Revelation 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
I know your works... Revelations 2:2a
No matter what you do or no matter what your motive for doing anything is, God is aware of it. A man may deceive other men, but God knows all things and cannot be deceived.
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
The church in Ephesus has a report from Jesus that they laboured so much for the Lord and they were patient. Yet, God had an issue against them - They forsook their first love. The greatest commandment, according to Jesus, is love - Love for God and love for your neighbours.
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Love is the foundation of our Christian faith: Christ died because God loves the world. The qualities that Jesus Christ professed concerning the Ephesus church suggests that their love for God was still intact, whereas, the love for one another was probably fading away.
The early church exhibited so much love for the gospel and love for one another. There was no discrimination in their congregations. You could not tell the rich from the poor. They showed new converts the same manner of love they showed to the early believers. They never left the poor to die of hunger or be rejected in the society. The rich would rather sell their assets so as to attend to the needs of the poor among them.
Acts 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
The church today is characterized by so many wrong focus and activities such as:
Jesus asked the church of Ephesus to go back to its first love or else He (God) will remove it's candlestick.
Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
There remains a chance for repentance. We must all go back to our first love for God knows our works and each man's works will be tested.
1 Corinthians 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
Let your labour in God's vineyard be such that is based on love and faith in Him. Any work that is not standing on this foundation will be burned by fire. If you've not surrendered your life to Jesus, know today that your religious activities cannot save you. Only Jesus can save. Give your life totally to Him.
As a church, we must go back to sincere fellowship. Let there be no arguments, no divisions, no backbiting, no deceit, and such vices among us. Love God, and love your neighbours, give to the needy, help the invalids, and encourage those that are falling away instead of mocking and spreading news of their fall.
God knows your works and unless you repent and go back to to your first love, your light will go dim. God forbid that darkness wins the world while the church exists.
Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
