“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:
‘I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.
‘But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.
‘Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.'”
Often when we read the Bible, and especially devotionals that accompany Scripture, we seek to apply it to our lives. That approach can be a very individualistic and self-focused way to try to understand God’s word to us. Not all of the words in the Bible are directly to you. Some are, and some we can learn from. As we explore the letters to the seven churches over the coming days, let’s avoid making them about us while still learning about who God is.
As always, I’m going to encourage us to focus on the central character in this story: Jesus. He was described in chapter 1 and he’s this dramatic, powerful, divine ruler who holds seven stars in his hand beside seven lampstands. Those lampstands, we are told here, represent these seven churches to which letters are written. (Side note: it’s fascinating that each letter was written to an angel that was specifically connected to each church. There’s a lot we don’t know about how angels serve the church!)
What I notice about Jesus in this letter to the church in Ephesus is that he draws them back to love. They’ve worked hard, patiently endured, driven out evil, and never given up. But they lost one of the most central things about God: love. He calls them to repentance for their lack of love, and without repentance it might cost them their place among the churches. Let’s keep the main thing the main thing and love like God loves. His heartbeat is coming through loud and clear.