Pastor Rajiv: The Church That Should Be

                           

                  BIBLE READING – REVELATION 2:1-7

A few Sundays back I commenced a series with a message about the church that was. In my first message in the series we looked at the how the early church was established and the principles on which the early church was based.

Today we will look at the church that is and the church that should be.

So, today, we are going to look at one of the seven letters to the seven churches in the book of revelation. These were dictated by the risen and glorified lord Jesus Christ to the apostle John.

I also mentioned what people look for in a church: where some prefer a church with a large membership role, some look for a church with a large choir with the works - guitars, drums, and all that goes with it and some look for a dynamic smart pastor preaching sermons that people "want to hear".

But if you recall I had also mentioned that there is one common line of instruction and advice that runs through all these seven letters. And à that instruction was "love".

In a book that I am reading, Dr David Jeremiah quotes the result of a survey conducted by the institute of American church growth and the report of this survey was striking.

This survey covered 8600 people from 39 different Christian denominations to measure what they called their ‘love care quotient’. Their findings? Members of growing churches are more loving towards one another and to their visitors.

Loving churches, irrespective of their denomination and their theology or their location attracted more people.

With that background, let us look at the very first letter and delve into it today: The Letter to the church of Ephesus.

But before we go into this message and this study want to make a point here. We are embarking into a study of a subject that is extremely relevant and crucial for us which is the church of today. And because this is a subject of such criticality and of crucial importance, I will be delving deep into God’s word and the reason for this is that I believe all of us are mature believers not ‘babes in Christ’ as Paul described the Corinthian church - and will be able to understand correction, accept it and implement it. 

Ephesus was the most prominent city in the roman empire in fact it was the religious and commercial Centre of Asia minor of that day. Paul founded the church at Ephesus before he established Timothy as the Pastor. Bible scholars believe that John took over the church as its pastor after Timothy.

It is possible John was living in Ephesus when he was taken captive and exiled to the island of Patmos where he saw the risen and glorified lord Jesus Christ and was dictated this letter.

The bible passage opens with the heading à ‘the loveless church’ Why? Because the Ephesian church had some very serious love problems. However the letter opens on a positive note - Jesus reminds the church that he is always with them and even though they have all these problems His right hand of authority has the power to meet their needs.

"These things says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands"- verse 1.

Jesus’ presence is in the midst of the churches - these are the seven golden lampstands. And because he is present in their midst it means he knows their shortcomings. But before he deals with their faults He praises them for what they are doing right, where He says in verses 2& 3 à 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; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for my name’s sake and have not become weary".

The Ephesian church was a busy church and they were firm believers in the fact that while salvation came through the grace of God and our lord Jesus Christ - works were an important outcome of being saved through grace.

Jesus also described the Ephesian church as à patient and He used the word "patience" not once but twice in these two verses. Dr David Jeremiah in the Jeremiah study bible notes that this church could be described as a three ‘d’ church - determined, disciplined and discerning. Remember - they had ‘tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;’

They were patient as far as service and suffering were concerned but were not when it came to sin and acceptance of false teachers. These false teachers could have been enticing these believers to worship the Roman Emperor and not Christ.

Every things seems to be perfect isn’t it? But then Jesus makes an extremely harsh statement in verse 4 "nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love".

These two words - first and love are extremely critical and crucial and carry the weight of the whole message of this letter on them.

Why did Jesus use this phrase - first love?

Because à fervent, personal, uninhibited and an openly displayed devotion to Christ is and should be a Church’s first love.

And how is this Characterized in a church?

It is manifested in relationships with fellow believers and with those who are lost.

How shocking for a believing church to be told that they had lost their first love. And à Jesus did not just stop there. He went further as he reminded them from where they had fallen- verse 5 "remember 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".

Jesus is saying to the Ephesian church just think back and remember from what level of belief you have fallen and you started off so well, full of love, but today you have lost that love.

And then à Jesus gives them an extremely serious warning and an even more serious consequence. "Repent ,go back and return to where you have fallen from and inculcate into yourselves the very first à and foremost condition of being a follower of Christ - love. And if not? I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent".

Christ gave them three commands - 1. Remember 2. Repent 3. Return to your first love - the first love that every church should have firstly for the lord Jesus Christ and then for fellow believers and for the lost.

The consequence for not doing this was serious. Jesus warned the church that they would lose their light and their testimony in the community unless they remembered and repented and returned to the point from which they had started.

And this is what happened years later as Ephesus declined as a city and today it is uninhabited and is just a heap of ruins.

You know even though John recorded these words more than 2000 years ago, these words hold that same warning for the church that is the church of today.

In Melbourne where I live, driving through the heart of the city, are 7 old church buildings, beautiful, ancient churches with lovely gardens surrounding them.

The last time I drove past those churches 5 had been converted into B&Bs and another one had a "for sale" sign outside it.

It is evident that these churches had lost their first love and their light and testimony to the community had been removed.

Just as Jesus had warned the Ephesian church. On the outside the Ephesian church was a model church and were passionate about works only because of a sense of duty. But inside their first love had grown cold and this is what Christ pointed out was their problem. The church died a tragic death after 67 years.

Like this letter Jesus ends every one of his seven letters to the churches with 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.”

You know readers, as I mentioned in the introductory message of this series these letters even though written nearly a 2000 years ago are as current and as relevant as today’s calendar.

Keeping that in mind are we really hearing heeding the warning signs to see if our church is losing its first love? Do we still experience the excitement of new believers?

We live in a busy and fast moving world today and it is easy to be swept up into the frenzy of life and this may allow our love relationship with our lord to grow weak. So that we do not go down this path this letter to the Ephesian church is a crucial message to all of us.

The lord Jesus Christ is to have priority in our lives.

Our first priority as a church is to hold on to our first love - the fervent personal uninhibited and openly displayed devotion to Christ which will lead to our relationship of love with our fellow believers and with those who are lost.

Let us remember these words and write them firmly on the tablet of our hearts.

Just as Jesus was walking in the midst of the 7 churches of that time he is walking in the midst of every church in the world today.

This means that He knows each and every favorable aspect as well as each and every fault of every church today.

We will do well to heed the warnings in each of these seven letters so that we do not lose our light and our testimony as the Ephesian church did.