Title [Rev 2:1-7] Ephesus Church 1
Ephesus is the capital of Asia Minor and is the central city of politics, transportation, trade, culture, and economy in Asia Minor. Compared to other regions, Paul devoted himself to preaching the gospel for three years and nurturing the church, so he played a role like the parent church among the churches in Asia Minor. The church in Ephesus was very sound in doctrine but lacking in practice. Now, I hope that it will be a blessed time for us to examine ourselves by examining the reality of the church in Ephesus pointed out in the text.
1. The appearance of the Lord toward the church in Ephesus (1)
2. Praise for the church in Ephesus (2-3,6)
The Lord first declared that he knew all things (2:3). Nothing can be hidden from the Lord. There can be no excuses or excuses in front of him. We need to think about what we will be like when we stand in front of a sister who knows everything about us. The church in Ephesus had several points to praise.
① It is said that he knows works, toil, and perseverance. It is an act of faith, labor of love and patience of hope (1 Thessalonians 1:3). He worked hard to keep his faith in his own way, and in the midst of various tribulations, he worked hard because he loved the Lord. And it endured well. A believer must always have the act of faith, the labor of love, and the patience of hope.
② He had spiritual discernment. By discerning good and evil, the wicked were not tolerated, and false apostles were identified and expelled. The modern church is losing its spiritual discernment. The reality is that we do not have the ability to distinguish between good and evil, and even if we do, we follow evil. They do not know how to discern false prophets, they only see outward appearances, judge and follow them. We need spiritual discernment. Let's throw away even the appearance of evil. False prophets want to have the determination to say no.
③ I honored the name of the Lord. He endured tribulation or persecution because of his name, and he did not become sluggish in his work for the sake of his name. We must cherish the name of the Lord. If it is for the name of the Lord, you must be patient and be zealous.