A Gleaning from Revelation 2:1-7
" Write this letter to the church in Ephesus, address it to the angel of the church in Ephesus."
written by John...spoken by the Lord Jesus
So, John proceeds...and writes down this message from the Lord Jesus, the One who holds up the 7 stars, the messengers of the very churches in this region. He holds a firm grip with His Right Hand...the very 7 churches themselves....
" I am very aware and see all that you have done, I recognize and commend you in all the good things you are doing...even now! You have worked hard...through your various toils and troubles, and you have done so with patience and perseverance...and never quitting or giving up...on Me.
I also can see you do not tolerate Wickedness, and you "weed out" those who are only pretenders of our precious faith. You carefully examine the motives, the intentions, and the words they claim are of the Christian beliefs, yet you soon discover some of those who consider themselves leaders...are "lieing through their teeth"! They are impostors!
Yet, in all this work you have done, getting rid of these pretenders of our faith...you have changed. You have abandoned the very love that brought us together...somehow our friendship...has been "thrown under the bus". Our time together, the sharing of our hearts, the closeness we once embraced...is no longer there. You have deserted Me...you have lost the thing that holds us together...My love for you and your love for me. In fact, you have not just lost your "First Love" with me...you have fallen off and no longer give time for us to share our lives together. Don't take this lightly...for we have totally drifted apart. Your fall from the Grace of My love isn't like you have tripped on a step or stumbled over a rock...no...your real love for Me has been like a "Lucifer Fall"...you have abandoned the One who loves you.
Your heart has grown cold and callous. It is of vital importance you make this a priority among you... to return to your First Love...it is time to reflect, and remember the early times, when your only thought in life was...to be with Me.
Certainly there is value presenting the Gospel with Truth and Honesty, yet a person can know all the right doctrine, understand the warnings and direction of the Scripture, and conduct themselves in a civil and obedient manner, yet, if the "fire" we have between us is no longer there....none of these things will change the heart of man.
Give yourselves time to repent of our broken-down friendship, and give your hearts once again to Me. The love we have for each other is what makes the church strong...all the other adversities can not even touch us. Otherwise, your belief in Me is nothing more than following rules...and I paid a great price to break you free from all that. Your joy and passion for life are not from obeying rules...your joy and passion comes from our intense friendship with each other...which in turn intensifies your love for one another. Rules in life only causes you to focus on yourselves and your own merits, our love for each other is what gives you insight...to see beyond yourselves.
In fact, if you don't pursue this course, this very church will be gone in a short time...completely removed from it's place among the 7 churches.
One more thing...I am happy how you want nothing to do with the teachings of the Nicolaitans...this is a corrupt and evil lifestyle, and they do their best to corrupt My people. I detest their acts as well!
Those of you who hear this message I am sharing with you...listen and give attention to what the Spirit is saying among the churches.
If you are able to overcome this...and return to your First Love, then you will discover the joy of life itself, and enjoy those fruits given from the Tree of Life...which all comes from God's very own and personal orchard."
NOTES: First , the Angel to the churches, like to Ephesus, is still unclear. Was this a heavenly messenger or a human...like an Elder or a Deacon or perhaps a Pastor? It has been debated since the writing was first sent. Honestly, I don't think no one really knows.
Second, the Nicolatains. what we do know is if you break down the word Nicolatians in the Greek, it is a combination of 3 words meaning "one who has conquered over the people we now have". The word seems to imply a superiority over others...like the clergy having better insight toward the Lord than those of the congregation. This would be so contrary to what Jesus taught...yet, it is still unclear...even to this day.
What is known to us is Ephesus was perhaps one of the greatest trade cities to the known world at that time. Ephesus was a great tourist attraction, because it was the home of the Temple Artemis (Diana to Roman citizens), the Temple itself considered one of the 7 wonders of the world at that time.
We are also aware the church of Ephesus was started through the apostle Paul, and Timothy was a leader in the church of Ephesus.
So, the question for me: "Got First Love?"....
No comments:
Post a Comment