Tuesday: Revelation’s Appeal for Reformation in Ephesus
The seven churches described in Revelation 2 and 3 are representative of the Christian church throughout the centuries.
Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com
This is a view that has been taken by Bible students through the centuries. Seventh-day Adventist expositors have historically taken this position, as well.
The angel instructs John to “‘write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this’” (Rev. 1:19, NKJV). The vision of the seven churches relates to the past, the present, and the future. It records the triumphs of God’s church, as well as its failures. It shares the church’s victories, as well as its defeats. Although the seven churches can represent a historical continuum of Christian faith down through the centuries, there are vital lessons in each one of these churches for God’s people today.
Ephesus, for instance, provides a striking illustration of heaven’s appeal for revival and reformation.
Read Revelation 2:1-6. What are the good things about this church? But what are the problems, as well?
Ephesus, here, is equated with the New Testament church from approximately A.D. 31 to A.D. 100. These early Christians were zealous for their faith. They labored unceasingly for the advancement of the gospel. The disciples diligently preserved the doctrinal purity of the church. They had no tolerance for heresy and were fierce defenders of truth.
As time went on, however, the members began to lose their “first love.” They substituted duty for devotion. Doing Jesus’ work became more important than their relationship with Him. Gradually and almost imperceptibly, their experience with Jesus began slipping away. They were laboring hard to defend the faith, but something vital was missing in their own spiritual experience. Love for Jesus and for one another was desperately lacking.
What was it like when you first came to know Jesus? How can you still maintain that “first love”? Why is it so important that you do? What things threaten to turn you away from that love?
I remember being young and just going to church because it was Sabbath. But I had no personal relationship with Jesus. I didn’t come to know him until about 15yrs old and even now at 29 I’m still learning so much about him and my self also.
I believe Christ is the pillar of the Church, he is the center and everything spans out from Him. If we miss that point then everything we do will be in vain. I have learnt through out this quarter a relationship is a must. I wish this quarter were entitled The 3 Rs: Relationship, Revival, Reformation.
This quarterly lesson has been a challenge to us. It is requiring total surrender on the part of a christian to Christ. May God help us to have discernment of what He expects of us.
The things I have learned from this quarter’s lessons challenges my thinking of the relation I have with God and with my neighbors. It is very easy to mechanically do the work of God and miss the mark.
The statement that the Ephesians “were laboring hard to defend the faith, but something vital was missing in their own spiritual experience. Love for Jesus and for one another was desperately lacking” is a true picture of many of us and our congregations. There is the need to reverse this trend with revival of the spirit and the reformation of character.
Love comes first. Then the rest ….
I recently realized how I struggled to make petitions and supplications to GOD. It dawned on me that I needed to amend my relationship with God. It was high time I sweetened the name of GOD so that it tastes sweet to my lips. I think I need your prayers good children of GOD.
The people in Ephesus lacked love to one another as it is nowadays, there are other newly baptized members who leave the church and say there is no love and go astray, I pray that we hold on to the love of God trusting and obeying him
It is very good to have this lesson it is true some time we leave our God and doing wrong things but this lesson advise us to turn back to our Creator God am happy to know this