Who Destroys a Church? The Church at Ephesus - GraceLife Church of Pineville

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Introduction to the Church at Ephesus

We begin our look at the churches of Revelation with the church that the Scripture speaks the most of—the church at Ephesus. It’s the church to whom Paul writes the letter of Ephesians. It’s a church that the apostle John knew well, because he was a resident of Ephesus when he was exiled on this island of Patmos by the Roman emperor Domitian (where he received the message of Revelation).

As I mentioned in my previous sermon, Christ speaks to seven churches in Revelation. There’s a geographical pattern as he begins to address these churches. He starts in Ephesus, the geographically closest church, and begins to go around the map. He heads north, about 35 miles between every church, and then he gets to the north and he turns back south until he has made the circuit through the churches.

Revelation 2 begins:

To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this … (v. 1)

As we begin, it will be your great temptation to code-break, to decipher, to make tight associations between the symbolic language and actual history. How do all these things line up, you’ll wonder. And those are good things. I get it. I love puzzles; I want to know what every single detail signifies. But this sermon series, Who Destroys a Church?, is about becoming aware of those things that can destroy us.

Now there’s a lot of destruction that you’ll see in the book of Revelation, but that’s after these chapters on the church. And if the way I understand the end times is correct, we’re not going to be here for those things mentioned later in Revelation—the church won’t be here for tribulation; the church won’t be here as the wrath of God is poured out on the world; we’re protected from that wrath. And so the destruction we’re concerned with is that which happens during the church age.

What can happen now? We could have our lampstand removed.

See, you can know everything about the book of Revelation, you can know all its signs and symbols, but you still won’t be able to shake your fist at the sky and say, “You can’t take my church, Jesus! I know the identity and order of all the trumpets, and bowls, and horses, and seals!” If you don’t get that lesson after reading this letter to the church at Ephesus, I’m afraid you won’t get it in the remaining six letters. You’ll see why later in this sermon.

I will champion the goodness of fighting for every jot and tittle in this book. But it will be no good if all we do is read it and know it, while the organism that we’re a part of dies.

Remember that Paul’s parting thought in his letter to Ephesus is that we’re involved in a battle being fought in the spiritual domain (cf. Ephesians 6:11–12). Our adversary, another writer in Scripture reminds us, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.¹ If he prowls and roars and seeks to destroy just one (person), how much more pleased do you think he would be to see a whole church destroyed?

But there is a more important figure who walks among the churches (those are the lampstands we read about). There is a more important One, who holds in His right hand the stars we read about in Revelation 1—stars that stand for the angels of the seven churches. And He’s ready to dispatch these stars to the churches at a moment’s notice.

From these letters to the churches in Revelation, you’ll see Christ’s intimate involvement. It’s a mistake to think that Christ is up in heaven, and we’re just down here on earth waiting for him to come back and get us. In this metaphor of being in the midst of these individual churches (in the midst of the lampstands), we see Him as a nearby observer. But more than that, remember that we (believers) are part of Christ’s body. The connection could not be closer.

From these letters to the churches in Revelation, you’ll see Christ’s intimate involvement. It’s a mistake to think that Christ is up in heaven, and we’re just down here on earth waiting for him to come back and get us.

More Than History

To the church in Ephesus, Jesus says, “I know your deeds” (Revelation 2:2).

Pause right there.

Don’t forget that Ephesus was a real church that actually existed at the time of John’s writing. So when he’s instructed to write from Christ, “I know your deeds,” understand that this is Jesus talking to the Ephesians and saying, “I can see what you’re doing.”

But this isn’t just history; it’s not only about what the Ephesian church was doing. It’s written for us. And the premise of everything we’ll look at in these words to the churches is that the description of and prescription for these churches is applicable to churches today.

The premise of everything we’ll look at in these words to the churches is that the description of and prescription for these churches is applicable to churches today.

But that’s too easy, because we can’t just remain theoretical. These descriptions and prescriptions aren’t just applicable to churches today; they’re applicable to our church, GraceLife Church.²

Every so often surveys are done, and they ask American citizens, “Are you happy with Congress—are you pleased with what they’re doing?” The rating for Congress is almost always negative. But if they change the question and ask, “Are you happy with your Congressman?” most people will suddenly respond in the positive (“Yeah, my Congressman is okay”).

We can do something similar with churches—thinking there’s something wrong with the church (universally) but not with my church.

What if Jesus states, “GraceLife Church,³ I know your deeds.” What would the rest of the letter contain? It’s a good question to consider. And I don’t necessarily want you to jump to bad thoughts. In fact, I hope your first thoughts were positive.

As we study these letters to the churches, we’re going to see that, though there are some severe issues, most of what Jesus says is positive.

However, in the same sense that it’s easy to say, “Boy, the church today …” without ever addressing our own church, it’s also very easy to say, “Boy, people today …” without ever saying, “Woe is me.” And since you and I make up the church, ask yourself that same question, “What if the statement by Jesus was, ‘Michael, I know your deeds’?” What would the letter look like?

He does know our deeds, and He’s watching.

Here are the deeds of the Ephesians. They don’t just perform work, but the characterization of this church is that its people toil and persevere:

I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false… (Revelation 2:2)

They don’t tolerate evil men in Ephesus. They don’t tolerate false apostles in Ephesus. They even go the extra mile: They continue persevering, and they critique and point out these frauds. They hold a test, and they follow through, being willing to say to a false teacher, “You’ve failed; you can’t be part of us.”

They don’t tolerate evil men … [or] false apostles in Ephesus.

The Ephesians’ hard work is not for themselves; it’s all in the name of Jesus: “And you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary” (Revelation 2:3).

Even though the work is wearisome, the Ephesians don’t grow weary.

Do you know how easy it is to grow lax in these areas? To combat the same issue over and over and over—it can wear you down. The tendency, doctrinally, is to compromise your position, not because you’ve changed the way you think necessarily (at least it doesn’t start that way), but just because you’re tired. Remember, Paul had warned the Ephesian elders about this tendency in his letter. He warned the leaders, You’ve got a battle coming. You’ve got wolves that will arise in your midst.⁴

The leaders were warned that they would fail themselves; the failure would come from within. And it’s harder to combat it among leadership. Leaders get away with even more. To sit in a group of peers who are supposed to lead the church and say, “You are the man—you’re in sin,” is not easy. It’s much easier to turn a blind eye, thinking, “Well, this is a pastor, an elder—they know better. The Holy Spirit will deal with this. We’ll let it slide.”

I have to confess that the description of the Ephesian church is a pastor’s dream come true. It’s the sort of thing that a seminarian envisions his church being like: Doctrinally sound. A church that tests the prophets, tests the spirits, tests the teachings. A church that recognizes so easily that which is false, and when it does, does not tolerate it but, instead, sends the false teachers out from its midst.

It seems the Ephesians passed one big doctrinal test after another. They slogged through systematic theology. They endured showdowns where false apostles didn’t get away with their flimsiness. And they did it all in the name of Jesus.

Spoiler alert: Jesus says He’s poised to remove this church. Why?

“I Have This Against You”

I have this against you, that you have left your first love. (Revelation 2:4)

Whatever is being said here, it’s clear from the language that it’s potentially very severe. It’s not some soft notion that they lack an emotional response, that they’ve “fallen out of love” or “don’t feel like they love Jesus.” It’s more serious than that. It’s a leaving. It’s a word that is used in the context of divorce. It’s an abandoning. They’ve chosen to abandon their first love.

It’s not some soft notion that they lack an emotional response … It’s more serious than that. It’s a leaving … a word that is used in the context of divorce.

The temptation in saying that a first love is abandoned is to give the correct Sunday School answer and say that they’ve abandoned Jesus. In some sense, that’s always true with sin. But I struggle with that interpretation in context here, because He’s just commended the Ephesians for persevering and enduring for His name’s sake. So it seems odd to say that they don’t love Jesus given their patient endurance in Jesus’s name.

However, I think verse 5 will help us see that this isn’t about nurturing a warm fuzzy in our hearts. Rather, Jesus is saying, through John, “Here’s something you need to quit doing.”

Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. (Revelation 2:5)

I don’t know what the first love of the Ephesians is, though I have an idea. If you want a firm answer, just go pick up one book or commentary, read what the first love was, and put it away. You’ll have a firm answer. But just don’t go pick up a second book, because then you’ll have to choose between two different explanations of what the love has to be.

I’m not saying there’s not a definitive answer to what their first love is. I’m saying we are in Revelation, and if we set for ourselves a precedent of insistent single-mindedness when we’re barely out of the chute, we just might fail to hear what it is we’re supposed to hear.

So do we give up and say, “Well, we can’t know what this means”? No, we have to search it out—or try. Here’s how I’d go about doing that.

Note here that this is part of the process of interpretation. It’s part of the method, and there are principles to that method. It’s not just going on a gut feeling (“Oh, here’s what I think it means because this thought just popped in my head immediately upon reading this verse!”).

Following is some method that I’ve found useful and that I think is correct.

A Method for Understanding Revelation 2:5 (and Other Passages)

Question 1: Is there something within the immediate context that would help me to understand the meaning?

I know that’s a fairly general way to start, but it at least grounds us within the text before we entertain our own notions of what the text means—for example, what it means to “abandon love” in the case of Revelation 2:5.

Specifically, in an instance like Revelation 2, it’s important to look for structure and organization. I know that doesn’t sound fun, but structure guides meaning far more than you realize. Each of these seven letters to the churches, for example, has a structure. Each begins with a description of Christ, and each ends with the same saying.

Structure guides meaning far more than you realize.

My hypothesis is this (and we’ll test it out as we study the other churches—the Ephesians, testers themselves, would like this!): If Christ is going to remove a lampstand, it’s because that lampstand is no longer reflecting His light. I’m going to look then and see if Christ’s description of Himself is a clue to what’s wrong here. Jesus’s description of Himself is unique to each of the churches, and it may point us to what is going on with Ephesus.

If Christ is going to remove a lampstand, it’s because that lampstand is no longer reflecting His light.

Question 2: What does the rest of Scripture say that may be relevant?

In this case, consider Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Paul knew the church of Ephesus well; he was there at the beginning. He would know what their first love was. Chances are, he might have even written about it. So, I’d search Ephesians to see if he mentions the word “love” (he does). You could also look at the book of Acts for any descriptions of the Ephesian church.

If you were to do these searches, you’d find a couple of interesting things.

The first description of the Ephesians by Paul is this: “I have heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and [I have heard of] your love for all the saints” (Ephesians 1:15). Two key things Paul mentions in this verse are (1) their faithfulness in the Lord, and (2) their love for the saints. These are the clues we get from the book of Ephesians.

Now, look at Paul’s words to the Ephesians in Acts. Paul’s been to Ephesus, where there is quite an uproar. Some people are upset, especially the artists and idol makers (it turns out you lose a lot of business when people turn away from your idols). Paul has been traveling throughout Asia, and he calls a last-minute meeting on the beach with the Ephesian elders, whom he’ll never see again. Here’s what he warns the elders:

Be on guard for yourselves and for all of the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,⁵

I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me.⁶Sounds a bit like loving yourself and loving others. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:33–35)

The Abandoned Love Is …

If I had to say what the abandoned love was, it would be that the Ephesians had stopped loving their neighbor in tangible ways of service.

The Ephesians had stopped loving their neighbor in tangible ways of service.

Jesus is saying, Your zeal for doctrinal integrity is great, but knowing that which is true and having the skills and willingness to identify and call out the false can be done with impeccability, and even though you will have prevented error from taking place, you can do all of that without any act of service, without any act of giving to your fellow man.

There’s a remedy for that. Revelation spells it out: “Remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent” (2:5). Here’s the remedy:

Remember what went right.
Repent from what went wrong.
Repeat what went right.

Remember, repent, repeat.

The fact that there were multiple deeds that they were doing is, I think, a textual clue to the concept of serving others, because there are multiple and continuous opportunities for service.

I didn’t forget what I said was the most important aspect of interpretation: this immediate context and specifically structure, namely, for Revelation, Christ’s self-description in the opening. He describes Himself as “the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands” (Revelation 2:1).

Recall the hypothesis: If Christ is going to remove a lampstand, it’s because that lampstand is no longer reflecting His light. I’m going to look then and see if Christ’s description of Himself is a clue to what’s happened.

Christ holds seven stars and walks among the seven lampstands. If the stars are angels, then in relation to the church, they’re ministering spirits. The picture is this: Christ is present within the church, ready to minister.

Now let’s read verse 6 and tie together some elements to guide how we operate at this church. Remember, this isn’t just a history lesson about Ephesus.

Yet this you do have. You hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (Revelation 2:6)

We know little of the Nicolaitans, though its commonly held that this group of false teachers promoted fleshy indulgence and, specifically, shared their wives (i.e., the men gave up their wives to other men). If that is the case, then it’s interesting that Jesus would warn the Ephesian church against abandoning their first love. By noting that they hate that these Nicolaitans have abandoned their first love, he says, Don’t do the same thing.

But there’s another element to see here, and with it I want to give you a few summaries of how a church is or can be destroyed.

3 Ways a Church Can Be Destroyed

Way #1: When It Identifies More Strongly with That Which It Hates Than with That Which It Loves

The Ephesians hated the Nicolaitans. Rightly so. But in doing so, they abandoned their first love.

There are doctrines and practices you should hate. But they can’t become your identities. Listen up, free grace churches: So many of you spend every Sunday railing against lordship salvation, devoting yourselves to calling out false gospels, and overexplaining every positive thing that Christ has given the church in the context of the negative. You’ve stopped celebrating baptism and celebrating the Lord’s Supper. You still perform them, but you’ve stopped celebrating them for the good that they are, and you’ve made the whole message about how “baptism doesn’t save you” or “communion doesn’t save you.”

There are doctrines and practices you should hate. But they can’t become your identities.

The problem is, it becomes hard to see what good certain things do if we only ever talk about them in the negative—if all we talk about is the abuse of a good.

The deeds of the Nicolaitans were worth hating. The marriage views of our rotting society are worth hating. But church, you better spend at least as much time celebrating the good that’s in marriage as you do railing against the form of those things falsely called marriage.

Don’t be identified by what you hate.

Way #2: When It Values the Permanence of Its Foundation Over the Purpose of Its Foundation

A second way a church can be destroyed is when it values the permanence of its foundation over the purpose of that foundation.

For any building to last, it must have a permanent foundation. But the purpose of the foundation is for building upon.

In the case of the church, the foundation is apostolic, authoritative teaching. The Ephesians guarded that so well, but they forgot its purpose. They became enamored with the gray slab when they should have been building.

In the church, the “building” is people. Paul communicates this fact clearly in his letter to the Ephesians. He starts with a relational description, saying that, through Christ, we have “access in one Spirit to the Father” (2:18); therefore, we’re “no longer strangers and aliens, but … fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household” (2:19). There’s an expectation that we’re to serve one another. And we’re, Paul continues, “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (2:20–22).

Later in the letter, he says, God “gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists” (4:11). The apostles and prophets are the foundation. After that, He is giving evangelists—to do what? To go and attract people (to Jesus, through the message of the gospel). He is also giving “pastors and teachers”—why? “For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (4:12). Paul says in 4:16 that the body is built up “in love.” You can’t lose that love.

Way #3 When It Assumes Its Local Foundation Is Permanent

Third and lastly, a church can be destroyed when it assumes its local foundation is permanent. Christ, the apostles, and the prophets aren’t going anywhere. The church universal is safe. But this church—GraceLife or any other local body—could be wiped off the map. There’s no tenure for a local church; no permanent post or reputation or high position or high status that it can one day achieve and guarantee future success.

How do I know this?

We’re talking about the church at Ephesus, a place:

Where Paul spent three years teaching;
Where the apostle John was a member;
Where Timothy was an apostolic representative; and
That had every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)—and for which Paul himself was praying they would have even more blessing on top of that (not sure how it’s even possible to have more blessing upon “every spiritual blessing,” but I’m sure it’s good!).

In other words, you won’t find a church with a better resume than Ephesus. The front page of its website would have just been the staff page; people would have visited it and immediately said, “Yep, I’m going there.”

But it didn’t last.

Conclusion

Look at the last words of Jesus’s message to Ephesus in Revelation 2:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God. (2:7)

Now, don’t get to the end and start deciphering again: “Where’s this tree? Is it the same one that was in the Garden of Eden? Is it now? Is it for us?”

To be clear, the tree of life in the verse is for everybody.

But don’t miss the beauty of this piece of literature. Jesus has told the people of Ephesus not to abandon their first love, and we get this image that draws us back to the Garden of Eden in which Adam and Eve (it would seem) were destined to one day eat from this tree of life. But in the garden, they abandoned one other. They failed to serve one another. They left their first love and were denied the right to eat from the tree of life.

In the [Garden of Eden], they abandoned one other. They failed to serve one another. They left their first love and were denied the right to eat from the tree of life.

What a perfect reminder that the church is the bride of Christ, revealed as such, as a mystery to the Ephesians, no less. What a perfect reminder that the church is the bride of Christ, married not to the first Adam, but to the last Adam, Jesus, who is victorious over the enemy of the church. He is the overcomer of death itself, and it is He, therefore, who leads us to eat of the tree of life in the paradise of God.

He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

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