Bible Study - Church (1) - Characterized by Love - Revelation 2:1-7 - June 6, 2021

 

Bible Study – Church (1) – Characterized by Love – June 6, 2021

This is lesson one (1) in our series entitled “The Church GOD Desires.”

Our focus scripture is Revelation 2:1-7.

Ground everything you do in the love of CHRIST.

Do you recall when you first accepted JESUS as your Savior? Such a moment varies for every person. To some it is dramatic and to others it is like the rising of the sun to begin a new day. Light is revealed a little at the time until day has dawned.

GOD desires for each of us to build the right relationship with JESUS through faith in HIM. How do we do that? We are to apply what we read in GOD’S Word and what we hear as we listen to GOD’S Word being taught. In turn, we need to apply what GOD reveals to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Let’s explore! What is our first love?

Introduction Revelation 1:1-20:

This scripture gives us background into the Book of Revelation. Keep in mind that the title is Revelation and NOT Revelation(s). There is no “s” because there in only one revelation. It reveals the majesty of The LORD JESUS CHRIST after HIS mission upon earth was fulfilled and HIS ascension into Heaven. JESUS ascended into Heaven to take HIS seat at the righthand of GOD, HIS FATHER. JESUS is The KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS and the advocate of all Spirit-born Christians. Let’s explore! Prologue

1 The revelation of^[a] Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, ² who testified to the word of God and to the testimony^[b] of Jesus Christ, whatever he saw.^[c] 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep^[d] what is written in it, because the time is near.

One of the main events in the annals of time had taken place. The promised Messiah, JESUS, GOD’S only SON had been born as a human and HE fulfilled GOD’S redemptive plan. That is, HE paid in full for the penalty for sin, which is eternal death for all who place their faith in JESUS.

⁴ John: To the seven churches in Asia. Grace and peace to you from^[e] the one who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits^[f] before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has set us free^[g] from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and made us a kingdom,^[h] priests^[i] to his God and Father—to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

⁷ Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
And all the tribes^[j] of the earth^[k]
will mourn over him.^[l][m]
So it is to be. Amen.

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

John’s Vision of the Risen Lord

⁹ I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. ¹⁰ I was in the Spirit^[n] on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet ¹¹ saying, “Write on a scroll^[o] what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

¹² Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man,^[p] dressed in a robe and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest. ¹⁴ The hair of his head was white as wool—white as snow—and his eyes like a fiery flame. ¹⁵ His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of cascading^[q] waters. ¹⁶ He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth, and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last, ¹⁸ and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades. ¹⁹ Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this. ²⁰ The mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels^[r] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands^[s] are the seven churches.

JESUS established HIS authority in verse 17b - “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last, ¹⁸ and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.” 

John saw and described the Glory of JESUS. JESUS revealed this to John for a purpose.

JESUS revealed the character of these seven churches. Which church represents the character of the church that we attend? Let’s explore!

A number in our congregation have completed a short study of a book entitled, “Scrappy Church” written by Thom S. Rainer. It has been suggested that our class study this book as well. Since our series for the next seven weeks is entitled “The Church GOD Blesses,” we can blend the concept in “Scrappy Church” with our series.

Ricky Heath has been through the “Scrappy Church” study and he will share his insight as it relates to the lessons in our Bible Study book.

Leadership is a vital part of church growth. Who is leading, guiding and directing? Is it the Holy Spirit?

The first church in our study is the church in Ephesus.

Ephesus was the greatest city in Asia Minor, even though it was not a capitol city. It was the crossroads of civilization. It was the home of the temple of Dianna, thus the center for fertility worship. The area where we live can have a strong influence on what we think and do. Thus, Ephesus was full of pagan religious options. The population of Ephesus was between 100,000 and 250,000 people. Ephesus was a major commercial and cultural force. It was a melting pot and as such the leadership of the Christian church in Ephesus had to be on their guard to prevent strange or pagan religious practices from creeping into their congregation. The temple of Dianna served as a safe haven for those accused of crimes and it was a bank for kings and merchants. Association often gives legitimacy to the things that are evil.

The temple was competition against the Christian church in Ephesus. The temple appealed to the physical momentary pleasure and the Christian church appealed to the eternal salvation of the individual.

As JESUS speaks, HE reveals the strengths and weakness of HIS church in Ephesus.    

Let’s read Revelation 2:1-3:

2 “Write to the angel^[a] of the church in Ephesus (Rev. 1-20): Thus says the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand (JESUS is the authority) and who walks (JESUS knows what goes on in the church) among the seven golden lampstands: ² I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. ³ I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name, and you have not grown weary. 

Angel means messenger but some Bible scholars think it could refer to the pastor because the pastor is also GOD’S messenger.

The introduction acknowledges the effort of the church leadership and body of the church on a continuous basis as expressed in the words “holds” and “walks” in verse 1:

I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. ³ I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name, and you have not grown weary. 

JESUS knew how hard they had worked, labored and tested those who came into their fellowship to make certain they were in their fellowship for the right reason. The Ephesian church leadership wanted only truth to be taught and lived so they carefully vetted those who became members of their church body and were active. JESUS commended them for their due diligence, especially in testing those who claimed to be “apostles.” This reference did not refer to the apostles of JESUS but to apostles like Paul and Barnabas who planted churches.

In verse 3, we read that they “preserved and endured” and “not grown weary.” They were diligent in observing the lifestyle of those who claimed to be “apostles” and found that they did not walk their talk.

However, their laser focus resulted in them losing something of great value. Let’s discover what they lost. A congregation can work hard and maintain purity can lose ------

Let’s read Revelation 2:4-6:

⁴ But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. ⁵ Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you^[b] and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. ⁶ Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Even though they were strict on those who came into their fellowship, their love for JESUS had morphed into a rigid ritual. They were going through the motions of worship but they had lost the reason for their worship of JESUS. Their lifestyle was mechanical rather than flowing from a genuine love of JESUS and seeking to invest in those whose lifestyle did not flow from pure hearts. They were living mechanically rather than by the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

JESUS’ message to the church at Ephesus was for them to pause and examine their relationship and purpose for being the beacon of Spiritual light to those in Spiritual need in Ephesus. The Ephesian church/body of believers had compromised their love for JESUS. They were focused on ritual and abandoned the leadership of the Holy Spirit. They were focused on the mechanics and did not consider or offer “GOD’S Grace” to those not measuring up.

The church hated the practices of the Nicolaitans and so did JESUS. They did not hate the people but the practices of the people which is not clear but Bible scholars seem to gravitate to the Nicolaitans combining true worship of the true GOD with Baalism and sexual immorality. Did their zeal for numbers of congregants of the Nicolaitans result in compromise of the truth? This is what we, as a congregation, must be careful of when our congregation numbers fall and we try methods to bring the numbers up. We must be careful that we do not compromise Christian doctrine.

GOD desires for our church to be where it is to glorify HIM in the community where HE planted us. From our location we can reach our community, city, state and the world. We must never lose sight of the fact the GOD is in control and we must seek HIS wisdom and the leadership of the Holy Spirit to pilot us through turbulent times. As we see HIS hand and power at work, guess who benefits? We are strengthened and our zeal to serve is rekindled. YES!!!

So, where do we get our leadership? We all have ears and we must listen and apply what we are being told, by the Holy Spirit.

In reading Chapter one of the “Scrappy Church,” the writer gave examples of churches that were in serious trouble and the pastor of each church seemed to be struggling. The LORD gave each pastor a verse of scripture as an anchor. The scripture was different for each situation. It is tempting when we face trouble to adopt someone else’s anchor but generally that leads to trouble. It is imperative that GOD reveals to our leadership, as a church, the anchor scripture. It begins with the pastor and radiates through the deaconate to the congregation.

Let me quickly add, that our church has been blessed that our congregants have been faithful in giving during these tough times. Our leadership has remained vigilant in reaching out to both church members and the community during the pandemic. But our leadership needs to evaluate how far we have fallen. Contributions keep the doors of the church open but the Holy Spirit keeps the heart of the church flowing. Members of our leadership are the ones to keep a check on the flow of the life blood in our church. Is it mechanical or Holy Spirit led?

Why is a heart checkup vital to any church?  It gives opportunity for a church to “repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you^[b] and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” All churches need to take time out for a checkup. How does a church do that? Let’s read on -----    

Let’s read Revelation 2:7:

⁷ “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in^[c] the paradise of God.

The message to true believers and especially the leadership of the church is to open our ears and listen to what the Holy Spirit is revealing. We must not lean upon your own understanding but look to and rely upon the message GOD has for the leadership and the church body through the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Church leaders and congregants, do not abandon your first love of JESUS and HIS redemptive message for programs and activities that grow the numbers but not the Spirit-born person. Yes!!! There is a balance which is given to those who serve as led by the Holy Spirit.

What is the end result? It is the right to eat from the tree of life. The true church is the life blood for all who seek salvation from the ravages of sin. The Holy Spirit is the internal/eternal spring of living water that quiches a person’s thirst and produces the fruit of The Spirit eternally for all who have been Spirit-born.

Blessings!!!