Feeding the Lambs - Persecution 2

"I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles. Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name."

Written by the Apostle John, 1st century

Revelation 2:2-3

[39th message of the New Believer Series]

This is the last message to seven first century churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation (as revealed to and written by the Apostle John).

We have studied these messages in reverse order. This is not uncommon for the Lord who turned everything upside down, who said and did everything contrary to their traditions, did say that the first will be last and the last will be first.

[The good news was first preached to the Jews, who mostly rejected its message. It was spread northward, from where it then circled the world. Today the first places where the gospel went to, have lost their first love. Now from the last places it went to, are where gospel teachers and preachers are coming from and spreading it not only among their people but also back into the lands where it first came from.]

In the excerpt above, John is writing what the Lord wanted to tell the believers in the first church in Ephesus (the most well known, if not most prosperous among all the other first century churches already discussed. All of the seven were in a place then called Asia Minor, now in modern day Turkey).

The Apostle Paul and his missionary team were the first to bring the gospel to Ephesus. Paul spoke in the Jewish synagoues there for three months. But the backlash and the public shame they encountered made them move out and teach instead in the lecture hall of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9).

Praised

The excerpt above is the first part of this message. Here the Lord acknowledged the right things that the believers were doing in Ephesus, which weren't being done in most of the other churches around them.

Warning

But the two verses following the passage above is a warning to this church and it goes like this:

"But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."

We have talked earlier how the places where the gospel were first preached and received have lost their interest (they have lost their first love). It is the same for this church. And this is a warming to all churches.

We have mentioned this previously in this series that fhe message of Christ is always a call to repentance and to come back to a relationship with Him. Again, this is no different. The gospel is like a mirror that you look into to see what you look like. And to help in fixing up what is unpleasing to the eyes.

Credit

The following is the next verse:

"But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."

The believers in this church were also credited for doing something good, this is not following the Nicolaitans.

We have touched briefly on these Nicolaitans in a previous message. If you had not read that message or have not done further studies on this, Nicolaitans are those who followed the teachings of Nicolaus, previously of Antioch. Nicolaus used to be a church leader (Acts 6) but have later been deceived to follow a different teaching.

He Who Has Ears

This passage again ends with:

"He (or she) who has an ear, let him (her) hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

And followed by these final words:

"To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God."

New Terminologies

Like in the previous messages, here is another new word. And as we have already mentioned, reading the last book of the bible will need more study time.

Tree of life? This term can be seen in a few other passages in the Book of Revelation (last book of the Christian Scriptures). But first mentioned in Genesis (first book of the Jewish Scriptures).

It would be wise to read up on those other bible passages. But to save time, the tree of life refers mostly to a tree in the place where God resides.
It will be available to those who will be going there.

It is kind of the opposite of the lake of fire, we discussed about in a previous message, which will await those who will be heading to a place far away from God.

Listen Up

So we have seen all the messages to the seven first century churches in Asia Minor. These messages are as relevant to them as it is to us in our churches today.

God is still speaking to His church. Let us be sensitive to what the Lord is trying to tell us in the Scriptures and through the gentle proddings of His Holy Spirit.

He is gracious and compassionate. But to those who will reject Him, His revelations and proddings, eternal separation will await them.

To them who stays faithful, the tree of life, which was first mentioned in Genesis 2 and 3, in the Garden of Eden, will again be available to them who overcome.

I pray that the Lord will bless and protect you, and that he will show you mercy and kindness. May the Lord be good to you and give you peace. I pray this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Ephesus

The New Believers Series

Church of the Lost Sheep 2012