Having an Ephesus Moment

Adapted from:
The Pondering Preacher
THE MUSINGS OF A CURIOUS CLERIC
http://ponderingpreacher.com/2012/03/02/having-an-
ephesus-moment/

There, I admitted it. I think most of us think
it sounds arrogant or somehow „unchristian‟
to say such a thing but the fact is, most of
us like being right. We like knowing the
facts are on our side. We like knowing that
what we believe is true. In fact, everyone in
the universe thinks they are right. The
problem arises when we realize not
everyone has the same opinion. That is
when we engage in discussions to prove
just how right we are.

As a movement the Christian
Churches/Churches of Christ have often
prided themselves on being able to „get it
right.‟ Does the pride of being right hinder
us from winning the lost to Christ thus
fulfilling Jesus commission? Is „getting it
right‟ the only feather in our cap? To answer
this question, let‟s look at a Biblical church
as a test case; a church that nearly always
„got it right.‟

We first see Ephesus on Paul‟s 2nd
missionary journey. It seems Paul left
Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus to plant the
church.
Acts 18:18 NET Paul, after staying many
more days in Corinth, said farewell to the
brothers and sailed away to Syria
accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. He
had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because he
had made a vow.

19 When they reached Ephesus, Paul left
Priscilla and Aquila behind there, but he
himself went into the synagogue and
addressed the Jews. 20 When they asked
him to stay longer, he would not consent, 21
but said farewell to them and added, "I will
come back to you again if God wills." Then
he set sail from Ephesus,

When you study the church in Ephesus you
realize that their lineage reads like an all-
star roster of Biblical proportions. We see
the effect Paul, the guy who wrote half of
the books in the New Testament, had on
Ephesus. Apollos, a man Luke describes as
“eloquent,” “well-versed, accurate” and
“enthusiastic, fearless,” does a mighty work
proclaiming the Good News.

Acts 18:24 NET Now a Jew named Apollos,
a native of Alexandria, arrived in Ephesus.
He was an eloquent speaker, well-versed in
the scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in
the way of the Lord, and with great
enthusiasm he spoke and taught accurately
the facts about Jesus, although he knew
only the baptism of John.

26 He began to speak out fearlessly in the
synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila
heard him, they took him aside and
explained the way of God to him more
accurately.
Timothy, (1st & 2nd Timothy,) also ministered
in Ephesus, The „disciple whom Jesus
loved,‟ the Apostle John, according to
tradition, spent many years in
Ephesus, where he died and was buried.
(Easton)

With such men as „founding fathers‟ it is
little wonder that the church succeeded in
such a mighty way.
Ephesus is next seen on Paul‟s third
missionary journey.
Let‟s take a moment and read Acts 19 to
see the impact of the church in Ephesus.

Acts 19:1 NET While Apollos was in
Corinth, Paul went through the inland
regions and came to Ephesus. He found
some disciples there 2 and said to
them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when
you believed?" They replied, "No, we have
not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3
So Paul said, "Into what then were you
baptized?" "Into John's baptism," they
replied.

4 Paul said, "John baptized with a baptism
of repentance, telling the people to believe
in the one who was to come after him, that
is, in Jesus." 5 When they heard this, they
were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus, 6 and when Paul placed his hands
on them, the Holy Spirit came upon
them, and they began to speak in tongues
and to prophesy. 7 (Now there were about
twelve men in all.)

8 So Paul entered the synagogue and
spoke out fearlessly for three
months, addressing and convincing them
about the kingdom of God. 9 But when
some were stubborn and refused to
believe, reviling the Way before the
congregation, he left them and took the
disciples with him, addressing them every
day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

10 This went on for two years, so that all
who lived in the province of Asia, both Jews
and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord. 11
God was performing extraordinary miracles
by Paul's hands, 12 so that when even
handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched
his body were brought to the sick, their
diseases left them and the evil spirits went
out of them.

13 But some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried
to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over
those who were possessed by evil
spirits, saying, "I sternly warn you by Jesus
whom Paul preaches." 14 (Now seven sons
of a man named Sceva, a Jewish high
priest, were doing this.) 15 But the evil spirit
replied to them, "I know about Jesus and I
am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?"

16 Then the man who was possessed by
the evil spirit jumped on them and beat
them all into submission. He prevailed
against them so that they fled from that
house naked and wounded. 17 This
became known to all who lived in
Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; fear came
over them all, and the name of the Lord
Jesus was praised.

18 Many of those who had believed came
forward, confessing and making their deeds
known. 19 Large numbers of those who had
practiced magic collected their books and
burned them up in the presence of
everyone. When the value of the books was
added up, it was found to total fifty
thousand silver coins. 20 In this way the
word of the Lord continued to grow in power
and to prevail.

21 Now after all these things had taken
place, Paul resolved to go to
Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and
Achaia. He said, "After I have been there, I
must also see Rome." 22 So after sending
two of his assistants, Timothy and
Erastus, to Macedonia, he himself stayed
on for a while in the province of Asia. 23 At
that time a great disturbance took place
concerning the Way.

24 For a man named Demetrius, a
silversmith who made silver shrines of
Artemis, brought a great deal of business to
the craftsmen. 25 He gathered these
together, along with the workmen in similar
trades, and said, "Men, you know that our
prosperity comes from this business.

26 And you see and hear that this Paul has
persuaded and turned away a large
crowd, not only in Ephesus but in practically
all of the province of Asia, by saying that
gods made by hands are not gods at all. 27
There is danger not only that this business
of ours will come into disrepute, but also
that the temple of the great goddess
Artemis will be regarded as nothing, and
she whom all the province of Asia and the
world worship will suffer the loss of her
greatness."

28 When they heard this they became
enraged and began to shout, "Great is
Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 The city was
filled with the uproar, and the crowd rushed
to the theater together, dragging with them
Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians
who were Paul's traveling companions. 30
But when Paul wanted to enter the public
assembly, the disciples would not let him.

31 Even some of the provincial authorities
who were his friends sent a message to
him, urging him not to venture into the
theater. 32 So then some were shouting
one thing, some another, for the assembly
was in confusion, and most of them did not
know why they had met together. 33 Some
of the crowd concluded it was about
Alexander because the Jews had pushed
him to the front.

Alexander, gesturing with his hand, was
wanting to make a defense before the
public assembly. 34 But when they
recognized that he was a Jew, they all
shouted in unison, "Great is Artemis of the
Ephesians!" for about two hours. 35 After
the city secretary quieted the crowd, he
said, "Men of Ephesus, what person is there
who does not know that the city of the
Ephesians is the keeper of the temple of the
great Artemis and of her image that fell from
heaven?

36 So because these facts are
indisputable, you must keep quiet and not
do anything reckless. 37 For you have
brought these men here who are neither
temple robbers nor blasphemers of our
goddess. 38 If then Demetrius and the
craftsmen who are with him have a
complaint against someone, the courts are
open and there are proconsuls;

let them bring charges against one another
there. 39 But if you want anything in
addition, it will have to be settled in a legal
assembly. 40 For we are in danger of being
charged with rioting today, since there is no
cause we can give to explain this disorderly
gathering." 41 After he had said this, he
dismissed the assembly.

It was so dramatic that idol-makers were
losing business because of the impact of
the Gospel on the local culture. Imagine a
church being planted in Las Vegas forcing
casinos and strip-joints to close shop
because of the change in the lives of people
there. That was the impact of the church in
Ephesus.

So great was the work, that Paul stayed
there longer (two years) than he did in any
city where he planted a church. Perhaps
this is why the church in Ephesus receives
so much attention in the New Testament.
On his return from his journey, Paul didn‟t
stop in Ephesus, but he still needed to
prepare the leaders about up-coming
attacks.

Acts 20:16 NET For Paul had decided to
sail past Ephesus so as not to spend time in
the province of Asia, for he was hurrying to
arrive in Jerusalem, if possible, by the day
of Pentecost. 17 From Miletus he sent a
message to Ephesus, telling the elders of
the church to come to him.
The next 5 verses he reminds them of his
work in Ephesus, then he gives them
shocking prophecy about himself.

Acts 20:22 NET And now, compelled by the
Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem without
knowing what will happen to me there, 23
except that the Holy Spirit warns me in town
after town that imprisonment and
persecutions are waiting for me. 24 But I do
not consider my life worth anything to
myself, so that I may finish my task and the
ministry that I received from the Lord
Jesus, to testify to the good news of God's
grace.

25 “And now I know that none of you
among whom I went around proclaiming the
kingdom will see me again.
3 verses later comes a stern warning!
28 Watch out for yourselves and for all the
flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers, to shepherd the church of God
that he obtained with the blood of his own
Son.

29 I know that after I am gone fierce wolves
will come in among you, not sparing the
flock. 30 Even from among your own group
men will arise, teaching perversions of the
truth to draw the disciples away after them.
31 Therefore be alert, remembering that
night and day for three years I did not stop
warning each one of you with tears.

32 And now I entrust you to God and to the
message of his grace. This message is able
to build you up and give you an inheritance
among all those who are sanctified.
Paul warned that false teachers would
trouble the church. This proved to be
so, and Paul‟s letter to the
Ephesians, which he wrote during his first
imprisonment in Rome, deals with some of
the wrong ideas that had become
widespread in and around Ephesus.

After his release from Rome, Paul revisited
the church in Ephesus to try to correct the
wrong teaching. When he moved on, he left
Timothy behind to continue corrective
teaching. He also wrote Timothy two letters
to help him in this task. (Bridgeway)
1 Timothy 1:3 NET As I urged you when I
was leaving for Macedonia, stay on in
Ephesus to instruct certain people not to
spread false teachings,

4 nor to occupy themselves with myths and
interminable genealogies. Such things
promote useless speculations rather than
God's redemptive plan that operates by
faith. 5 But the aim of our instruction is love
that comes from a pure heart, a good
conscience, and a sincere faith.

6 Some have strayed from these and turned
away to empty discussion. 7 They want to
be teachers of the law, but they do not
understand what they are saying or the
things they insist on so confidently.
1 Timothy 6:3 NET If someone spreads
false teachings and does not agree with
sound words (that is, those of our Lord
Jesus Christ) and with the teaching that
accords with godliness,

4 he is conceited and understands nothing,
but has an unhealthy interest in
controversies and verbal disputes. This
gives rise to envy, dissension, slanders, evil
suspicions, 5 and constant bickering by
people corrupted in their minds and
deprived of the truth, who suppose that
godliness is a way of making a profit.

2 Timothy 2:14 NET Remind people of
these things and solemnly charge them
before the Lord not to wrangle over words.
This is of no benefit; it just brings ruin on
those who listen. 15 Make every effort to
present yourself before God as a proven
worker who does not need to be
ashamed, teaching the message of truth
accurately.

16 But avoid profane chatter, because
those occupied with it will stray further and
further into ungodliness, 17 and their
message will spread its infection like
gangrene.
The false teaching that the apostle John
condemned in his letters (written towards the
end of the first century) was also centered in
Ephesus. (Bridgeway)

3 chapters in Acts talk much about
Ephesus, we have Paul‟s letter to the
Ephesians as well as Paul‟s 1st & 2nd letters
to Timothy, who ministered in Ephesus.
Paul mentions Ephesus twice in his 1st letter
to the Corinthian Saints.
With so much in the New Testament written
to & about Ephesus it seems obvious God
wants us to learn from the Ephesian
Church.

I would dare say that if Ephesus Christian
Church existed today, we would all flock to it
to see how church should be done. But she
doesn‟t exist, which means
something, somewhere went wrong. To
discover that, we must look at the final New
Testament reference to the church in
Ephesus: Revelation 2.

Revelation 2:1 NET "To the angel of the
church in Ephesus, write the following: "This
is the solemn pronouncement of the one
who has a firm grasp on the seven stars in
his right hand — the one who walks among
the seven golden lampstands:

2 'I know your works as well as your labor
and steadfast endurance, and that you
cannot tolerate evil. You have even put to
the test those who refer to themselves as
apostles (but are not), and have discovered
that they are false. 3 I am also aware that
you have persisted steadfastly, endured
much for the sake of my name, and have
not grown weary.

What would a letter directly from Jesus
written to our congregation look like? I hope
it would start off as well as the one Jesus
wrote to Ephesus does. Notice all the things
Ephesus was doing well:
Good work ethic
Steadfast endurance
Cannot tolerate evil
Test false apostles (in other words, they
were committed to doctrinally pure
teaching)
Have not grown weary

What a list of accomplishments! From the
outside Ephesus looked like the ideal
Church. With hard working members,
doctrinally pure teaching, enduring
persecution with dignity, this was THE
church to belong to and get involved. For
those of us with a Restoration Movement
background, their goal for doctrinal purity
based on the Apostles‟ teaching resounds
deeply within us.

If we lived in the first century we would be
pointing at Ephesus saying, “That is what
God‟s Church is supposed to look like!”
But Jesus isn‟t finished with His letter yet.

Revelation 2:4 NET But I have this against
you: You have departed from your first love!
5 Therefore, remember from what high state
you have fallen and repent! Do the deeds
you did at the first; if not, I will come to you
and remove your lampstand from its place
— that is, if you do not repent.

Imagine this letter being read aloud in our
congregation. Can‟t you see the chests
puffing out in pride, only to be deflated by
these final words? Can‟t you see the
nervous glances around the auditorium as
people start to contemplate the meaning of
„You have departed from your first love?‟
You may even think of a few individuals who
would be defensive and try to justify
themselves with phrases like, „We show our
love by working hard!

We show our love by being committed to
proper teaching! We show our love by
hating evil deeds!‟
Lest you think that I am proposing we need
to be soft on things like doctrine and
service, let me assure you I am not, and
neither was Jesus. The problem that
Ephesus had is the same problem seen in
more than one church: They loved pure
doctrine more than they loved Jesus.

They love being right more than they loved
people. They valued the work that went into
the Great Commission more than the
commission itself. They had lost sight of
their first love, and Jesus, who sees the
motive behind the action, lovingly rebuked
them for it.
All‟s not lost! In the 5th verse He called for
them to repent, then in the 6th gives them
another big pat on the back.

Revelation 2:6 NET But you do have this
going for you: You hate what the Nicolaitans
practice — practices I also hate. 7 The one
who has an ear had better hear what the
Spirit says to the churches. To the one who
conquers, I will permit him to eat from the
tree of life that is in the paradise of God.‘
I can find no evidence the Ephesians failed
to repent & return to their first love. They
might have returned to Do the deeds they
did at the first.

When the Turks conquered Ephesus in
1090, it was a small village. The town
knew again a short period of flourishing
during the 14th century. Ephesus was
eventually completely abandoned in the
15th century and lost her former glory.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus#Turkish_era)

Maybe this is how the Lord removed their
lampstand from its place because they did
not repent & return to their first love?
It wouldn‟t have been the first time He
wiped out an entire city because of
disobedience!

I believe that our brotherhood of churches
finds themselves at a similar crossroads in
history that the church in Ephesus did. Like
Ephesus, we look into a future clouded by
uncertain times. The American church may
be heading for a period of persecution as
more and more of our rights are suppressed
by earthly government. I have no doubt
many of our brothers will stand firm.

I also have no doubt that doctrinal purity will
always remain a hallmark of our movement.
But, I must ask this question: What do we
love more? Do we value being right more
than we value King Jesus? Do we value
doctrinal purity more than the lost soul in
search of grace? I pray that we do not, and
that we return to the roots of Christianity: an
intense love for Christ and His Bride.

There is hope. Our lampstand is still
burning. Jesus has not removed it, yet. Let
us return to our first love.
Matthew 22:36 NET "Teacher, which
commandment in the law is the greatest?"
37 Jesus said to him, " 'Love the Lord your
God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind.' (Deu 6:5) 38
This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 The second is like it: 'Love your
neighbor as yourself.' (Lev 19:18)

Just how do we show our love for Jesus?
John 14:21a NET The person who has my
commandments and obeys them is the one
who loves me.
Why did Jesus, God the Son, come to
earth? Luke 19:10 NET For the Son of Man
came to seek and to save the lost."

We show our love by continuing
His work.
Matthew 28:19 NET Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And
remember, I am with you always, to the end
of the age."

Did you catch the promise Jesus made to
those who keep their first love first?
7 The one who has an ear had better hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. To the
one who conquers, I will permit him to eat
from the tree of life that is in the paradise of
God.’
Eternal Life in Heaven!

Having an Ephesus Moment

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Having an Ephesus Moment