Today we continue our teaching series called “The Seven Churches of Revelation”

Over the next several weeks we will seek to understand the importance and relevance of this text in our lives today.

Just like the rest of our Bible, we believe that Revelation is valuable and integral to our faith- It’s there for a reason.

Through this study we want to hear and understand the warnings and instructions to these churches. As we do that, we also want to discern how we can learn from these warnings in our lives and through our local church.

Our desire is to renew and refine our vision of life and what the church should be.

Our series is specifically focused on Jesus' words to the 7 Churches in Asia minor

Today we begin with the Church in Ephesus, found in Revelation 2:1-7.

Ephesus was one of the most influential cities in the Roman world. It was a melting pot of cultural and religious influences.

The Apostle Paul had founded the church some 40 years earlier, spending a significant amount of time there. And late in the first century, the resurrected Jesus commends them on how they have held firm.

Jesus is saying, "in spite of all your hard work and perseverance, you have forsaken what's most important."

But the implication here is not that they lost their first love, as if it disappeared somehow by accident. The word 'forsaken' here communicates intentional action.

Are these words true about our church today?

I shudder thinking about ever being a part of the church where the gospel is seen as an obligation and duty rather than a calling compelled by love.

One of the most significant question in this text is, "how?"

How is it possible that a church that could appear so effective and faithful could miss what matters most?

How does the church in Ephesus forsake their first love? How does the church in 2023 make the same fatal error?
It didn't happen all at once, instead it was a series of moments, a process of drifting.

“Five Signs of a Drifting Church”
1. There is a loss of focus on the pure love of God expressed through faithfulness to the Gospel.
2. A sense of urgency is replaced by a sense of the routine or going through the motions.
3. People are distracted by entertainment or busy-ness, or both.
4. The Word is watered down.
5. 20% of the people do 80% of the ministry.

The bottom line:
The question isn’t 'what do you do?'
The question is 'who do you love?'

Verses for further study/reflection:
Acts 19:8-41
1 Corinthians 13
Matthew 7:23

Revelation 2:1-7, The Message
2 Write this to Ephesus, to the Angel of the church. The One with Seven Stars in his right-fist grip, striding through the golden seven-lights’ circle, speaks:
2-3 “I see what you’ve done, your hard, hard work, your refusal to quit. I know you can’t stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. I know your persistence, your courage in my cause, that you never wear out.
4-5 “But you walked away from your first love—why? What’s going on with you, anyway? Do you have any idea how far you’ve fallen? A Lucifer fall!
“Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I’m well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle.
6 “You do have this to your credit: You hate the Nicolaitan business. I hate it, too.
7 “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. I’m about to call each conqueror to dinner. I’m spreading a banquet of Tree-of-Life fruit, a supper plucked from God’s orchard.”