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Resources - Meditations
April 2000
A Millenium Message
for the Church
EPHESUS – Loved by Christ! (REV 2:1-7)
Rev. Bill van Schie
As you walk through the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus you are
amazed by the many Greco-Roman structures that are still left standing
today.
Entering Curetes Street, on the edge of town, you will find the Odien
amphitheater, built for the entertainment of the 200,000 people who
lived there. At the other end of town you discover the huge Amphitheater
that is three stories high and has the capacity to seat 24,000 people.
Maybe it was at this amphitheater that Paul was confronted by the
silversmiths (Acts 19:23-41).
As you continue to walk down the street you see, dotted throughout the
city, many structures designed for the smooth flow of commerce in a busy
port. Ephesus was the major transportation and distribution hub for Asia
Minor.
On your left you discover the temple for the pagan fertility goddess
Diana. Along from her temple are the temples made for the Roman Emperors
who were worshipped as divine. Across the street you find the town hall,
the city baths and many civic buildings from which the province was
administered.
Ephesus was a thriving commercial, administrative and distribution hub
of the province. It was a prosperous and successful city, strategically
placed to economically and culturally dominate the region.
It was in this strategic city that the Lord planted one of His first
small churches. And what a church it was. It was a church that knew the
victory and the spiritual blessings of being “in Christ”. It was a
church that rejoiced in and was excited by the Lord’s love for them.
They were so enthusiastic that they were willing to sacrifice all for
Jesus. It was a church where Greeks and Jews were working out their
differences. It was a church that remained steadfastly pure from all the
temple influences on the left side of Curetes Street and they were on
their guard to keep their doctrine pure and were ready to discern the
errors of the false prophets
However as time went by they lost this first, excited, rejoicing and
enthusiastic love for the Lord. Maybe they focused so much on the issues
of purity of doctrine that they let their love slip. Maybe they were
sucked into the commercial success of the times so that their priorities
changed. Maybe their sense of value and importance depended more on
being an Ephesian and less on being a child of God in Christ. Their love
grew cold. How far they had fallen.
As Reformed churches, during the days of our establishment there was a
great deal of enthusiasm, excitement, dedication, sacrifice and
willingness to serve. There was a great love for the Lord, for his
church, and for the truth. Today, in an age of rampant materialism, can
we say that we have that same love for the Lord and His church? Do we
have the same willingness to serve, the same dedication and willingness
to sacrifice today, to see the establishment of His kingdom?
The Lord is hurt by the Ephesians coolness towards him. The Lord is
disappointed by the barren busyness of his followers. He is aggrieved by
their over indulgence in other distractions. He is insulted by their
loveless church life. The Lord is hurt by their lack of love and He
holds it against them.
Yet He loves the church with a passion. The Lord, the Alpha and Omega,
walks into their meeting holding the preachers hand and calls the
congregation to remember their first enthusiastic self-sacrificing love.
He calls them to repent... to turn away from what has distracted them
and to turn back to Him. The Lord warns them that unless they do, He
will take the lampstand, the Spirit of witness from their church. See
the love that the Lord has for His church? He loves them enough to chase
after them, to expose their failure, to warn them, and then in love to
encourage them to return to their first love.
Friends as we enter the new millennium as people of God we need to ask
ourselves, “How much of what I do in church is motivated out of love and
thankfulness to my Lord? How many of my and my church’s priorities are
determined by love and dedication to the Lord Himself?”
In spite of our faithfulness to the truth, our loyalty to the
denomination and our opposition to heresy, are we in danger of having
our lampstand removed because of our lack of love?
Friend, the Alpha and the Omega, walks into our churches today and says
to us, “I love you, I gave myself for you. I love you enough to call you
to remember your first love, to turn away from your toys and
distractions and to turn back to me. I love you enough to warn you.”
What a great and loving Lord we have. Can we do anything else, as
individuals and as churches, but respond in such a way that everything
we do is permeated by our love for Him?
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.”
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