Don't Be Deceived 2 (Into Remaining) In a Cold and Loveless Church: Revelation 2::1-7; 20:7-15; 5:1-14; 6:1-17 1:1-20; Matt 13:20-21; 1 John 2:9-11; 4:7-8, 20211107

Revelation 2:1-7 - The Loveless and Cold Ephesus Church:
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.
Comments:
The Personal Message to all Churches:
Note the spiritual problems in this church at Ephesus and your church, and what the LORD Jesus instructed them to do in order to receive His blessing:
A. Ephesus – The Loveless and Cold Church
They were busy working for the LORD, but had no sincere love for Him. Programs without compassion. This is the busy church with the great statistics, but one that was drifting away from heartfelt devotion to Christ.
The LORD Jesus commended the Ephesian church in five areas for: (1) working hard, (2) having patience, (3) resisting sin especially those of the Nicolaitans or Balaamites who encouraged immorality, (4) critically examining the claims of false prophets, and (5) enduring hardships without becoming weary. Also, the LORD praised them for steadfastly refusing to tolerate sin among its members.
During the Apostle Paul ministry, he encouraged the Ephesians:
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge….” (Ephesians 3:17-19).
The Apostle Paul knew the weakness of the church at Ephesus that they lacked love, and he reiterated it in the next chapter:
“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us” (Ephesians 5:1,2).
But why were the Ephesians marked as a LOVELESS church? It was because they initially received the Word of God with gladness, and expressed the love of God, but they soon lost the interest and the dedication to remain obedient. They had left their first love – God. They had become disappointed after failing to see immediate fruits of their labor or generosity to others. Their love for the brethren had waned although they continued to worship God and attend church services. They thought they could claim to love God whom they could not see while they hated their brethren they saw everyday. The Ephesians had refused to forgive those who offended them, and yet were praying to God to forgive their sins.
Another reason the Ephesian church was rebuked for being uninterested in the salvation of the souls of sinners going to hell. They did not care for the welfare of those who were not in their church, and reacted with a cold heart, just as the priest and Levite did, who were not prepared to show love and sympathy to the stranger on the road to Jericho, in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). The Holy Scriptures is full of God’s Commandments on how to express love to one another, but the loveless Ephesian church had neglected this important Commandment. They were not ready to love their ungodly neighbors (Matthew 13:20-21; 1st John 2:9-11; 4:7-8; Galatians 5:19-21; James 1:22-27; 2:5; 1st Corinthians 13:1-13).
Which Church Do You Belong To? Are you guilty of being loveless at church, at home, work or in your community? When God looks at your church, does He see a loveless and cold church? God says “…And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE.”
Although Christ accused the Ephesian church of being loveless, the LORD praised them for hating the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitans were believers who compromised their faith in order to participate in the sinful practices of the Ephesian society. The name Nicolaitans is held by some to be roughly the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word for “Balaamites.”
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GOD's spiritual and physical blessings to you IN Christ Jesus! Amen!