Ephesus: The Orthodox Church

I've decided to try a little experiment. For the next few weeks, I will be writing a specific series of posts on the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. I've done series of posts before, but never one that will take this long. But these seven letters in Revelation are really interesting I think, and they're definitely worth taking a good look at. So for a little while, I'll be looking at each letter at a time, trying to see how our churches, or even our personal lives, might look a lot like these ancient churches, and also trying to see how these letters challenge, encourage, and guide us in our own lives and faiths.

One other note: a lot of my thoughts on Revelation are due to the Revelation class I took under Shane Wood at Ozark.

The first letter that Jesus gives through the apostle John is to the church at Ephesus. Here's what it says in Revelation 2:1-7:

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 lampstands: 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 lampstand 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.

As in several (but not all) of the letters in Revelation 2-3, this one starts with a commendation. The Ephesians are commended for their perseverance and hard work. They are careful to test those who might be false teachers. They guard their doctrine closely. It seems like the leaders there had taken seriously Paul's warning to shepherd the church and be on guard against "savage wolves" (Acts 20:25-31). The Ephesians staunchly defend the faith against those who seek to distort it, including the Nicolaitans that are mentioned in the letter.

But not everything in Ephesus is as it should be. They are criticized for having forsaken their first love. It's not entirely clear what this means, but it's likely that it includes both love for God and love for others--two loves that go hand in hand anyway (1 Jn. 4:19-21). After all, this is at the center of Christian ethics. Jesus himself the injunctions to love God and love your neighbors as the two most important commandments. And the Ephesians had forgotten that. They were doing great on maintaining the truth of their faith, but they had forgotten to practice love. And without love, the good things we do really aren't that helpful (1 Cor. 13).

So what can we learn from the letter to the Ephesians?

You can have all your doctrinal ducks in a row and still be missing the big picture.

The Ephesians had their doctrine down. They were orthodox. But they were missing love. And there's still churches like that today--who do an awesome job of defending sound theology and doctrine but who do it with a hardened heart. And maybe we do that as individual Christians. I think that Bible college or seminary students are especially susceptible to this. You begin your academic career filled with a passion for God, for his Word, and for serving the world. But after a few years of study, you've forgotten your "first love," even though you dedicate great energy to writing sound doctrinal sermons or critiquing the latest theological fad.

Jesus' word to the Ephesians, and maybe to us as well, is to recapture the love. This doesn't mean that we abandon sound doctrine. No need to throw out the baby with the bathwater. But we may need to take a step back and remember why it is that we do what we do. It's out of a love for our Creator and for his creatures.

And what's the promise to the Ephesians if they repent and get the love back? They get to eat from the tree of life.

It is autumn, after all. Who doesn't want a good apple? Or pie....or cider....

Snack time.