Ephesus

The first church is in the city of Ephesus. This is the same church that the book of Ephesians was written to.

The salutation is from the one who holds the seven stars, and walks among the seven lamp stands. In the first chapter, John sees Jesus in his vision, walking among the lamp stands, and with the stars. He is told that the lamp stands are the seven churches. The stars are the angels, or the messengers, of the churches. So, the stars could represent human, or angelic, leaders.

The lamp stand seems to be used as a symbol of the church, because the church should be an instrument of light. Those in its presence should be able to see where they are going, what is in the way, and what the destination is. This is the purpose of each church: to give light to the paths of people it connects with. So, Jesus reminds this church of its purpose.

And then he praises the church for its hard work, its patient perseverance, and being true to its standards.

And then he gently reproves them for a failure. They have left their first love. This church is very active, doing very good things. But if they have lost their love, there is a heart issue.

Have they gotten so hung up on doing, that they have forgotten grace? Gotten religious? Or forgotten the relationship that brought them to the Savior?

What we do is important. But actions need to come from a right heart. We need to have the heart of Jesus, who gave without expecting anything in return. Who served from a heart of love.

The result of not repenting, and returning to a correct heart, is the removal of the lamp stand. The church will be removed.

But those who overcome, who repent, pursue a relationship with God, and love with an open heart, will receive a place in God's Kingdom, and will be nourished from the Tree of Life. They will experience real life.

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The church is also commended for hating the works of the Nicolaitans. Someone suggested that this group believed that since all sin was forgiven, it was perfectly OK to live the party animal lifestyle.

As we said earlier, salvation does come from grace, and our sins have been completely dealt with at the cross. But if we give our allegiance to Jesus, our hearts have been transformed, and, therefore, our behavior has been transformed. So, what we do matters. Our hearts, and our allegiances, are demonstrated by our fruit.