Ephesus It was Really Boring Without Him - 11102021 - Faskally 2021 - A Quantum of Solace 

 

Dr J Stewart Gillespie - Revelation chapter 2 verses 1 to 7 - Ephesus - Faskally Families Week Ephesus - the 7 churches of the Revelation: Within this 1st of the letters to the 7 churches of Asia we have that is arguably the most significant statement made throughout the entire 7 letters. ‘In life the most important thing is that the most important thing remains the most important thing.’ At Ephesus it would appear that the most important thing, or better the most important person, becomes number 2, 3 or 4 in a list of revised priorities! If I managed to convince you last week that these 7 churches could be viewed in 5 ways; 4 you will find elsewhere, and the 5th known only to you and me: Historically Practically – ‘what kind of church am I in?’ Personally – ‘what am I in this church?’ – in each there is the ‘overcomer’ and the exception (2:24; 3:4) Prophetically: The significance of ‘7’ These stars and lampstands are ‘mysteries’ (1:20) This whole book is a book of prophecy Perfectly / Positionally / Eternally in Christ What is a lampstand on earth is also a star in heaven. The temporal has a link with the eternal. The earthy is a reflection of the heavenly; as was the tabernacle and temple of old. What is done of Christ on earth, before men and in time has an abiding worth and dignity in heaven, before God and eternally. That reward never passes away! All of the ministry to these 7 churches has as its goal the conformity of each church to the eternal and heavenly standard for it – its star in heaven! Every step of obedience to this ministry and conformity to it brings us closer to God’s glorious vision of His church in Christ. The star is what the church is in Christ – its perfect heavenly representative and the lampstand what that church is on earth. If we appreciate that prophetic aspect to the 7 churches then we will see that in Ephesus that we have the PRIMITIVE church – the very first of the 7 churches, the church of the apostolic era and first century church. It will be appreciated that problems and errors affecting the foundation of a structure could potentially have lasting and catastrophic effects on the whole of the structure subsequently; like a bad foundation to a house or like the sin sown into humanity in Eden! So it is here. The fundamental problem identified in Ephesus resonates through the subsequent churches; an empty hunger seeking fulfilment throughout the 7 in different avenues. The church at Ephesus is unique in this list of 7 – it is the only one that we have any other NT letter addressed to: Ephesians, 1 & 2 Timothy. It is only Laodicea out of the others which is mentioned elsewhere in Colossians 4:16. That turns out to be particularly helpful in our understanding of what is actually going on here at Ephesus! Verse 2 – the deficit at Ephesus has often been noticed: “I know thy works, and thy labour and thy patience…” “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;” (1 Thessalonians 1:3) What has happened to: Faith Love Hope That is of course a very pertinent observation, however for me the more pressing question for me is not only: What happened to … How could anything happen without… It is absolutely astounding, that you could remove: Faith Love Hope Strip away the essence of Christian experience and yet everything seems to run on regardless!! That is a phenomenal observation! This is a church in a coma! Habit Ritual Routine Sense of duty / expectation Many people find great reassurance in going through the same rituals and routines week after week month after month, never really critically examining what and why they are doing what they are doing, if anything is coming out of it. This church seems to have become focused upon / satisfied with: principles, precepts, dogma and teaching; “and hast found them liars” (v2) practices patterns of behaviour But not the PERSON of Christ! What would such a church look like? Boring Orthodoxy? – routine and ritual with no reality of the presence of Christ and the power of the Word of God?? Respectably backslidden? Ephesus seems to be dogged with the problem of: ‘Fatal Distraction’ Ephesus has become focused on: Activity for Christ (v2) – Toil Standards of Christ (v2) – Testing Truth about Christ (v3) – Truth Persevering because of Christ (v3) – Testimony Ephesus strikes me as being like a bad marriage; in which one or both partners are so busy doing and working and earning that they are never present for one another! Ephesus is the NT church so dogged by distraction graceinchrist.org