Lesson 5: The Letter to the Church at Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-7
1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.
3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

With each of these letters we will see a pattern:
Jesus’ description of Himself – He is the one “who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.” Jesus is intimately involved and present with all seven of these churches.

Conditions - From history we know that the church at Ephesus stood in the same town as the temple of Diana and all the materialism and evil practices associated with this goddess-worship

Commendation – Jesus told them they did well in their rejection of the works of the Nicolaitans (people who brought heresy into the church).


Concern – Jesus rebuked them for letting go of their first love, and they were now more concerned with their works and labor than they were with their relationship with Himself.

Command – Jesus told them to remember who and what they used to be.

Counsel – They should hear Him and then they would be conquerors. They had eternal life, but they needed to renew in their hearts the love for Jesus they had when they first believed.

The early church, even while the Apostles were still with them, changed their focus away from their relationship with Jesus and paid more attention to what they were trying to do for Him. We often do the same thing today, thinking it is more important what we do than it is to spend time just listening to Jesus in talking with Him.

*How about you? How much time do you spend each day listening to Him as you read the Bible and talking with Him in prayer before you start your day and begin your work?