Last Words: Our First Love

To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (Rev. 2:1-7).

The first message that John receives is addressed to the church at Ephesus. Ephesus was the capital and largest city in the province of Asia. Like Corinth, it had a cosmopolitan feel. It was the center of commerce, government, and religion–and all three tended to mix freely. Preaching and living the Gospel in Ephesus thus was no easy task.

Christ begins His message to this church by introducing Himself as the one “who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.” Holding the stars in His right hand indicates both protection and authority–Christ has ultimate authority over the churches, and thus speaks words of life and protection. Walking among the lampstands reminds the church that Christ is always present, always seeing what is happening. It is much like Susannah Wesley once told her young son John, “As best you can, fix the image of the Holy God in your mind. Whatever you do, remind yourself, ‘What am I about to do? God sees me.”

Words of Commendation

Being the all-knowing One, Jesus begins with what He knows about the church. He knows of the church’s hard work and patient endurance under tribulation. He knows that they hate evil workers in their midst disguised as shepherds. Unlike many who view God as one who simply sees what we do wrong, Jesus wants the church to know that He sees the good in them as well. Those words are meant to strengthen and encourage them.

Yet a Few Things

However, Jesus being the Truth, must speak truth to the church. He says, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” What does this mean? Many have discussed this over the centuries. Some see it as referring to love for each other; others see it as their initial fervent devotion to Christ which was lost. Either is possible, and perhaps both are in view. One cannot truly love others unless he first loves Christ, and the evidence of love for Christ is love for the brethren (John 13:35; 1 John 2:9-11; 3:11-15).

Jesus tells them to engage in a specific plan to remedy the situation:

• Remember. They are to reflect on how they were before–their love for Him evidenced by their love for one another.
• Repent. They are to “repent,” that is, change their thinking about the situation. Repentance is first of all a change of mind, followed by the evidence of changed behavior.
• Do. They are to “do the works you did at first.” The idea of “first love” seems to suggest that their service now is one of “going through the motions.” Christ wants them to return to service motivated by love for Him and others.

The Warning

If the Ephesians did not repent, Christ promises, “I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” What does this mean? First, we must remember that the message is addressed to the church as a whole, not to individual believers. The lampstand gives light, and the mission of the church is to bring the Light of Christ to the world through faithful witness. Removal of the lampstand, then, would mean that the church would continue in their meetings, their works, their service, but their witness would be gone.

As a final word of encouragement, Christ reminds them, “Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” This group of people is difficult to identity. But with other clues from Revelation (vv. 14-15), it’s best to see them as a group who sought to mix the true faith with pagan religions and even attempting to contact the demonic realm. They thus lived immoral lives. Christ reminds the church in this way that full devotion is required–though it should be motivated by love.

The Question Today

How many churches today stand at the same crossroads? Perhaps they began with full devotion to Christ, serving and loving out of an abundance of His love for them. But now, they are simply going through the motions, because “that’s what Christians do.” Though the warning was spoken to a specific church, we as individual believers can ask that same question of ourselves: What motivates my service? Following the rules? Gaining recognition? Or seeing Christ glorified through loving others?

Though many view this in terms of an emotional feeling, it has more to do with the disposition and direction of the heart. Is my heart pointed toward Christ and others, or toward myself? As we seek Him, we will feel our heart anchor more and more in Him.

That is the question of the ages. Let us keep our witness and not lose our lampstand.

Next: Faithful Unto Death