The ancient city of Ephesus played a prominent part in the New Testament church, especially in the life and ministry of the apostle Paul. He spent three years ministering to the people of Ephesus (see Acts 20:31).
Ephesus was dedicated to the worship of the false goddess known as Artemis. Selling images of this goddess was very profitable for the people there, and everything was going fine until the apostle Paul showed up began to preach the Gospel. God began to work in that place of darkness.
People started turning to God, and some brought their valuable parchments with writings about their false gods and the occult and burned them publicly in a bonfire. The Gospel of Jesus Christ had changed the city.
However, one of the men, a silversmith named Demetrius who was profiting from the worship of Artemis, stirred up a group of craftsmen against Paul. The crowd grew and a riot broke out, which spilled into a massive stadium that still stands today. This demonstrates the power of the Gospel and the impact it can make.
As the Gospel went out, a church was established in Ephesus, and the New Testament book of Ephesians was written to this church. Jesus also had a message for the church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation.
Jesus said to these believers, "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" (Revelation 2:2–3 NLT).
He continued, "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" (verses 4–5 NLT).
In this pagan city, the believers had managed to follow the Lord and serve him, which is significant. Jesus commended them for having discernment and working hard. But he also told them they were leaving their first love.
He then warned them to remember from where they had fallen, repent and turn back to him, and do the good works they had been doing at first. If they didn't do this, then he would remove their lampstand from its place.
In the book of Revelation, the lampstand is a symbol of the church. Revelation 2:1 identifies Jesus as "the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands" (NLT), which means that he walks in the middle of the church.
So, Jesus was saying, in effect, "Look, you can't rest on your laurels. You can't rest on your past. If you don't do what I have told you to do, you will lose your position of influence and significance."
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Well, they didn't listen. And if you were to walk around Ephesus today, what would you see? You'd see ruins. They're impressive ruins, without question, but they're ruins nonetheless.
In a way, those ruins in Ephesus symbolize lives that go down the same path. Some Christians think, "I'm not going to walk closely with the Lord. I'm going to compromise a little here and a little there." And what happens? They lose their influence. They lose their impact. They're no longer effective witnesses for Jesus Christ.
The same could be true of our lives. When we believe the Bible and follow it, we flourish, grow and are blessed. But when we neglect the Word of God, we shrivel to irrelevance. Psalm 1 sums it up best: "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers" (verse 1 NLT).
It goes on to say, "But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do" (verses 2–3 NLT).
Paul warned the elders of the Ephesian church about false teachers coming in. He said, "I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. Watch out!" (Acts 20:29–31 NLT).
As we are immersed in and conversant with Scripture, we will know the true from the false. And if we want to be fruitful Christians and growing Christians, we need to stay grounded in God's Word, the Bible.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless" (Matthew 5:13 NLT).
He continued, "You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father" (verses 14–16 NLT).
So, what good is a half-hearted Christian? What good is a compromising believer? Not much good at all.
Do people look at your life and see ruins? Or do they see a life that is productive for Jesus Christ?
We would do well to heed Jesus' message to the church of Ephesus: Don't leave your first love, or you will lose your influence.
In our nation today, churches that once were filled to the brim with people worshiping God and hearing his Word now stand empty because those people strayed. Let's not stray. Let's stay as close to God as we possibly can.
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