SEVEN churches in Asia Minor are taken as the types of seven conditions of the church of Christ throughout the Christian age. The Spirit does not choose these seven because they are more worthy than others; for in Roman Asia were the churches of Troas and Colosse. They were typical of conditions which would be manifest in the people of God in after generations.
The first of these churches is Ephesus. The word by some authorities is said to mean “desirable,” by others, “permitted.” Be the meaning what it may, the early church at Ephesus represented a desirable condition. The church was founded by the apostle Paul. He found there opened before him “a great door and effectual,” but “many adversaries.” But notwithstanding all the opposition, the Word of God prevailed mightily. Idolators and sorcerers gave themselves to God and burned their books to the value of over $25,000. Their practices were wrong, and were given up. The books were bad, and were not kept as curiosities or mementoes, but were destroyed. Acts 19. Every link connecting with the dark and evil past was broken. They had been dead in trespasses and sins, but God had quickened them. They had been children of wrath, but through Christ they became the children of God. They had been “aliens from the common-wealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise,” but in Jesus they had become “fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” Ephesians 2. Paul thanked God for the faith they had in the Lord Jesus, and the love which they manifested toward all the saints. Eph. 1:15. See Paul’s farewell address to its elders in Acts 20:17–28. This was the church which the Spirit chose to typify the first stage of the church in this dispensation.
(1) “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: “These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: (2) I know thy works, and thy toil and patience, and that thou canst not bear evil men, and didst try them that call themselves apostles, and they are not, and didst find them false; (3) and thou hast patience and didst bear for My name’s sake, and hast not grown weary. (4) But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. (5) Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. (6) But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (7) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.”
To whom is this letter addressed?
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus.”
Who sends it?
“He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.”
What is His first solemn, yet assuring, statement?
“I know thy works, and thy toil and patience.”
What was the attitude of the church toward evil men?
“Thou canst not bear evil men.”
How was this proved?
“Thou didst try them that call themselves apostles, and they are not, and didst find them false.”
What motive and spirit did the church show in service?
“Thou hast patience, and didst bear for My name’s sake, and hast not grown weary.”
What reproof does the Saviour give?
“I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love.”
What admonition does He give?
“Remember therefore whence thou art fallen.”
What appeal does He make?
“Repent and do the first works.”
What will follow failure to heed this appeal?
“Else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent.”
For what did He commend the church?
“Thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”
Of how wide application is this instruction?2 (722)
“He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.”
What is the promise to the overcomer?
“To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise [margin “garden”] of God.”
1. “The angel of the church,” the messenger of the church, as before explained, the faithful minister or ministers who bear God’s message unalloyed to His people.
2. “He that holdeth.”—In constantly changing kaleidoscopic glory Jesus manifests Himself, ever bringing out some added loveliness of character, something which appeals to us to trust Him. To Ephesus He appears in one phase, to Smyrna in another, to Pergamum in another, and so on; but it is the same Jesus. Neither is He acting a part to deceive. All are real manifestations of His manifold grace and wisdom. To those in Ephesus He comes as the director of His own messages, as the supporter of and upholder of all His servants, represented by the seven stars; as the One who takes cognizance of all the churches, symbolized by the seven candlesticks. From Him naught can be hidden. He who knows all their griefs, woes, trials, is able “to save to the uttermost.” What a pledge of comfort is His constant presence and power.
3. “I know.”—“All things are naked and laid open before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” “There is no creature that is not manifest in His sight.” Heb. 4:13. We may hide from men our deeds, but we can not hide even our thoughts from the Master. But He does not exercise His knowledge to condemn, but to save. “By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.” Isa. 53:11. He knows that we may know and let Him put away the evil and receive the good. He knows the work of faith, the labor, the toil, of love, the patience, the endurance of hope (1 Thess. 1:3), and He recognizes all.
4. “Thou canst not bear.”—This text does not imply that the church did not labor to save evil men; that is what she is here for. Jesus came to save sinners. The church is left here to carry on His work. But she can not do this work through evil, designing men. “Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.” That primitive church could not tolerate sin. She could not tolerate it under a cloak of religion. She loved the sinner, but she could not bear among her number those who loved and fostered sin. (See 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Thess. 3:5.) Jesus saves from sin not in sin.
5. “Didst try.”—Whenever God has a special work to do in the world, whenever His power is specially manifest, Satan works with greater energy. Hence the injunction that while we are not to despise prophesying, we are to “prove all things,” and to prove or “try the spirits.” 1 Thess. 5:21; 1 John 4:1. The great touchstone which we are to apply is God’s Word: “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa. 8:20. “By their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in heaven.” Matt. 7:20, 21. Obedience to His Word is God’s great test. But the Christian is to turn from no one until faithfully tried. One may be an Apollos, not yet perfectly instructed; be a Priscilla or an Aquila to instruct. Let the church stand so true to God that evil men with evil designs can find no congenial atmosphere within her fold, but ever a refuge for him who flees from his sins.
6. “Hast not grown weary.”—One of the crowning graces of character is patience. The original term expresses more than what is commonly understood. It is rendered by some scholars “patience,” by others “endurance,” by others still “patient endurance.” The only true motive is to do it for Him. It is the only motive which will hold through the dreary days, and months, and years. It is not patience which endures tribulation that one feels he must—that he “might as well grin and bear it.” Not so is God’s patience learned. It is bearing for His sake. So did the early church. When imprisoned and beaten, they “rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.” Acts 5:41. To the toiling, suffering ones, “Let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
7. “Didst leave thy first love.”—This is an awful thing, tho it seems so small. When the first love of husband or wife is gone, how sad it is. It is sadder still, when the first love of the Christian leaks out. In the very condition itself there is blood-poisoning which results in apathy, dullness, stupidity, lack of sensitiveness of conscience, less pain at consciousness of sin. As one departs, all these symptoms increase, with a corresponding, nay more, a predominating apathy and listlessness and love of sin. What is the remedy?—Repent, do the first works. Cast off the sins. Yield them to God. Tell them to God. Look upon them in the light of Calvary. Come to Jesus for cleansing. Abide in Him. Feed on His Word. Labor, O labor, for souls. Love is fed by giving love. It grows by sacrifice. It is made strong by bearing burdens. Giving is its life.
8. “Thy candlestick out of its place.” It is an awful thing to lose one’s place with God. The saddest thing in the twelfth chapter of this book we are studying is not the suffering and persecution of the church, but the sad announcement concerning that great company of angels who followed the adversary, “neither was their place found any more in heaven.” They had passed the line of hope. They had so allied themselves with sin that they no longer distinguished good, or loved good. God cuts no man off from life and hope. “Man turns from God, not God from man.” It will be seen that every soul who fails of his place on earth or in heaven, fails because of his own choice. “Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them, and the careless ease of fools shall destroy them.” Prov. 1:31, 32. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Gal. 6:7.
9. Nicolaitans.—We know not who they were, nor what were their works; but this we do know, they were against God. His people stood with Him, and He recognizes it and thanks them for it, tho all the grace is His.
10. “Let him hear.”—That means each one, reader. Do not give it away to another age. Every practical truth, every faithful warning, every solemn admonition, every precious promise, is for the now, in 1902. Take them as the Spirit’s message, and make them thine.
11. “To him that overcometh” the Overcomer brings great blessings. He gives them not as earned, but because only overcomers are worthy of them, only overcomers are in harmony with them, and can enjoy them. The Spirit carries us back to the glorious, sinless garden of God in the beginning. When the earth was marred by sin that Paradise was removed; but it will return. Now, day by day God feeds His children from the Tree of Life, the Bread of Life, and gives them to drink of the Living Fountain, Christ Jesus. But each day’s food is a pledge of the perfected, cleansed creation, where in the sinless Garden of God, in the center of a sinless universe, the sinless overcomer shall eat the fruit of the tree of life, and bask in the smiles of God forever.
