Letter to the Church at Ephesus: Rekindling 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.’” — Revelation 2:1–7

The New Testament church at Ephesus was established by Paul during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:19–21). He later spent three years there, from about A.D. 54 to 56 (Acts 20:31). Paul wrote a letter to the Ephesians from prison and later wrote two letters to Timothy while Timothy worked with the Ephesian congregation. In Acts 20, Paul called the elders of Ephesus to meet him at Miletus for words of warning and encouragement.

John’s letter in Revelation 2:1–7 would have arrived about thirty-five to forty years later. That means Ephesus received instruction from two apostles: Paul and John. Ephesus was an important congregation in the first-century church. Paul founded it, Priscilla and Aquila encouraged it, Apollos taught there, Timothy instructed it, and John loved it.

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, John recorded seven letters from the Lord to seven churches. Each letter carried a tailored message, but they generally include correspondence, Christ’s self-designation, commendation, criticism, correction, caution, compliment, challenge, and compensation.

Correspondence: A Message to the Church in Ephesus

Each of the seven letters begins with the same address: “To the angel.” These “angels” may have been men who delivered the letters. Others argue the term refers to each church’s guardian angel, while still others believe it addresses a ruling elder. However, the elevation of one elder above the others did not occur until about A.D. 150.

The Greek word angelos commonly means “messenger.” Jesus revealed His message to John, who wrote it down and sent it to the messenger. That messenger may also have read the letter aloud to the congregation. Revelation begins with this blessing: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)

These letters were not sent to the churches separately but to all seven. From Patmos, the mail route naturally began at Ephesus and moved clockwise from one church to the next.

Christ’s Self-Designation: The Lord Among His Churches

Each letter includes a special designation of Christ by Christ. Many of these descriptions appeared earlier in Revelation 1. First, Christ identifies Himself as the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand. Revelation 1:20 explains, “As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

Christ holds the messengers in His hand. The right hand represents privilege and authority. Jesus alone is Head of the church. He also “walks among the seven golden lampstands,” meaning He is present among His churches. Jesus is the Light and the true source of light. As John later wrote, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

Commendation: Jesus Knows Their Faithful Work

All seven letters include the words “I know.” The term suggests complete knowledge. Jesus sees His people clearly and cares deeply for every Christian. Hebrews 4:13 says, “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

The Lord first knows their “works.” These saints were workers, not shirkers. They were energetic. From Ephesus, the gospel spread throughout Asia and helped establish the other churches addressed in Revelation (Acts 19:10).

Second, the Lord knows their “toil.” The Greek word describes labor that reaches the point of exhaustion. The church at Ephesus did not merely work; it worked hard.

Next, Christ mentions their “patient endurance.” The Greek word means “to endure under.” This virtue appears repeatedly in Revelation (Revelation 1:9; 2:2–3, 19; 3:10; 13:10; 14:12). The number seven often points to completeness, and these faithful saints displayed remarkable endurance.

Jesus also says they “cannot bear with those who are evil.” Ephesus was not an easy place for godly men and women to live. Greek philosopher Heraclitus, a resident of Ephesus, lamented the immorality he saw throughout the city. The Lord notices those who remain righteous in difficult places and among a wicked generation.

Jesus further commends them because they “tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.” In the first century, itinerant preachers and philosophers often passed through cities like Ephesus looking for disciples and a free meal. Paul had already warned the Ephesian elders that “fierce wolves” would come among the flock (Acts 20:29).

Every self-proclaimed apostle had to be tested. A genuine apostle of Jesus Christ had to be an eyewitness of the risen Lord (Acts 1:22; 22:14; 1 Corinthians 9:1), chosen by God (1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 2 Timothy 1:1), and appointed by Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit (Matthew 10:5; Mark 3:13–14; Luke 6:13; Acts 1:26; 9:15; 22:14–15, 21; 26:16). Paul also reminded Corinth that “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.” (2 Corinthians 12:12)

John gave the same warning: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1) The need to test teachers remains just as important today. Do not allow men to preach and teach without proper vetting. Open pulpits invite false doctrine.

Christ also knew their endurance. They were “enduring patiently and bearing up” for His name’s sake. These brethren were not just keeping house. They were willing to suffer for Christ. Ignatius later called Ephesus the “Highway of the Martyrs.” In Acts 19, Demetrius the silversmith helped stir up a riot against Christianity, and the crowd cried out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:28)

Finally, Jesus commends them because they “have not grown weary.” They were not quitters. They bore their burdens and kept going when the going got tough. Paul wrote, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9; see also 1 Corinthians 15:58)

Criticism: They Abandoned Their First Love

This sounds like a near-perfect congregation. But wait—Jesus has a criticism for Ephesus: “But I have this against you.” The Lord does not overlook a loveless heart, even when a church is busy, doctrinally careful, and outwardly faithful.

The criticism was direct: “You have abandoned the love you had at first.” Was this a loss of love for Christ, for the brethren, for the lost, or for all three? Christ was their first love. To leave Him is to lose our love for the brethren, the truth, and the lost (Ephesians 3:17–19). The honeymoon was over. Dust was beginning to gather on the Bible. Soon, services would be missed, and the fire for sharing the good news would fade. Ephesus needed its love rekindled.

Correction: Rekindle Your Love for Christ

The first step in Ephesus’s correction was to remember: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen.” The verb calls them to keep remembering. When the prodigal son hit rock bottom in a far country, he remembered his father’s home (Luke 15:17). Those who have fallen out of love with the Lord need to remember the day they first came up out of the water, born again with excitement, enthusiasm, and wholehearted zeal.

The next step in this three-part remedy was repentance: “repent.” Repentance depends on remembering. It turns from one way in order to walk in a new way. The prodigal’s response was simple and clear: “I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.’” (Luke 15:18)

The final step was restoration: “do the works you did at first.” Love that revives demands action. In Acts, the Ephesian saints showed love through their devotion to truth, their rejection of pagan practices, their endurance during opposition, and their commitment to spreading the word.

Caution: A Church Can Lose Its Lampstand

If the church at Ephesus refused the Lord’s remedy, He warned, “I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” Christ threatened serious discipline. The Light-giver Himself could extinguish the light of fellowship. In other words, they would forfeit the right to exist as a faithful church of Christ.

Yet there was still hope: “unless you repent.” Jesus preached repentance. During His earthly ministry, He warned, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3) Ephesus needed to turn around completely.

Compliment: They Hated What Christ Hated

The Ephesian congregation was doing something right. Christ said, “Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Who were the Nicolaitans? Early Christian writers describe them as people who embraced self-indulgence and moral compromise.

Some modern scholars view them as early Gnostic-influenced teachers who treated Christian liberty as a license to sin. That kind of “liberty” lets the world overcome Christianity instead of Christians, through Christ, overcoming the world.

Why hate them? Notice that Jesus does not tell the church to hate the people; He commends them for hating the works. We must hate what Christ hates and love what Christ loves. Christ hates sin and loves sinners. If we love the truth with all our hearts, we will hate every false way.

Challenge: Hear What the Spirit Says to the Churches

Christ gives Ephesus this challenge: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Jesus often used this kind of statement with His parables (Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8; 14:35). In effect, He says, “Listen up!” and do not become “dull of hearing” (Hebrews 5:11).

This challenge was not only for Ephesus. It was for the churches. The message to one congregation carried lessons for all congregations then—and for churches today.

Compensation: The Promise to the One Who Conquers

The Lord promises blessing to those who repent and continue in faithful obedience: “To the one who conquers.” A major theme in Revelation is overcoming. Revelation 12:11 explains, “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

John also wrote, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4–5)

Christ is the Benefactor of this blessing: “I will grant.” God gives every perfect gift (James 1:17).

The benefit is “to eat of the tree of life.” The tree of life first appeared in the Garden of Eden: “And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Genesis 2:9)

By sinning, Adam and Eve lost access to the tree of life. What was lost in Genesis will be restored in heaven. Revelation 22:2 says, “through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

The location of the tree of life is “the paradise of God.” The word “paradise” comes from an Old Persian word for a walled park of pleasure. Jesus used the term when He promised the thief on the cross, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43; see also 2 Corinthians 12:2, 4)

A Timely Lesson for Churches Today

Many local congregations have also left their first love for the love of the world. That makes this message timely for us. The letter to Ephesus applies to churches of Christ in every age.

How does Forum Terrace compare with this letter? Are we still in love with our Lord, or have we fallen in love with this life, its people, and its things? Are we sound in the faith—or sound asleep?

By Daniel R. Vess