THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS, ICU Notes

SEVEN KEYS: Living in Uncertain Times

ICU Group Notes

Session 1: January 14, 2018

"The Key of Love"

Revelation 2:1–7 (NKJV) To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: ²“I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; ³and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. ⁴Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ⁵Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. ⁶But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ⁷“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’

Ephesus was the most important city in Asia Minor when Revelation was written. It was the center of the worship of Artemis (or Diana), the goddess of fertility. It was a strategic commercial center and a great seaport. Under Caesar Augustus, Ephesus became the capital of the Roman province called Asia, which today is the western portion of Turkey.

Christianity probably came first to Ephesus with Aquila and Priscilla when Paul made a brief stop there on his second missionary journey. On his third journey, he stayed in the city for about three years, and the gospel spread throughout all of Asia Minor. After Paul, Timothy had charge of the church in Ephesus for a time, and later the apostle John made the city his headquarters.

As you talk about the sermon from Sunday, use these questions as discussion starters. The answers are in the highlighted portions of the text.

1. What was the problem in the Ephesian church?

a. They had left their first love.

b. What does this look like in our lives?

2. What is the key, the process that will fix the problem?

a. They needed to remember and repent.

b. What is repentance? Is it a work leading to salvation or a fruit that comes from salvation?

3.  What prize is promised?

a. They could eat from the tree of life.

b. What is the tree of life? how do we eat from it today?

4. What provision does God give us to accomplish this task?

To aid in your study and discussion, I am providing some additional material by Charlie Wolcott. The material has been adapted from Charlie's articles on the seven churches found on the "Worldview Warriors" webpage, and has been edited for our purposes. You can read the entire article at: http://worldviewwarriors.blogspot.com/2018/01/to-church-at-ephesus.html

To the Church at Ephesus

Jesus spends two verses praising the church at Ephesus. He recognizes their works, their labor, patience, and refusal to bear evil. He loves that they test who they hear from, exposing the liars and false apostles for who they are, and how they have endured with patience and perseverance without becoming weary.

Jesus had one major problem with the church at Ephesus: they lost their first love. They lost doing what they did for the love of Christ and his Bride and instead had done all this because of call and duty. Where is our love for God? Numerous pastors, missionaries, and even evangelists, start hot and on fire but eventually burn out. Why? Because their initial love grew cold. They began to see their work as their job from which they can one day retire from and no longer as service to the King of Kings out of their love for him. Why do we study the Bible? For factual knowledge only, or to get to know the Author? Why do we pray? To get our needs met, or to just be in the presence of God?

Jesus gave a solution to this loss of love for him and this is found in Revelation 2:5. Remember from where you have fallen. Were you once on fire for God? Was there a time where you could regularly grab a hold of the horns of the altar and speak with your God, but is lost now? Remember what brought you to that spot. Do not wish for old times to return. Instead ask God to bring you back and do what he says to get there. Repent. Turn back from what you are doing which has pulled you away from that moment. Do the first works. Do what God has told you do. If you don’t know what that is, then go back to the last thing you know he said to do and do it until it is done.

Lastly here, Jesus finishes each letter with “He who has ears let him hear.” Those who have the ability to hear his message, hear it and obey it. It is so easy to hear a solid message but then not act upon it. Let us not be that way. Let us return to that first love we had when we first got saved!