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Verse one: "To the messenger of the church in Ephesus write: These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, He who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands."
"Write." John was the Lord's secretary. What he wrote down was just the Lord's words. Although today we no longer have direct inspirations from the Lord, we should be careful about what we write. While we are engaged in the work of evangelistic literature, we should first receive from the Lord the word "write." Our works will be worthwhile only when the language and the content are in line with the Lord's will.
"The church in Ephesus." We are familiar with terms like "the Anglican Church," "the Roman Catholic Church," "the Greek Orthodox Church," and "the Church of Christ in China," but the Bible is different. It says "the church in Ephesus." In the original language it means the church which is in Ephesus. Those in the church were but part of the people living in Ephesus. The Ephesians were still Gentiles. "The church in Ephesus" was only that part of the Ephesians that had believed in the Lord Jesus. The church was only in Ephesus; it is not an Ephesian church. Today, men try to establish Chinese churches because they do not understand the Bible. The church is only residing in a locality. It is not a product of a locality. This should forever be the church's stand. Once the church is joined with the world, it loses its qualifications!
Many people think that the Lord sent the first letter to Ephesus because the church in Ephesus was the head church of all the churches in Asia. However, we cannot see this anywhere in the Bible! We never find any man-made terms as "head church" or "mother church" in the Bible. The church of God is the Body of Christ, composed of individual members. It is not composed of many small churches. The unit in the Body of Christ is the individual believer and not an individual church. Believers are the members of Christ, being joined to Christ their Head by the Holy Spirit. No grand-scale union of churches as is found today can be found in the Bible. As a result, there is no such term as "head church" or "mother church!" Some have thought that the organization of the church in the Bible was not as complete as it is today. However, for us, we dare not add to or subtract from what the Bible has spoken and revealed.
In this way, "the churches" are the Christians gathered together under God's sovereign arrangement. These Christians constitute the church of God in each locality, such as the church in Ephesus. Furthermore, in the Bible the church is not just the Body of Christ, but the house of God, that is, God's dwelling place as well. There is only one Jesus Christ; He does not have many bodies. In the same way, God has only one home. He does not have many homes. For this reason, a local church is but the representation of the whole church of God in that particular locality. Although the number, spiritual condition, and other matters differ in different local churches, they are all representations of the one unique Body.
Those who are faithful in the Lord's service grieve much for the present church organizations and denominations, but unfortunately, they forget that one local church is but the representation of the whole church of God in that locality. We have, however, established many different denominational churches in one locality! From God's point of view there is only one "church in Ephesus." There are no "churches in Ephesus."
We have to mention another point. Here God shows us that the churches in all the places do not have any name. The Christians in Ephesus were merely called the church in Ephesus. The Bible only calls each church by the name of the place where it is. There is no other name. The church is denominated because of names. The word denomination in Latin means "a name." Whenever there is a name, there is a denomination. Hence, we must never have a certain church in a locality. We can only have a church in a certain locality. We will only say this much concerning the organization and name of the church. Those who will follow the Scriptures will receive guidance from this. To those who will not, there is nothing more we can say.
"The church in Ephesus" was a most blessed church. It had Paul, Apollos, Aquila, Priscilla, Timothy, Tychicus, and others working in it. It was very advanced in the knowledge and holiness of the Lord Jesus. Paul highly recommended them in his Epistles. The Lord did not send the first letter to Ephesus because it was the head church in Asia. There were other reasons for this. Ephesus was the first one to receive the letter, not because it possessed any outstanding characteristic, but because of its heavenly nature. When Paul wrote to the Ephesians earlier, he spoke of the high position Christians occupy: how they formerly had walked according to the age of the world, according to the operation of Satan, how they were dead in offenses and sins, and how they were made alive together with Christ, raised up together and seated together in the heavenlies in Christ to receive all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. This is as far as the individual goes. All believers as individuals have received such grace before God. However, God's work did not stop here. Through the Holy Spirit He has joined us to Christ to become His Body. The book of Ephesians shows us the doctrine and position of the church. At the end it brings out the story of Adam and Eve as an illustration to typify the mystery of the union between Christ and the church. This book tells us that "Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word, that He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:25-27). How glorious such a doctrine is! How important it is! Of course this teaching is for all the saints, but God chose the Ephesian disciples as the foremost recipients. If the church at that day had not had the power of the Holy Spirit in its life, work, and testimony, it would not have been qualified to receive such a noble message. The spiritual condition of those in Corinth and Galatia and the Hebrew believers at that time did not allow Paul to convey such teaching to them (1 Cor. 3:1-2; Gal. 3:1-3; Heb. 5:11-14). Because the Ephesians obtained more special grace from God, they were able to receive this teaching.
At the time Paul wrote his Epistle to the Ephesians, the latter's spiritual progress was unmatched by any other churches of the day. However, the epistle we are about to read was written by the Lord Jesus thirty years later. By then the signs of desolation had appeared! A generation of saints had changed. Although they still kept their predecessors' tradition of zealous service for the Lord, they had lost the impetus of the zeal of their predecessors. The name of the place where this church was, Ephesus, also shows the laxity in love which would eventually come in. We would not be surprised if the church in Corinth were considered the foremost of all churches and were to lose its first love, but it is quite incomprehensible that a church as spiritual as this one would degrade into such a condition.
The first sentence of this letter also displays a kind of separation. Now it is no longer a letter written "to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 1:1). Rather, it is "to the messenger of the church in Ephesus." How different is the first book to the Ephesians from the second book! Why would the Lord no longer send a letter to all the saints? Why would He only write to the messengers? All of our Lord's works are full of grace, but at the same time He is righteous. The church had degraded and had become a fallen one. Hence, He could no longer write with the same loving tone. Because the church had left Him, He had to order John to write to the messenger of the church, that is, to its representative. The Lord was writing to him and not to his church. It seems that the church was separated from Him by a long distance. The church had fallen into a very dark position. The Lord could no longer speak to it directly. The Lord could write to the Corinthians directly because although they had sinned, they had never loved Him so much and then afterwards left Him. To leave the first love is something most displeasing to the Lord. What a pity that from that day until now the church has not yet been recovered. Now God's house is fully desolated on earth. Our initial responsibility is to admit the fact concerning this. But then, His love has not changed. What has changed is His people. This detached form of address came from the Lord from whom the church had detached itself. It is because man has alienated himself from God that God is unable to draw close to man. This can be confirmed by the daily experience of the saints.
Some may ask, "Will the Lord then reject His church? Will the Lord forsake His saints? Who were these messengers? Why were they able to converse with God face to face? Were they officers in the church by whom the Lord conveyed His intention to the church, or were they specially capable ones through whom the Lord pronounced His judgment?" No. No. All those who know the Lord have to answer, "No." The messengers are not the capable ones. Much less are they officers in the church. The Lord was not speaking to the whole church. Neither was He speaking to the capable ones, much less the officers. If we put together the phrase "to the messengers" with the expression "he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches," we will see that the messengers are those who draw close to the Lord Jesus. They are the ones who have an ear to hear the Lord, eyes to behold the Lord, and a heart to love the Lord. The Lord is still speaking to those who would listen to Him! He has not changed! Now all those overcomers who love the Lord must not only be saved from the world but must overcome in the church as well. This is because the darkness in the church has become as thick as it is in the world. Therefore, God's stars must shine. But then, how many are there that will listen to the Lord?
All the words of the Lord were spoken to those with ears to hear, for only he who has an ear can hear. The Word says, "Let him hear." This shows what great responsibility there is for those who have heard the Lord's words. We often wonder why it is that the Lord held the messengers who have merely heard the voice of Christ responsible. Why would the Lord rebuke them when it was only the church they belonged to that had sinned? How could the Lord impute the sin of the majority on the minority who have heard His speaking? If we understand this, we will have a clearer path before us. Ordinarily, we would admit that those who are in a certain office bear a certain responsibility. It is true that a believer who loves the Lord cannot change his environment no matter how spiritual he may be. We can never alter the general situation. The degradation of the church is not something that we can stop with our hands. It seems that our weakness may give us the excuse to shirk from our responsibilities, but this is not the teaching of the Bible. The condition of our companions is actually a reflection of our own spiritual condition. We ought to depart from sin and not bear the same yoke with unbelievers. We ought to purify ourselves from all filth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. We are responsible if we take company with the filthy and the rebellious ones! Some may consider that if we go this way, our pathway will be too narrow and our work too small. Whether this is the case or not, however, we do not have a right to choose our own future. The Lord should be the One to chart our way for us. Not only should we be separated in spirit from the denominations and their sins, we should be different even in the outward name. "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry" (1 Sam. 15:22-23).
Rebellion is such a fearsome word! Although many times we are rebellious, we wish God would use a lighter word to describe our sin! Nevertheless, in this one thing the true self of Saul was exposed! Through that one sin, he lost his kingdom forever! How numerous are Saul's disciples! They obey God in many ways. Their disobedience happens in only one in a hundred cases. Even when they spare the sheep and the oxen, they do it for a sacrifice to God! When men rebel, they have all kinds of excuses. Even in rebellion they are contemplating sacrifices! When things are going our way, we can obey the Lord much, for it does not involve much price. But when we come face to face with the sheep, the oxen, and Agag, we are stuck. True obedience involves the denial of our opinion, wisdom, and love and the single-hearted practice of God's commandment in the Scripture. Even if we are despised by relatives and friends and are rejected by our companions, we should go on alone for God's sake. Let us wait for eternity when others will envy and acclaim our present action. For now, the smile from the throne is sufficient.
Here the Lord revealed Himself as "He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, He who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands" (Rev. 2:1). At the beginning of every epistle, the Lord spoke something concerning Himself. The way He revealed Himself has something to do with the condition of the churches. Here He spoke of the relationship between Himself, the representative of the church, and the whole church. He spoke of His full authority to rule over the symbol of the heavenly light and His searching among the vessels of His testimony. How easy it is for the church that has left its first love to forget this fact! Although the epistle was sent to the "star," the "lampstand" bore equal responsibility and will receive equal judgment. The Lord will soon judge the world. That is why He is beginning from the house of God, the church. These "stars" are the messengers of the churches; they are those who can represent the churches. They bear the spiritual responsibility of the churches before the Lord. They are like the stars in the sky, who give light and set the time. The faithful lovers of the Lord are the luminaries in the morally dark night of the world. These gifts and power belong to the Lord. Although man can organize the church, institute laws and constitutions for it, and ordain teachers and pastors, in reality these works usurp the place and authority of Christ! The seven stars are in His hand; they are not "in man's pocket." Only when the stars are in His hand can they bear the responsibility of their churches. Those who desire to bear the responsibility of the churches should first fall at the feet of the Lord as dead and should then personally experience the great holding and preserving power of His "right hand." If all the faithful servants of God, that is, those who have no offices in the denominations, would have John's experience in chapter one, the church would not have been as degraded as it is now. All those who desire to take up responsibility according to the Father's arrangement and for Christ's sake must have the preserving power of Christ's right hand. When the Lord wrote the letter to the church in Sardis, He called Himself, "He who has..the seven stars" (3:1). They are no longer in the Lord's right hand. The Lord merely "has" them. The Lord wants them to be responsible, but they have departed from the position which enables them to be responsible. However, here in Ephesus, they were still in the proper position, that is, in the right hand of the Lord. Only the Lord's right hand can make the stars shine according to His will. Many were the stars in the Lord's right hand, but through their mingling with the worldly organizations and sins and through their failure to draw a distinction between these things and them, they have lost their position in the Lord's right hand. On the one hand, the Lord rebukes. On the other hand, they have lost their right to be responsible for the Lord. What a doubly difficult situation they have put themselves into! But why do we have to fall into such a state? May the Lord be merciful to us!
As He searched the messengers, in the same way He searched the churches. He was not only "in the midst of the lampstands" (1:13), but was now the One who "walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands." Not only was He managing all the lampstands, but He was also examining their conduct. Those believers who have left their first love often forget that the Lord knows not only our speech and conduct but our thoughts as well. He searches our outward failure and judges our inward shortcomings.
Those who have ears will hear the voice of the Lord, and those who have eyes will see the way the Lord is taking in the midst of His churches. But then, how few are those who have eyes! Although everything in the world is under the Lord's hand, the Lord is not walking in the midst of the world. If we knew the Lord's way in the churches, how much we would then willingly follow Him! Yet this way cannot be seen by the physical eyes. Because it requires faith for one to follow, there are few who have become the Lord's companions. However, if those saints who are in the present-day church in Laodicea knew that the Lord is kept outside the door, there would not be that many who would take company with the lukewarm ones inside the door! May the Lord guide us!
Verses 2-3: "I know your works and your labor and your endurance and that you cannot bear evil men; and you have tried those who call themselves apostles and are not, and have found them to be false; and you have endurance and have borne all things because of My name and have not grown weary."
Although the Lord rebuked the shortcomings of the saints, He tried His best to first praise them. How tender is He! How gracious are His acts! The Lord knows how to honor their good works. How these ones had worked, labored, and endured among others had not escaped the Lord's attention. The Lord also saw how they had hated sins and had tried the false apostles. The Lord also noted how they had saved others in labor, how they had worked with endurance, and how they were untiring in their good works. These merits were commended by the Lord. He knows how to pay attention to one's good works. How loveable is our Lord! Our Lord truly loves to speak well of the merits of His people. It is unfortunate that we do not have that many merits for Him to praise! Just as the apostle told the believers: "What things are true, what things are dignified, what things are righteous, what things are pure, what things are lovely, what things are well spoken of, if there is any virtue and if any praise, take account of these things" (Phil. 4:8), in the same way the Lord loves to praise what is good in His sight.
"I know." How these two words pierce our hearts, yet how comforting they are! All the work and condition of His people are under His searching, for He is walking in the midst of the golden lampstands. Hence, we must never hide our sins, for "there is no creature that is not manifest before Him, but all things are naked and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we are to give our account" (Heb. 4:13).
"I know your works." The Lord knows everything already. This is why He can judge. It is only after the Lord has accepted a person that He will accept his work. Those who are not saved, no matter how good their works are, can never satisfy the Lord to the extent that He would grant them salvation. Those who have entered the church must be those who have been saved. A man must first be received by the Lord before his works can be accepted by Him. These ones have works. How excellent this is! How much work do we have before the Lord that can be called work at all? These ones not only have mere faith; they have works as well.
"Labor." How much the Lord commended Ephesus! Not only did they have the works, they also had the labors. To labor means to struggle to work and to strive to do something. Who has labored for the Lord in toil? Are we not counting our lives as precious? How many are there who are putting everything aside for the Lord's work? When we consider the coldness in the present age towards God's work, we cannot help but join in with the Lord to praise the labor of the Ephesians.
"Endurance." Their works, labor, and endurance refer mostly to their virtues in the church. The most important virtue in the congregation of the saints is endurance. If all the saints lived by themselves, they might not need that much endurance, but when people gather together, even if it is only two or three, endurance becomes indispensable. There are foolish ones. There are loose ones, backsliding ones, talkative ones, and rash ones. In a church, there are hundreds of opportunities for us to endure, but this is not an easy thing to do. These ones have endurance. No wonder the Lord commended them. Even the proof of Paul's apostleship was also endurance! Moreover, endurance here has the meaning of persevering. Many people, like the Galatians, are good at the beginning. Yet when difficulties come, they drift along with others and lose their faith. It is truly God's own work to enable one to endure. Man's strength soon vanishes. Only God can endure to the end. Furthermore, what is needed the most in trials is endurance, but the thing that goes away the fastest in trials is endurance. Among these ones there were the evil ones and the false apostles (v. 2). Outwardly there were the persecutions (v. 3). Their trials were indeed numerous, yet they could endure. This is surely commendable!
In particular, it often happens that in enduring, one subconsciously allows sinful things to come in, thus enduring sins as well. At least, it is easy to become forgiving towards the evil ones. How dangerous this is! There are few people around us who are perfect. Once we touch the evil ones, our spiritual sense can easily become dull. The conduct of the worldly people is not ours to judge. However, if there are brothers who have sinned, we have to excommunicate them. "Remove the evil man from among yourselves" (1 Cor. 5). This is the teaching of the Bible. Unfortunately, our endurance and love seem to exceed God's ordinance. God charges us to take forth the precious from the vile (Jer. 15:19). Yet we tolerate the vile, thinking that in it there are precious things also! We have acted contrary to the Scripture in being forbearing, loving, and enduring! The Lord commended the Ephesians, for they were not only enduring but would not "bear evil men." They had preserved their corporate purity. Even when there were those who called themselves as highly as apostles, they were still not afraid of them. This is indeed not easy!
"You have tried those who call themselves apostles and are not, and have found them to be false" (2:2). These false apostles are the ones Paul described in 2 Corinthians 11: "For such ones are false apostles, deceitful workers, transfiguring themselves into apostles of Christ" (v. 13). Before Paul left Ephesus, he had warned others concerning them: "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among you yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverted things to draw away the disciples after them" (Acts 20:29-30).
After reading these verses, we realize that both the Lord as well as His church consider the apostleship the most important ministry in the church. Paul himself had testified to the church in Corinth that his apostolic ministry was received from the Lord. His setting up churches everywhere, his personal encounter with the Lord, and his miracles and wonders are all proofs of his apostleship. Please read 1 Corinthians 9:2 and 2 Corinthians 11 and 12. Because this ministry is so important, there were lawless ones who came in as imposters. These false apostles were there even before the apostles passed away. After they died, these false ones became even more numerous. However, the church did not receive them at the beginning. During the second half of the first century there were many such false apostles. At present, other than the Roman Catholic Church who still claims its pope to be the successor of the apostles, most Christian churches have conceded that the apostolic ministry no longer exists. The Pentecostal Church has apostles, but they, like the pope, are recognized by no one. When we see the cessation of the apostolic ministry, we readily realize that the Lord has suspended all forms of organization in the church.
"And you have endurance and have borne all things because of My name and have not grown weary." This verse speaks of their work in the world. The Lord had mentioned their endurance before. Why was He mentioning it again? The endurance that was mentioned before was endurance in the church. Here, it was their endurance in the world. They were not only expressing the Lord's virtues in the church but were suffering for the Lord in the world: "And have borne because of My name." They saw that so many in the world were not yet saved and that the Lord had died for them. They sympathized with the Lord's heart for all men to be saved and strove to labor for the Lord's saving name. "And there is no salvation in any other; for neither is there another name under heaven given among men in which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). These ones were truly working and saving men for the sake of the Lord. Although they were faced with trials within and without, they were still tireless in their good works and did not grow weary through their suffering.
After we have seen the virtues of the Ephesians, we cannot say that everything they had was superficial and that they did not have any love for the Lord. Their virtues were approved by the Lord, and their nature was quite reliable. Paul mentioned work, labor, and endurance to the Thessalonians. He said, "Your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thes. 1:3). True work, labor, and endurance cannot be separated from faith, love, and hope. Since the Lord commended them, their virtues before the Lord must have far excelled those without any inward reality. However, they were still lacking in something.
If we stop here and the Bible did not say anything further, then we would have to say that this was indeed a perfect church. Which church today can be compared with such a church? If we consider the Word of God as our spiritual mirror, we have to conclude that the Ephesians were far better than we are. Wherever God's people are gathered together in twos and threes into His name and have become a church, they should compare themselves with this church so that they can realize their true condition. However, the most important thing is, although these virtues satisfy men, are they satisfactory to the Lord? Christ did not have much for which to rebuke them concerning their work and their doctrine. Their zeal, their defense of the truth, and their separation from sins were blameless, but these are not enough for the Lord to be satisfied. Although the Lord praised them for many things, He said further:
Verse 4:"But I have one thing against you, that you have left your first love."
The Chinese Union Version translates this verse as: "But I have one thing against you." This softens the tone of the Lord and gives the impression that the Lord's rebuke was a light one. If we think that the Lord was only against them in this one thing, we may think that what the Lord was against was not something too serious. Actually, the Lord was greatly grieved. To forget the Lord's love and to receive this love in vain is not a small failure. It is all the more serious since they had tasted of this love. If they had left the first love at this point, would they not leave their present work in the future? The greatest degradation for a saint, and for a church as well, is to leave the first love. The first step of degradation a saint or a church takes is to depart from the first love. It is true that our Lord praises much, but He has a high standard too. Although He commended them so much, it does not mean that they were without reproach. Our Lord rebukes those whom He praises the most. His goal is perfection. It is not enough to have a good start. We have to go on according to the original condition and must advance even further.
Their traditional works and judgments were still there, but their motivating power was not as strong as before. A man can work as before while losing the original motive for his work. A church can be zealous and active outwardly, having the pure faith and the proper judgment, yet gradually losing the love which is the source of life. From the world's view and even from one's own view, one may be excellent and display no trace of decline. But from the view of the Lord who searches the inward parts and the hearts, the source of sins unseen by men is detected. Can a bridegroom be satisfied if a bride is faithful in all duties but cold in love? Can a person hungry for love be satisfied by good works and diligence? Can a love as great as Christ's be satisfied by cold activities and dry works that are void of a burning love? The Lord is jealous of our love! Love demands love, and short of it, no outward diligence can compensate for its loss.
The Lord Jesus had done His best to praise the Ephesians. This shows His love. However, He could not skip His rebuke just because of the praises. It was commendable that they continued in their works, but the firstfruits of grace, such as the denial of oneself and the minding of Christ, were gone! For this the Lord was against them. In the spiritual life of a saint, there is nothing that can replace a perfect heart for the Lord. If the heart is gone, what else can please the Lord? Can sounding brass and clanging cymbals (1 Cor. 13:1) serve the Lord? They had left the first love. The reason they could continue to work might have been that the work had become a habit or that the work might have retained a good name for them. However, a vain outward appearance cannot deceive the Lord. The Lord requires from us the very thing in which we fail. What then is the "first love"? When a man obtains a new thing, what joy there is! A new thing seems to have a special power to lay hold of a person and to give him an unspeakable feeling. How earnest a man's heart is towards the Lord Jesus Christ when he first receives Him. How grateful such a one is when he considers the pain and slavery under sin and Satan, and the salvation of the Lord! This is the first love. Man is prone to love new things and dislike old things. The Lord wants us to consider Him as the ever-fresh One. Many have shed countless tears of gratitude when they came to know the salvation of the cross. On the one hand, they condemn themselves. On the other hand, they marvel at the Lord's love. At such times, they are willing even to die and to be burned for the Lord. How intense the "first love" is! Unfortunately, such a condition does not remain long. When circumstances change, although one may not be completely dead towards the Lord, the initial virgin heart for the Lord is defiled and stained through enticement from the world and incitement of the flesh. Formerly the heart burned for the Lord and was sick with love. Now the heart is as dead as ashes and has lost the first love!
The first love is completely satisfied with the Lord. All those who are filled with the first love have one characteristic, which is that they seem to have been charmed by the Lord. "For whether we were beside ourselves, it was to God" (2 Cor. 5:13). The Lord told us many times that He satisfies our hearts. "But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever" (John 4:14). "He who comes to Me shall by no means hunger, and he who believes into Me shall by no means ever thirst" (John 6:35). "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38). Those who are filled with the Lord's love are peculiar in man's eyes. They are not like those in the world. They do not care for gain or loss, mocking or rebuke. If we have gained the smile of the Lord on the throne, who can make us sorrowful with their frowning faces? Man can have the world. He can have fame, adulation, and glory. But what we want is just the Lord Jesus. This is the meaning of the apostle's word in Philippians 3: "But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ. But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ" (vv. 7-8). Because of such a desire for Christ, he was able to mind only "one thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward" (vv. 13-14). How different is this kind of work from the work which is content with what meets the eyes! This is the secret of happiness! Since Paul was willing to consider all things as refuse for Christ's sake, the Lord surely rewarded him with a surpassing and extraordinary joy. Those who can refuse the joy of the world will overcome the world. The world is behind; the reward is ahead, and the feet are closely pursuing after the glorious way of the heavenly light. How can any person, event, or matter of this world attract us any more?
Now, as far as the church is concerned, the "first" love does not refer only to the love of an individual saint when he first believes in the Lord. The "first" here is not just a matter of time. This word is translated as "best" in Luke 15:22. In other places the word is translated as "the most" or "the first." The first love, then, is the best love. The "first" does not refer only to time but to the nature as well. The first love is not only the zeal and diligence of a new believer. It is also the virgin love the saints offer to the Lord as a result of His love. The first love of a church is the union in love between it and its Head. It is moved by the Lord's love to work and to serve. This is the result of the prayer of Ephesians 3:14-19: "That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are and to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God" (vv. 17-19). The first love is the love by which the believers single-heartedly turn to Christ through their gratitude for the love and grace of redemption. The cross is the birthplace of the first love. If we forget the Lord's love to us, we will become lacking in our love to Him. What makes us love the Lord is the love of the Lord. His love begets our love. His love draws out our love. "For the love of Christ constrains us,..and He died for all that those who live may no longer live to themselves but to Him who died for them and has been raised" (2 Cor. 5:14-15). When we trace back the source of our salvation, we will preserve the zeal of our first love. What we are lacking is not the love to the Lord. We have already had this love from the beginning. What we are lacking is the ability to preserve this love. In passing through the evil world, it is difficult for us not to be defiled by the dust on our feet. If we have the Lord's presence with us all the time, the basin and the wash towel of the Lord will do their work, and the pilgrim will not be defiled by worldliness. Only those who are before the Lord can preserve their love for the Lord. If we daily receive His ministration, and we daily draw near to Him, how can we become cold towards Him? If we do, it means that we do not have a personal knowledge of the Lord. It is a pity that many believers never have a personal sentiment towards the Lord. Their Lord is but the Lord in the mouth of the preachers or in the heart of their spiritual friends. They themselves have never fellowshipped with the Lord. Those Christians who know the love of the cross should keep themselves before the Lord and allow the eternally fresh cross to ever refresh and attract them in their hearts.
One thing which surprises us is that while the Ephesians were in such a condition of leaving their first love, they could still have so many activities, so much zeal, diligence, and forbearance for sufferings. Actually, this should come as no surprise. Although there are still fruits on the tree, they are not as tasty as before. They are not ripened in the heat of the day. The posture, beauty, and color are still there, but these ones do not seek after the love of Christ in the same way that they did before! The outward labor continues to be the same, but the goal is no longer the same! The danger for a saint is that he would not change his outward habit of loving the Lord but would lose his inward heart of the first love. I would rather see a person stop his first work after he has left his first love. If he does this, he can still realize his own failure and can still be alarmed in his heart, realizing that he has fallen and should repent and be recovered. The most dangerous thing is for saints not to be in the Lord's light, who, not having seen any light, assume that everything is just as before and that there is no danger of separation from the Lord in their spiritual life, not knowing that in the deepest part of their hearts they have lost the fellowship of intense love between them and the Lord.
The one thing I fear the most is that we would often forget about the Lord in our work; we would not know why we are working, laboring, and enduring. Although many works are of the Lord, for whom are we working? I am afraid that many times we work randomly and have not remembered the Lord. The Lord wants us to ask ourselves for whom the works are. It is a pity that we would work out of our habit or out of an intention to retain our fame, rather than out of the prompting of the Lord's love! In that day, when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, we will surely not be praised for the greatness or volume of our work. His flaming eyes will not be after those things. What He will investigate is how much of what we do is out of our love to Him. Only those works that are motivated by love are the gold, the silver, and the precious stones. No matter how great and numerous are the other works, and no matter how zealously and diligently one applies himself to them, they are but the wood, hay, and stubble. They have no use except to be burned. May all our works be done as if they were done before the judgment seat. May the degree of the Lord's judgment on us shine brighter day by day, and may it expose our intention.
Those who have tasted the Lord's love are in greater danger. When the saints are filled with the first love of the Lord, everything they do originates from their love for the Lord. They have no intention other than this motive. At such times, they feel that they can almost touch the Lord. They are willing to sacrifice their eyes and even their hearts for the Lord. However, when circumstances change, the enticement of the beauty of the world and the urge of the inner cravings subconsciously cool down the former zeal of love! We may still be able to do what we did yesterday, but the motive has changed. Although we are still able to continue with many works, there is no more stirring of the Lord's love in us. In many peoples' experience, they have not totally left the love of Christ. They still know that Christ loves them and that they love Christ. Yet this matter seems to be very hazy. It is like looking through a veil. The Lord's love is no longer as fresh and constraining as before. They only remember the Lord's former love in their memory. The Lord's love is no longer a present attraction. All of a sudden, the clear sky and the bright sun are instead covered by dark clouds! Of course, I do not mean that we should feel the love of the Lord in our emotion every day. This is impossible. But it is another matter if we do not care for the love of the Lord or for loving Him. The Lord's demand for us to hold on to the first love means that we should consider His love to be forever fresh. Although it pleases Him for us to love Him and to taste of His love once, this will not satisfy Him. In the same way a couple begins their marriage with love, the Lord wants us to continue in this kind of love. To borrow a human expression, the Lord wants us to have an eternal "honeymoon" with Him. The many works, labor, and endurance will not satisfy Him. Even perfect works, labor, and endurance, unless they are done in His love, will not be approved by Him either.
Verse 5:"Remember therefore where you have fallen from and repent and do the first works; but if not, I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place, unless you repent."
The Lord did not abandon them and leave them to desolation. He wanted them to remember from where they had fallen. He wanted them to remember their former condition and weep for their present situation. He wanted them to lament saying, "I wish I could be like I was!" or "I wish I could return to the condition of a few months ago!" The remembrance of one's former condition will stir up in him repentance and aspiration. This is the first step towards revival. The remembrance of one's former experience will recover one's former position. A fallen saint cannot skip the step of "remembering."
"Remember therefore where you have fallen from." A perfect church in man's view is but a "fallen" church in the Lord's evaluation! Although the Lord praised their many activities, He could not help but call them the fallen ones! Our position before the Lord does not depend on how much we labor but on how much we have loved. Of course, when we have the love, we will have the labor also. No matter how much we work, if we have lost the love to the Lord, we are a fallen one. Adam had fallen. Israel had also fallen. It is a pity that even the church that has received God's grace and blessing has also fallen! However, God still gave them the chance. Hence, we should "remember therefore where [we] have fallen from."
The most important thing for a fallen Christian to do is to examine under God's light from where he has fallen. If we have not recovered the lost ground, even though our outward work may continue to be the same, our spiritual condition has already suffered a great blow. If a failure is not confessed before the Lord and cleansed by the blood, we may make further outward progress, but our years will be spent in vain. From where we have fallen, there we should return and should renew our onward journey. Our life after the fall is a journey in vain and is not reckoned by God unless we return back to the point of the fall and resume our walk from there. From where we fall, to there we must turn. The unfortunate thing is that after the saints have fallen, they still carry on with their activities. They do not realize that the foundation of their love to the Lord has been shaken already! In recalling the nature of our fall and the line from where we have backslidden, we should return to the starting point. This is the most important teaching in the Bible. This is true with individuals; it is also true with the church. If we want to know the true condition of the church today, we have to compare it with the apostolic church at the time of Pentecost. By this we will see if the church has degraded or advanced. As Ephesus had to remember from where it had fallen, in the same way the church today and the saints in it should not skip this step.
"And repent!" Amazing word! Does the church need to repent? There is a big difference between the repentance of the world and the repentance of the church. The latter has been washed by the blood and regenerated by the Holy Spirit. It does not need to repent of its dead works like the worldly people do. For the church, it is a matter of defilement in life and a loss in the love to the Lord. For this it has to return to its former position. Among the seven churches, the Lord charged five to repent! Repentance is a common need among the saints. It is easy to work busily and have enduring labor, but repentance is the most difficult thing for us to have. It is also the thing that we dislike the most. Although works of beating the air are exhausting, nevertheless, they do not require one to humble himself. It is therefore still bearable to the flesh. In addition, it wins a good name for a man. To confess one's mistakes and to repent of one's sin, on the other hand, will rob the flesh of its ground for exercise and will strip it of its glory. It even requires that one lay aside his own face and others' praises. How difficult this is! It is not that we are reluctant to serve the Lord, but we would much rather serve the Lord in a way that would not require us to do something that is too humiliating for us and which would sacrifice the achievements that we boast in. This kind of repentance is too embarrassing for us! It is alright for the sinners to do this, but for a saint to do this is too unsettling to his self-righteous heart! But then, the cross is not something up to our choice. Our duty is to be children of submission and slaves of obedience. Empty works may gain for us some adulation from man, but if they do not please the Lord, what profit is there? If the heart of our beloved Lord is not satisfied, even though we may have absolute contentment, we should relinquish it. If the saints were willing to have the same view as the Lord, there would not be so little repentance as there is today! If the heart of the Lord in the Holy Place is not satisfied, even if there are works that please others and oneself, we must ask for whom are these works done? If by the grace of God we would understand the Lord's view and would look at our present work from the view of eternity, we will realize the emptiness of our work and will esteem the value of pleasing the Lord. Of course, when we realize our lack in this way, we cannot help but be sorrowful in heart and repentant in spirit. However, the price of this self-humiliation and renunciation of glory is not small!
"Do the first works." This is the result of repentance. Without repentance there will not be a self-condemning heart. Without a self-condemning heart, we will remain in oldness and will not be renewed. If there is repentance, there must not only be the recovery of the first feeling, but the doing of the first works. What is it to do the first works? It must not be merely outward "works," for the Ephesians had that already. Neither must it be "labor," for the Ephesians have that also. It is not "endurance" either because they also have this. It is not being zealous to oppose sin. It is not being bold to try the falsehood. Neither is it suffering untiringly for Christ's name sake. All these are excellent in God's eyes and are acceptable, and the Ephesians had all these already. But the Lord Jesus went on to say that He had something against them, which was that they had left their first love. Hence, what is it to "do the first works"? Why did the Lord ask them to do the first works? Were not their works acceptable and praised already? If they were not the works the Lord praised, what then were the "first works"? Outwardly speaking, the first works are not much different from the former works of the Ephesians, but there is a difference in the motivating power and the goal. The works are the same, but the power that motivates the works is different. The "first love" is the same work with different motives. The "first works" are works that issue from the "first love." Although a saint's work may be exactly the same now as before, a difference in the inward motive will result in God's rebuke or praise. A work that issues from a heart filled with the zeal of the Lord's love is precious in the Lord's eyes. Concerning this He has no rebuke. Although a work that only satisfies the eyes presents no difference to others outwardly, it is not pleasing to the Lord who searches the heart of man. God's eyes are on our motive, and He judges accordingly. In the future at the judgment seat, many saints will be surprised at the amount of wood, hay, and stubble they possess. To them, all these works are important and valuable. How is your motive? This is the standard of God's judgment. All works that are not done out of love to the Lord, though they may be as numerous, perfect, and great as that of the Ephesians, are bound to be condemned. All other works are naturally even worse.
After we have read the book of Ephesians, we will see the relationship between "the first love" and "the first works": "But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love" (4:15-16). These are the "first works" that parallel the "first love." The "first works" are not what man praises or sees. They are works in secret, like the works done by the "joints." The works considered precious by the Lord are not those that are outwardly great or important, but those that actually build up the Body of Christ "in love." This is the truly effective work. Without the intention of love there is no work of love. Because there is the love of the Lord Jesus, all the works become works for the building up of the church, and there will be the fitting and the knitting in harmony, and no dissension of opinions will be brought in. Although the church has now left its first love and has not done its first works, we can still be joined to the Head and can grow into Him in all things, from whom we will receive the supply and the strength. All those who have received the power of love from the Head can do the "first works." At present, we see the desolation of the church. Both the first love and the first works are all gone. This is the time for us to bow down before God, to humble ourselves and to confess our sins. The Lord calls us to repentance. The door of grace is still wide open. We should come quickly. Thank the Lord. He has shown us that many saints are willing to leave all organizations and are willing not only to hold fast to the first love but to revive the first works. How sad a thing it is that the church, including the saints, have left the first love and must now repent! Of course, the sadder thing is that some would not even repent after their fall. How did the church fall to such an extent? Paul saw the danger among the Ephesians from the very beginning. Hence, he had the prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19. It is easy for a Christian to love the Lord in an instant. In the real church most people have the experience of the first love, but how many are there that continue daily to be burning? I am afraid that many who loved the Lord a few years ago have now gradually become cold. Why is this the case? Paul's prayer gives the reason for this fall: "That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love" (v. 17). Anything that does not have a foundation will not last forever. If our love is like the tree that has roots or the house on the ground, this love will be the "first love" all the time. What is this root and ground? It is Christ making "His home in your hearts." This is the source for the love to be rooted and grounded. Our greatest danger is to have much spiritual knowledge without the experience of Christ living in our hearts. Paul prayed for the Ephesians this way because they did not have this experience. They had received God's love (1:5-8), but this love had not been rooted and grounded in their hearts. Hence, Paul prayed for them. Is Christ really making home in our hearts? We should not answer this question rashly. We must not conjecture or assume that we have it already. This question should drive us to pray in the closet. How can Christ make home in our heart? The Bible is not silent concerning this. "That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith" (3:17). When we receive the Lord Jesus Christ with a definite faith and allow Him to make home in our heart, our love will be rooted and grounded, and we will "be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth" (v. 18). When the Lord of love makes home in us, we will realize the measure of love. "And to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ" (v. 19). The passing of time only manifests the unchanging love of the Lord. Christ's making home in our heart is not a temporary thing. Therefore, when we have this, we will not leave the love. I believe we have tasted and touched the Lord's love, but does not our heart hope for a more stable and steady spiritual condition? Is not a life of abiding in the Lord's house a wonderful one? May Christ become our satisfaction and our protection.
Thank and praise the Lord. This kind of blessing is not only reserved for those Christians who have reached the far end or the finishing line of their journey. Rather, it was there from the beginning. This love is the "first" love. These works are the "first" works. A young believer can just as easily obtain this grace. Other than Christ making home in our hearts, there is no other thing that can satisfy our hearts. "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever" (John 4:13-14). The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of this age are all of this world. Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but the fact that it will make man thirst again makes more drinkers come back. The world binds people with its vexations, but God is to be blessed because when we drink by faith of the water that the Lord gives, He fully satisfies us.
How good it would be if we have never left the Lord's love! If we have, we must remember where we "have fallen from and repent and do the first works." If we see that the Lord loves us deeply, we will surely humble ourselves in ashes and confess our failures. But there is something to rejoice for: He is gracious. Surely we feel remorseful when we consider our failures; our testimony for Him is weak and shaky. However, in Him we can still rejoice because in Him there is no failure. If we trust in His love, come near to Him, and confess our sins in a penitent way, He will not turn us back empty-handed but will grant us His strength and blessing. A vain reminiscence of our failure will not give us the strength to do the first works, but if we call on the Lord who delivers us, our victory will be assured. Humility is what we should have. However, it is the Lord who can revive us.
After this, there were the Lord's warnings. Because the church had left its first love and was no longer doing its first works, the Lord had to say: "But if not, I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place." How severe this is! If the Lord's own words of encouragement and rebuke cannot cause you to repent, nothing will change your failure and degradation anymore! Other than judgment, there will not be any further way left for love.
We have to realize that the church will be judged in this age and will lose its illuminating power and position. Whenever the spiritual power is gone, God's judgment follows. The Lord leaves the church on earth as a testimony for the Lord Jesus. Hence, it is symbolized by the lampstand, something that shines in the moral darkness of the world. The church should testify of the Lord's past works, His present position, and His future glory. It is a golden lampstand. Therefore, it should have the nature of gold. If it does not testify of this or is not worthy of this testimony, it will be a false testimony, and the end is rejection by God. God can be patient. Thank Him that He was indeed patient. He can exhort the church to repent. Thank Him that He did exhort it to repent. However, no matter how great God's patience is, if the church does not repent, the end is sure. If God's exhortation falls on deaf ears, the lampstand will be removed, and the church will no longer be able to be God's light in the world. At any rate, the first position cannot be lost. Otherwise, God's glory and truth will suffer loss, and the ministry of the church as a testimony will be annulled. The safe place for a saint to be is one that abides close to Christ. If a church works faithfully at the beginning but loses its love later, it may still reject sin and corruption for a while, but it has already fallen into a dangerous position. The unique way of salvation is to repent and do the first works. Otherwise, although desolation may not appear right away, its coming is unavoidable. For the Lord to remove the church's lampstand does not mean that from now on it has no more outward activities or moves. It merely means that it can no longer be God's faithful testimony. Although the outward works may still go on, they are not what the Lord is after. Of course, He desires to have a true, pure, and faithful testimony, but what He is after is the heart of the church.
This is not only true with the church. It is also true with individual saints. God's intention is to perfect us. Those worldly and unfaithful believers should allow these words to deeply pierce their hearts. Since their walk is completely worldly, they are not able to speak to others concerning their Savior. They can say something, but what they speak will not have any power because the Holy Spirit will not work with them. Through their greed, selfishness, love for the world, and pursuit of fashion, they have lost their qualification to exercise their gifts. Their opportunity is gone, and there is no longer a reward reserved for them in heaven. On the day of the judgment, such people will not be able to stand before the Lord boldly and unabashed. When such a one stands before the judgment seat to give an account of what he has done in his body, he will suffer loss. Although he will be saved, his salvation will be as through fire. God has not called us to receive salvation only, but to testify for His Son. This is very important. However, the greatest goal of God in calling us is for us to be constituted with all the saved ones throughout the generations a bride for His Son. This should be the center of our thoughts. It should be the sweetest thought to us. His will is that we can be as the psalmist who said, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee" (Psa. 73:25). His greatest delight is the single-hearted love from His people as a response to His personal, sacrificial, and perfect love. His hope is that His people would take no other as their goal on earth except Himself, that they would maintain a virgin heart for Him, and that they would depart from the world and its customs. He is full of love towards us. At least, in the past, He has proved the sincerity and intensity of His love. But what is our response?
"Remove your lampstand out of its place." This only means that the position is lost and that one can no longer be a testimony for the Lord. This does not mean eternal perdition. All those who have believed in the Lord Jesus as their Savior will never perish. Once a person is saved, he is eternally saved, but what a pity it is that many are merely saved. Not only are they useless in the hands of the Lord, but they have grieved the Lord's heart through their coldness. How numerous are the churches today that have lost their nature and qualification as a lampstand! A church that has not recovered its first love for the Lord cannot be a true testimony for God. We must never forget our personal problem. What is the condition of the church we are in? Is it like Ephesus? God has many praises for Ephesus. Can He apply the same praises to our church? This will turn us to much self-examination. If a church has lost its first love and its testimony as a lampstand, in the eyes of the Lord it is no longer a church but has become a worldly organization and a society controlled by man's regulations. Man may consider it a great society, but what is God's valuation? The removal of a lampstand is something that is not seen by man's eyes, for it is something the Lord does in the heavenly tabernacle. According to the worldly view, there is no change between the time the lampstand is removed and the time when it was still there, but actually, before God, its position is lost. When the Lord Jesus forsook the temple in Jerusalem, He no longer called it His Father's house, but "your house," which was to be left desolate (Matt. 23:38). However, at that time, the white stones and the gold were still shining brightly there! Only a spiritual sight can detect the desolation behind the prosperity. Although the Lord did not say that He would blow out the lamp, when the lampstand is removed, the lamp will surely be darkened. Without the preservation of God's grace, a church will lose her testimony.
This first letter sets the tone for all seven letters. It is not written as a testimony to God's grace. It does not speak of God's love in caring, protecting, and comforting His saints. On the contrary, these seven epistles examine how the saints' walk matches the grace of their calling. Prior to this, God has shown forth His grace and love already. Everything that the saints need in life and work has been prepared. God is no longer declaring what He has declared. He is assuming that His people have received His grace and love already. For this reason, He requires of His people a life and walk worthy of their calling. Everything that comes short of this standard will be rebuked. The Lord searched their past works and spoke to them either words of praise or words of rebuke. The Lord also spoke of their future position, and their exaltation or humiliation will also be based on their future works. These seven epistles were not written with the purpose of preaching the Lord's grace but of judging the saints' conduct. It is true that our salvation is guaranteed and that there is no problem related to it. However, our position in the kingdom depends fully on the faithful work we do now in response to the constraining of the Lord's love.
After we have read these words, do not our hearts marvel? Before the apostle John passed away, is it not true that the church was still at its age of infancy and was at its prosperous period? However, the Lord condemned it and judged it as having fallen and rejected it! Actually, we have seen this in the New Testament already. Revelation is only a manifestation of the Lord's judgment. Paul's first Epistle was the Epistle to the Thessalonians. At that time, he already pointed out that "the mystery of lawlessness that is now operating" and that the apostasy will come (3, 2 Thes. 2:7). After this, he wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians. At that time, sin "that does not even occur among the Gentiles" had already appeared in the church (1 Cor. 5:1). First, there was the division and the sectarianism (1 Cor. 1:11-12; 3:3-4). Next, there was the denial of resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12). Finally, there were the Galatians who were "so quickly removing from Him who has called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel" (Gal. 1:6). They had left the freedom in Christ and were again being bound by the enslaving yoke of the law. Then there were the Romans, to whom the apostle had to say, "Now I exhort you, brothers, to mark those who make divisions and causes of stumbling contrary to the teaching which you have learned, and turn away from them. For such men do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own stomach, and through smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple" (16:17-18). Further, we see Paul writing to the Philippians from the prison in Rome: "For all seek their own things, not the things of Christ Jesus" (2:21). They were "the enemies of the cross of Christ" (3:18). Finally, when he wrote to Timothy, he said, "At my first defense no one was with me to support me, but all abandoned me" (2 Tim. 4:16). Not only did those in Rome abandon him, but the whole of Asia as well. "All who are in Asia turned away from me" (1:15). Hence, all those who desire to be vessels of honor, sanctified, and useful to the master have to cleanse themselves from the dishonorable ones. The original text here refers to the people, that is, the sinners in "the great house," which is the church. In the last days, difficult times will come. Men will cloak themselves with Christ and hide their sins. They will have an outward form of godliness, but will deny the power thereof. These people will fall into a worse condition. Hence, we have to turn away from them. Now the leaven of sin has fermented the whole lump. God's saints have not been charged to change the whole lump but to "turn away" (2 Tim. 3:5; Rom. 16:17), to be "separated" (2 Cor. 6:17), to "cleanse [oneself] from these" (2 Tim. 2:21), and to "come out from their midst" (2 Cor. 6:17; Rev. 18:4).
If we read the Epistles of Peter, John, and Jude, what we find are but more degrading tragedies of the church. We see that the nominal church had become desolate. Its judgment had become inevitable. All those who truly served the Lord, who would not be defiled by uncleanness, and who did not agree with the worldly organization, had become the remnant of the Lord. The books before Revelation tell us that even the churches at the time of the apostles had become defeated. What the epistles in Revelation tell us now are nothing new. But whatever revelation was added merely tells us how judgment was executed on the failures. They lost their position and were disqualified to be the church of the Lord's testimony anymore. By the time we come to the end of these epistles, we will realize that there is no such thing as the whole church repenting. Hence, the words "remove your lampstand out of its place" still hold true! If it was already the last hour (1 John 2:18) at the time of the apostles, what about now? This is but an extension of the last hour!
Although this is the condition of the church, the Lord could not hold back His love. That is why after His sober warning, He came back to praising them. Our Lord always lingers on the merits of His people and is reluctant to gloss over them. Therefore He said:
Verse 6: "But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."
We will not cover the teaching of the Nicolaitans until we come to the section on Pergamos. Now, we will only mention their work in brief. No one knows who this party of people was in history. Previous writers have only hypothesized freely about this party; their theories are rather unacceptable. Whatever kind of people they were in Ephesus, they surely represented a group of strong ones in the whole church of God. Hence, the Lord purposely mentioned them twice. It is meaningless to merely say that they are an unknown sect. According to the interpretation of the prophecies in the seven epistles, the Nicolaitans, like Jezebel, typify a heresy. This word in the original language was composed of two words. The first means to subdue, and the second means the people. Hence, as far as the meaning of the word goes, the Nicolaitans means "those who subdue the people." After we have seen the works of these people, we realize that the way the apostles formed the church was gradually overturned. Some no longer consider all Christians as brothers. Some have established a group of "clergymen" who are higher than the ordinary believers. We do not see God instituting this in the New Testament. Everyone who is led of the Holy Spirit and the Word should see the danger in this work. If these "clergymen" are to have some ground and are to become successful, they have to divert the attention of the church and bring the church to follow a human leader while neglecting the heavenly Christ. In this way, the church will be divided and that which is completely spiritual will become worldly. The boundary between the church and the world will be erased, and the church will follow after the wiles and schemes of the world.
The apostles had spoken of the rise of this group of people before. When Paul told the Ephesians of "fierce wolves" (Acts 20:29-30), he was referring to this group of people. Peter also saw that this group of people were gaining ground in the churches. As a result, he told the elders who were receiving his Epistle to "shepherd the flock of God among you..nor as lording it over your allotments but by becoming patterns of the flock" (1 Pet. 5:2-3). John mentioned similar cases, particularly, "Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them" and how he cast out of the church those who would not submit to him (3 John 9-10). If we read the word of the Lord Jesus, we will realize His view towards this matter: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you shall be your slave" (Matt. 20:25-27). "But you, do not be called Rabbi, for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers" (23:8). Although God establishes His servants to take care of the flock, they are all brothers in position (23:8). Although the Lord has charged men to administrate the church, this administration is in the nature of service. These men are the servants of all and do not hold authority in the way that the Gentile rulers do (20:25-27). Christ does not recognize any group of people as having a special position in the church which others do not have, or as having a special authority to do certain things which others cannot do. We cannot say too much concerning this now. We will speak of this when we come to the third church.
The church in Ephesus hated "the works of the Nicolaitans." This was pleasing to the Lord, because He said, "which [the Nicolaitans] I also hate." They sympathized with the Lord. However, the Lord reserved the mentioning of this point until He had issued the warning. He intended to show them that they had to be careful. They had left the first love, and although they were still barely able to maintain it, their position was already quite shaky. They should be careful; otherwise, they would fall. If a church has lost its love to the Lord, it is rare to find it leaving human organization. Although it can perform for a while, its position is already unsettled!
Here we can see how attentive our Master is in expecting His church to arrive at perfection. Although there are but small blemishes, He rebukes and hates them. However, have we not frequently heard others say, "There is no perfect church on earth?" We can answer calmly, "What is meant by a perfect church?" Should not a Christian seek to be perfect in everything and to match God's holiness? If perfection is our personal goal, it should be the goal of the church also. We have to admit humbly that individually we make many mistakes. We also admit that the history of the church is the same as ours. Nevertheless, we should not avoid the responsibility for the pursuit of holiness. Self excuse is the prison of all fallen ones. It imprisons us and keeps us from repentance. We must not think that one failure will necessitate continual degradation. Only by being dissatisfied with our present experience will we be pressed to pursue the higher things. We should not say that becuase no one is without sin, we can therefore bear defilements in our spirits. When the Lord comes, the responsibility of every believer will be to be fully and clearly prepared. All those who wait until the Lord comes before they tie their shoes and gird their loins are liable to be left behind. The Lord's expectation for the church is the same as His expectation for the individuals, for as His Holy Spirit abides in the individuals, He also abides in the church. As the saints have received the power of the cross within them to counteract sin, the church has received the same. Hence, the whole should be the same as the individuals. Unfortunately, the church has failed. As for individuals, there are not many who have overcome either.
Here we see a most important principle: if a church has become unfaithful, and if the whole body has become disqualified to be the Lord's testimony on earth, God will give up the whole and will call the individuals to submit to God's word.
Verse 7a:"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
The church has been judged. Now the individuals have to hear what the Spirit is saying. The Lord knows that the whole church can no longer be used by God. Hence, He is calling the individuals. The whole has become fallen, but there may still be some individuals who are willing to submit to God. This is the reason that the Lord is calling the individuals. We have to realize that the organized church has already been judged in this age. God has abandoned it already. However, the work of the individuals will be judged in the future. In that day, at the judgment seat, the Lord will no longer judge the church as a whole for that has been condemned already. The individual's work, however, will be searched by the Lord's burning eyes for a reward or a punishment. The Lord says clearly here that unless the church repents, He will remove its lampstand in this age. This is a judgment on the whole and has been executed already because we know that in fact the church did not repent. As to the Lord's promises after this, they are for the individuals at the time of reward and punishment at the resurrection. As such, they are for the future.
As a whole, if a church has the presence of Christ within, we should follow the teaching of the church (Matt. 18:17). But what should we do if the church has left its first love, intentionally or unintentionally, and has usurped the place of Christ and the Holy Spirit, acting contrary to the teaching of the Bible, adding to it what the Bible never teaches, and shouting loudly for others to follow it? "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." The assertion of the authority of the church is a proposition of Roman Catholicism. In the present age of apostasy, what the saints should hear is not the church but the words of the Holy Spirit, that is, the Bible. The Lord's explicit teaching here is that the system of Romanism, its papal assertion, whether within the Roman Catholic Church, within the Protestant church, or in any other place that has their poisons, should be totally rejected. We should only hear God's word. The Lord is calling individual saints to hear what the Spirit is speaking to the churches so that through their understanding of Christ's mind they may be able to measure the condition of the church by His word. In other words, every believer should know the condition of the so-called church around him. But unfortunately, there are few who have an ear, and there are fewer who are willing to hear!
What the saints should hear is "what the Spirit says to the churches." It is not to the church but to the churches. Therefore, he who has an ear must not only hear what the Lord says to his own church but what He says to all the other churches. This command should not only be heeded by the saints of that day; it should not be neglected by the faithful lovers of the Lord in all ages.
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." The words are for the churches, but not all the churches will hear because there are many in them who do not have an ear. Hence, although the words are for the churches, only a few who have an ear can hear and keep them. This is why today's principle for a Christian is personal responsibility. In the ancient time, after the Lord had rejected the Israelites in Matthew 12, He spoke in chapter thirteen words that the ones being judged were not able to hear (vv. 13-15), so that the disciples who had ears could hear (v. 9). In the same way, the Lord has now judged the church and is speaking words that they "hear and by no means understand" (v. 14) so that those who have ears can follow Him individually. How solemn this is! The Lord's words are to the spiritual saints; they are not for the fleshly Christians. This is why they are not able to hear (1 Cor. 2:10-11). For this reason those who are able to hear should hear.
"To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God" (Rev. 2:7b). This word of promise to the overcomers is a sound of music. No matter how difficult is the pathway of the cross, we should not draw back. Though suffering is increasing, it should not make us surrender but should urge us on to victory. God's stars shine equally by day and by night, but darkness makes them shine brighter. Trials and tribulations are not present woes. These darknesses have been with us since the beginning of time. The way of faith has been this way since the beginning. How the coming reward attracts us! It turns our frustration on the homeward journey into a pursuit of the race ahead and intensifies our homesick sentiments! What will supersede the joy of Paradise except the blessed hope?
He "who overcomes." In the original language the word is in the singular. It refers to individual saints. The faithful individuals who have an ear can overcome. As a sinner need not wait for the whole world to believe in the Lord before he can be saved, a saint does not have to wait for the whole church to repent before he can overcome. An overcomer does not have to wait for a companion; everyone can overcome. In reality, most overcomers are alone. The Lord willing, He may give us some companions, but we must not wait until we have companions before we overcome. Abram did not want to go to Canaan alone. As a result, he was kept in Haran by his father. To wait for a companion is a waste of time. At any rate, the way we take is not void of forerunners' footsteps. At least a pair of feet with nail marks has trodden it before and has left us with clear footprints. Although the general situation of the church is enough to disappoint men, the Lord's calling is still going out to individuals. In spiritual matters there is no such thing as victory through numeric superiority. Although an overcomer has his crisis, he also has his reward. We all would like to have Paul's crown, but we do not want to have Steven's stones. May the Holy Spirit move the readers of these pages to become willing to take this way so that they may obtain their reward. May we know that God has not given the promise to the church that has left the first love. The rebuked and judged church will not be moved by the promises anymore; these are past events already. What she fears and waits for is judgment. It is a blessing that we can still have God's promises.
God's promises are for individuals. In these few epistles God did not give one promise to the whole church. In Revelation, God never takes the whole church as a unit and promises the same reward to the whole church. Even the conditions for the reward among the seven churches are different. For example, in Sardis only a few could receive the reward from the Lord. The rest were not qualified. The seven churches did not bear the same responsibilities. Under different circumstances they bear different responsibilities. The Lord's reward is not granted to all the believers of a church but to the overcomers. Among the believers, there should be the distinction between the overcomers and the saved ones! We should differentiate clearly between salvation and reward. All those who believe in the Lord Jesus will be saved, and all those who overcome will be rewarded. Not every one in the world is saved. In the same way, not every believer overcomes and receives the reward. The worldly Christian is satisfied with "standing at the gate of heaven." But those who know God's heart and who love the Lord will please Him in life and work. They will receive the Lord's smile in this age and His commendation in the next age. Although the whole church has failed, if there is one overcomer, the Lord's promise will be upon him and will cause him to rejoice and be comforted. Although this is a promise, it is not given to the fearful, the worldly, or the sinful ones, but to the overcoming ones. They sympathize with the Lord's heart. Hence, the Lord comforts them.
The reward that the overcomers receive is the prize they obtain apart from their salvation. The special work we perform during special trials will win us the Lord's special reward. After reading the Bible carefully, we can conclude that the distinction between the saved ones and the overcomers is merely in the coming age, that is, in the millennium. In eternity, there will not be a distinction anymore. However, is not one thousand years very long? Our evil heart often despises the Lord's reward, but if the Lord considers it worthwhile to reward us, should we not consider it worthwhile to win it? There are many opportunities for us to overcome and to get the reward. Those believers who love the world and who wallow in their lusts may be saved, but they cannot avoid being put to shame and suffering rebuke. This fact should awaken us.
Our life is a life that wars with Satan, the world, and the flesh. Those who overcome the sin in the flesh and the enticement of the world are few, but those who know how to attack Satan's work by prayer are fewer. Not every warrior will win. Hence, not every warrior will receive the reward. However, for everyone that goes to war, there is the possibility of winning. Out of warfare comes the victory. Unless one is determined to follow God's will intently and to counter all the attacks of Satan, there is no possibility of victory. We have to pay special attention to one thing here: the victory here is not just over Satan, the world, and the flesh. These are, of course, items to overcome. The overcoming here refers especially to the things in the church. All those who have overcome the former things must also overcome in the church! The church has left her first love. Hence, the overcomers have to keep their burning love for the Lord. These will be the overcomers in Ephesus and will receive what the Lord promises here. Furthermore, the obedience to the words of the Holy Spirit is linked to overcoming here. This is very meaningful. To hear the words of the Holy Spirit and to refuse the world and the church who has left its first love is to overcome.
"To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God." How this promise fits the condition of Ephesus! Man's ancestor was originally without sin. God charged him not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He should have eaten of the tree of life. However, Satan came and deceived him to disobey God and to eat of the forbidden fruit. As a result, he was driven out of Eden and was forever separated from the tree of life that gives eternal life. He lost his first position. In the same way, the church was indeed holy at the beginning. Yet through the deception of the devil, it left its first love. The church became an organized community. It has lost its qualification as a testimony. But the present promise is no longer like that in the ancient time. The paradise of man can no longer be found. Instead, we have the Paradise of God. Furthermore, according to the original language, it is "the Paradise of My God," that is, the Paradise of the God of the Lord Jesus, the God whom the Lord Jesus knows. In this Paradise there is no longer the tree of knowledge of good and evil as a test to the saints for which they are responsible. There is only one tree, the tree of life, which affords the overcomers eternal enjoyment. What the overcomers will receive will be far more and far better than what Adam had lost. However, the condition for the possession of this tree of life is also harder. Adam was only required to maintain his first position. The saints today, however, must overcome. Only by overcoming can they return to their first love. When they return to the work of the first love, they will overcome.
Furthermore, the world has lost its paradise. Those in the world have been exiled from the tree of life for fear that they would live forever through eating it (Gen. 3:22). But what a pity it is that man has forgotten that the world has been condemned by God! They have attempted instead to set up another paradise here for their eternal abode! It is the love of the world that has turned the church in Ephesus cold towards the love of Christ. How would the Lord heal them? He wants them to remember their position in heaven. The world is not their settled abode. They should not lose their pilgrim nature. Paradise is their heavenly home. Our life is hidden with Christ there. For this reason, we should consider that as the place where our mind should be set.
Although we know that there will be a physical Paradise, and although we know that the conditions in it as described by the Bible are all physical conditions, there are spiritual significances in addition to the physical description (Rev. 22:1-2). How beautiful is this picture of the holy city in eternity! The very reading of this should stir up one's homeward desire! These descriptions are all physical in significance, but for now, we will consider their spiritual meaning. The street signifies move and work. The river signifies the Holy Spirit as the flow that gives life. The tree of life in the midst of the street and the river signifies that Christ is the focus of everything in the holy city. All moves center around Him. He is the life-pulse of everything. He is also in the midst of the river. The Holy Spirit has the Lord Jesus as His subject on earth. The same is true in heaven. Not only is He in the center, but He is on this side and that side as well. Whichever way you turn, you will see the tree of life and its fruits. The passing of every month does not see the wasting away of empty and uneventful days, but the renewed tasting of the goodness and satisfaction of Christ. Throughout our spiritual days, we will taste the manifold fruits of Christ. The reward of the overcomers is the right to eat of the tree of life. Among the Ephesians who had forsaken Christ as the center, those who had separated themselves from the others will receive this reward. Not only can the overcomers experience and enjoy this in the future, but they can do so even today. Is there not even one ear to hear this word? May those who have an ear hear this and overcome.
Furthermore, the tree of life in the garden has another significance, that of a dependent life. Adam should have received this. Although he was sinless, without receiving the nourishment of the tree of life he could not have lived long. God would have His creatures remember that their life is one that is dependent on God and cannot be independent. Even the life of those who have been redeemed by the blood and who have received eternal life is dependent on God. It lasts because it is dependent. Our life is one that is in Christ, that is, one that is in life, because the Son of God is life. We will forever enjoy His fruits. The most important thing for the Ephesians to do is to receive this message. Are not the hearts of all those under the same circumstance burning because of this promise? If man's mind, emotions, and will are independent, they are destined to fail. Those who do not rely on God are not able to be intimately joined to Him. They will not be able to receive His riches as their power for their living. Will not all those who have realized the blessing of dependence look to the future for greater fruits in a better environment? In that day in eternity we will realize the bliss of dependence. Through dependence we will taste of His eternal love. May the Lord gain our heart and our praises and blessing. Amen.
This church had committed three mistakes: (1) forgetting the Lord's power and His presence; for this reason, the Lord reminded them that He had the seven stars in His right hand and was walking in the midst of the seven lampstands; (2) forsaking the first love; and (3) looking to a human leader. Although they were saved temporarily from the Nicolaitans, they eventually failed.
This church represents the church after the age of the apostles. When we study history and consider the conditions then, we will realize that it was exactly as our Lord had described. A few decades ago some people found a book called The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles. It was written approximately ten or twenty years after the writing of Revelation. In it was a portion that quoted a prayer used at the Lord's supper then. It says, "May grace descend! May the world go by! Hosanna to the God of David! All those who are holy, come. All those who are not holy, repent. The Lord comes quickly. Amen."
We see that the church at that time had not forsaken the two ceremonies that the Lord had established. The two groups of workers, the elders and the deacons, still continued to hold their offices. They had orthodox faith concerning the hope of the Lord's coming, concerning the great tribulation, and concerning Antichrist, etc. However, there was no mention of the blood. In particular, there was a passage that said, "If you have wealth, give with your own hands, that your soul may have its ransom." This is a heresy. How deeply they had fallen! This is a complete departure from the first love.
Twelve years after John wrote Revelation, one "father" of that time, Ignatius, also wrote to the church in Ephesus. From that letter we can see that by then the church had left the system established by Christ and the apostles. Originally, overseers and elders were the same group of people. There was no such thing as one man ruling one church or many churches. We have mentioned this point before. However, the Nicolaitans were raised up. They changed the Lord's system, gave special authority to the workers, and established a sect. Ignatius did not stop this. On the contrary, he encouraged this from the side. In chapter six of his book, it was mentioned, "Hence, it is very obvious that as we honor the Lord Himself, we should also honor the bishop." Notice the word bishop here is singular. This shows us the beginning of the one-man-rule. This is not only true with Ephesus; all the churches of that day were under this snare. Hence, when Ignatius wrote to the Manicheans, he said, "As the Lord would not do anything apart from the Father, in the same way, you [the elders, deacons, or the members] should not do anything apart from the bishop."
By this we can see how the church then had left the first love. They had followed the example of the Israelites and had set up a king to rule over them. They looked more to a human leader than to Christ the Head. Because there were differences in opinion among the human leaders, many denominations were produced. They had forgotten that the mutual bond between the churches lies in the Lord who was among them. This lack of a unity in form and of a human leader was unbearable to their flesh. For this reason they established councils and nominated bishops as a way to imitate the worldly organizations. This is why the Lord revealed Himself as the Lord with the seven stars in His right hand, who walked among the seven lampstands. It is a pity that the Lord's words had fallen on stony ears!
