood [ 1 Samuel 4:12-22 ] - God announces to Israel a new generation of priests.
[ 1 Samuel 2:35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always. ]
As Samuel grew up the Lord let none of his words fall to the ground and widespread revelation was across the land [ 1 Samuel 3:19-21 ].
I and many others, feel this to be prophetic for today.
We as Evangelicals believe in the priesthood of the believer. I think believers in large haven’t grasped the gravity of this reality in light of old covenant saints - the book of [ Hebrews ]. Unlike old covenant saints we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit [ Ephesians 2:22 ] and have confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus [ Hebrews 10:19 ] in a tangible manner. [ 2 Corinthians 2:7-11 ] says that ministry of the Spirit even more glorious than Moses and we are recipients of this glorious ministry.
Beloved, we are under a better covenant. Therefore in faith, I believe as we speak, God is restoring the revelation a deeper understanding of the first commandment to the first place all in churches across the world. Please read Intimacy with God.
Restoring First Love - The Lampstand
Ask God to raise up ministries to teach the foundations of first love and ministry to God.
Pray with me in asking God to restore the lampstand to the Australian church in whole.
Repent with me if we have discerned out genuine servants of God and partaken in name calling and divisive theology.
Join together in renewing our wineskin for the fresh wine that is coming.
Keep our wineskins renewed with each wave of outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
[ Revelation 2:7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life ( lampstand ), which is in the paradise of God. ]