A look at the church of Ephesus--Part 2

 In our last Bible study, we had seen how God used the Apostle Paul to raise up a church in Ephesus. Ephesus was a city where the false God Diana was worshiped. That cult had a large following and its temple seated anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 people. It took Paul three years to establish the church and as a result of his efforts, there was revival.

How revival started in Ephesus.

Before we address how revival started in the city of Ephesus, we will see a series of events that occurred prior to that event. Let’s look at some points—

1. Paul spent some time ministering to twelve men. He made sure they were equipped and ready for the challenge. ( Acts 19:1-7)
2. Paul preached the gospel in the synagogues. He was not afraid to stand up to his beliefs. Unfortunately, many rejected his witness. (Acts 19:8-9)
3. Another door of opportunity opened up for Paul. Tyrannus had a place for Paul to teach the gospel unto others. This, in turn, allowed his students to preach the word and reach many in his surroundings.
4. God confirmed his miracles with signs and wonders (Acts 19:12)
5. An unsaved group of men tried to take upon themselves the casting of demons. The results were disastrous. (Acts 19:14-16)
6. This incident caused the church to examine themselves by the Holy Spirit. The church had allowed the mixture to creep in. They repented and burned all the books that had to do with curious arts such as Magic, Sorcery, and the Occult. (Acts 19:19)
7. The result was the growth of the word of God and souls coming to the kingdom

The backlash

As a result of these events, souls started to get saved and the temple was getting empty. Idolatry was big business and the silversmith industry was getting clobbered. No longer were the idols of Diana being sold. Demetrius led a mob with false accusations to kill Paul and stop this revival, but it backfired. (Acts 19:24-41)

Entering into God’s rest

The church of Ephesus, eventually, prevailed. They went on to exercise great influence on their city. They passed the test and God gave them rest to do his work in that area. Many believers have the mistaken idea that they need to suffer constant attacks from the enemy. It gives them a sense of comfort and assurance of their salvation. Yes, Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy but he can depart from you for a season.

Let’s look at the following points. First, the devil departed from Jesus for a season. (Luke 4:13). Would we conclude that there was something wrong with Jesus because the devil departed from him? No, Jesus passed his testings in the wilderness! The second point to consider is Acts 9:31. The churches had rest for a season. Passing your testings in life will cause Satan to depart from you for a season.

That is why it is so important to pray for those over us. God wants us to lead a quiet and peaceable life. (I Tim 2:1-3). Friends, there are times of rest that God gives us for our benefit. When we pray for those above us, it can influence our leader’s heart and give the church favor.

The third point is pleasing God. You can have a church in the midst of people who hate you. When you start looking to please God and be obedient to his calling, your enemies will be at peace with you. The fear of God will be prevalent and uncommon favor will follow.(Prov 16:7) 

One final point is understanding the word from a military point of view. The word of God calls us soldiers. (2 Tim 2:3) I was in the military myself and understood the importance of rest. Soldiers need time to rest. A much-needed rest will help them to enjoy the fruits of their labors. It will refresh them for the next battle to come.

End result

The end result of God’s rest is victory. The church of Ephesus was so influential that many ministries wanted to get it's stamp of approval. A stamp of approval would mean that they would expand to other areas, but it was not that easy.  The leadership at Ephesus had the gift of discernment. They knew whether the Apostles were sent or not. (Rev 2:1-3)

Another notable achievement with this church was following correct doctrine. The correct doctrine was very important. Discerning the false doctrines of its day–the Nicolaitanes caused the Lord to be pleased with their work. (Rev 2:6) All these achievements would make for a happy ending, but the Lord is not through. He noticed that they had fallen from their first love. In our next study, we will see how the Lord deals with this shortcoming.

Reprint courtesy of the Christian Corner community church.  

 

 

A look at the church of Ephesus...

In our last study, we saw the introduction of the seven candlesticks and stars. The Lord Jesus had appeared unto John in the midst of the candlesticks. He noticed that the Lord had the seven stars in his right hand. This imagery is interesting and symbolic as we will see below–

1. The Holy Spirit defined the stars as angels. The  Greek word for Angels is Aggelos, which means human messengers. These were the Pastors of the churches located in Turkey.
2. The candlesticks were defined as the churches.  There were seven churches mentioned —-

•  Ephesus–The Loveless church
• Smyrna–The Suffering church
• Pergamos–The Worldly church
• Thyatira–The adulterous church
•  Sardis–The dead church.
• Philadelphia–The faithful church
• Laodicea–The Lukewarm church.

The church of Ephesus

For the sake of our studies, we will take a look at the church of Ephesus. It is interesting what we will find described below–

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; (Rev 2:1)

Let’s begin by taking a look at our Lord Jesus. Jesus came to earth to die for our sins. He rose up on the third day and is sitting on the right hand of the Father. Sitting is symbolic of rest. He completed his work on earth  There are times in which he has stood up for important events.

One good example was with Stephen. As he was getting ready to be martyred by the mob, he had a vision. Jesus stood up to honor Stephen. (Acts 7:55) In Rev 1:13, we see Jesus standing again in the midst of the candlesticks.

As we turn our attention to Rev 2:1, we see him walking. Jesus wanted to see the whole picture concerning what was happening in the churches. Walking among the churches gave him a better view of existing issues within that area. Let’s look at the following verses below —

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:

 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. (Rev 2:2-3)

Notice how the Lord begins his conversation. I know thy works! The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He starts off commending them for their good works. They labored (Worked hard in the ministry), exercised patience, and hated evil.

A blow against idolatry

It would do the body good to hate evil and love righteousness. It will bring a spirit of joy which, in turn, will give us strength. It gave the church of Ephesus the strength to do God’s work. (Heb 1:9) Joy is a powerful force.

One point to consider is the name of Ephesus. The word Ephesus means desirable. God desired to reach the city of  Ephesus. It was a stronghold for the godess Diana. Its temple housed a great multitude of people. It is believed that it seated about 20,000 to 30,000 people.

Idolatry was big business in that area. It brought great gain in the financial realm. Silversmiths were making good money craving the idol of Diana for the people. The Apostle Paul was sent by God to do his work in that area for about three years. God used him to bring about a mighty revival in that area.

The turning of the people from Diana to God affected the idol trade. Greedy and evil people stirred the mob against Paul, putting his life in peril. (Acts 19) God’s word prevailed, and the church developed tremendous revelation knowledge to win that whole city for the Lord. In our next study, we will see how important it is for believers to enter into God’s rest. We will, also, see some wonderful revelation knowledge that was brought to that church.

Prayer–Dear Lord, help me to apply this lesson to my life. Help me to love righteousness and hate iniquity. Restore the joy of my salvation. Use me to impact my family, community, and society–In Jesus's name. Amen.

Reprint courtesy of the Christian corner community church. 

 

Pastor's notes---04/06/2015

                           
                                                                         
                                              A look at the blood of Christ. 

 

Image courtesy of pixtawan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

                                             

                                     What is your reaction to the word Blood? Sometimes, we feel uncomfortable. We associate it with some type of tragic event but in this past season of Easter, the blood of Jesus is a beautiful thing. It washes us from all our sins. In the law, the blood of bulls and lambs, only, served as a covering. It was so because there had to be a demand for a man to fulfill the law and be sin for us at the same time. That is why Christ was called the second and last Adam. (I Cor 15:45-47)     
                        His blood was not polluted by sin and it came from above. That is why the Virgin birth is, so, much under attack. If man can prove that there was no virgin birth, then Christ died in vain. In life, the blood is a way to prove a paternity test, so it is the same with Christ. His blood contains the heavenly DNA from our heavenly Father to free us from sin, sickness and poverty. When Jesus spilled his blood, it was fulfilling the penalty of sin in our lives. 
                        Many in the body debate the pleading of the blood. 
The pleading of the blood is scriptural. It is a powerful tool because it is speaking. It is saying something to the devil and to all of heaven.  When Cain killed Abel, something terrible happened. Abel's blood was speaking to the heavenly Father and calling for vengeance. (Gen 4:10) That is why abortion is a deadly sin and needs to be confronted because the blood of millions of babies are crying out for vengeance. 
                        Man in his foolish reasoning would say it is just a fetus. A woman has a right to her body and other nonsense but follow the money. As you do, you will see that abortion is BIG BUSINESS. This, truly, fulfills the scripture of the love of money being the root of all evil. Recently, some are waking up to this fact and are exposing the dark side of abortion clinics. (1) This, in turn, have brought on more lawsuits and forced them to closed their doors for good. While this is good news, more needs to be done in this area. 
                 Friends, this in itself, is not a flesh and blood battle but a spiritual one. The good news is that the blood of Christ cries for mercy and it is available to all who receives it. When a nation repents of its sins, the sacrifice of Christ can wipe the slate clean and save it. God has a vision for this nation and it has been prophesied that a third awakening is around the corner. Pray for the church and our leaders. Friends, your prayers are not in vain. God is moving behind the scenes and revival will hit the land with signs and wonders following. 
                  So, let's prepare ourselves, taking advantage of what belongs to us in Christ. The blood of Christ can be used to renew your mind, bring better health and protect your family. The blood elements in communion is a powerful way to be covenant-minded and receive his promises. To end on a positive note---the blood can be used to break generational curses and bring health to your body. 
             Medical science has found that sickness travels through the bloodline but when you take his blood, it can drive out any germs and infirmities. When you get God inside-minded, there is no such thing as race or ethnicity, but one nation under God. (Acts 17:26, I Peter 2:9) So, when you take the elements of communion,  put God in remembrance and plead together ( Isa 43:26) When you plead the blood, Its voice is pleading together with you to bring you victory in whatever area you are battling in. (Rev 12:11) So, make use of the blood and see what God will do. It's power to save and deliver is always available for you and this nation 24/7. God bless.

Helpful links...

(1) http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2014/07/29/abortion-clinics-continue-to-close/

(2) http://wordandgrace.blogspot.com/2015/03/more-thoughts-about-communion.html