Church at Ephesus: Promise, Prophetic, Application
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." (Revelation 2:7 - New King James Version)
This is the final verse in the letter to the church at Ephesus. This letter was from Jesus recorded by the Apostle John. It is the first of seven letters to the churches of Asia.
This verse begins with a call for those with spiritual ears, that is spiritual understanding and insight, to listen to what is being said to the churches.
Jesus ends each letter with a promise. The one who wins the victory will have eternal life. This does not speak of the spiritually great. It refers to those who have by faith accept the victory that Christ won as their own.
Jesus when He died on the cross and rose from the dead, defeated death, hell and the grave. By placing our faith in Him, the victory that He won becomes ours as well. We will defeat death, hell and the grave. We will live forever in Jesus.
If you want to be an overcomer, to eat of the tree of life, if you want eternal life, you need Jesus as Saviour. All you need to do is sincerely admit to God that you are a sinner, be sorry for your sin, want to turn from it, believe that Jesus died for your sin, and ask God to forgive you.
Some believe that this letter prophetically represents the church age up to about 150 AD. This was a period of great initial growth. Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond.
Near the end of this period, this zeal had declined greatly. Local persecution, loss of Apostolic leadership and the rise of different heresies all contributed to Christians losing their first love.
The main lesson that we learn from this letter has to do with our first love. As Christians, we should love the Lord even as we did when He first saved us. If we have lost our zeal for the things of God, then we need to heed the advice of our Saviour. We need to have our first love restored.
First, consider what your relationship with God used to be like. Remember how much you cared about spiritual things when you first learned how much Jesus loves you.
Second, repent. Ask God to forgive you for growing cold. Tell Him that you desire to renew your relationship with Him. Ask Him to restore to you the joy of your salvation.
Finally, get busy. Read the Bible like you once did. Pray to God constantly. Seek to tell others about Jesus.
To lose our first love is a terrible thing. It means our religion has become only routine. We are going through ritual without feeling. Christianity is to be a relationship more than a religion. If your relationship with Jesus is not what it should be, then take His advice: remember, repent and do!
This is the final verse in the letter to the church at Ephesus. This letter was from Jesus recorded by the Apostle John. It is the first of seven letters to the churches of Asia.
This verse begins with a call for those with spiritual ears, that is spiritual understanding and insight, to listen to what is being said to the churches.
Jesus ends each letter with a promise. The one who wins the victory will have eternal life. This does not speak of the spiritually great. It refers to those who have by faith accept the victory that Christ won as their own.
Jesus when He died on the cross and rose from the dead, defeated death, hell and the grave. By placing our faith in Him, the victory that He won becomes ours as well. We will defeat death, hell and the grave. We will live forever in Jesus.
If you want to be an overcomer, to eat of the tree of life, if you want eternal life, you need Jesus as Saviour. All you need to do is sincerely admit to God that you are a sinner, be sorry for your sin, want to turn from it, believe that Jesus died for your sin, and ask God to forgive you.
Some believe that this letter prophetically represents the church age up to about 150 AD. This was a period of great initial growth. Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond.
Near the end of this period, this zeal had declined greatly. Local persecution, loss of Apostolic leadership and the rise of different heresies all contributed to Christians losing their first love.
The main lesson that we learn from this letter has to do with our first love. As Christians, we should love the Lord even as we did when He first saved us. If we have lost our zeal for the things of God, then we need to heed the advice of our Saviour. We need to have our first love restored.
First, consider what your relationship with God used to be like. Remember how much you cared about spiritual things when you first learned how much Jesus loves you.
Second, repent. Ask God to forgive you for growing cold. Tell Him that you desire to renew your relationship with Him. Ask Him to restore to you the joy of your salvation.
Finally, get busy. Read the Bible like you once did. Pray to God constantly. Seek to tell others about Jesus.
To lose our first love is a terrible thing. It means our religion has become only routine. We are going through ritual without feeling. Christianity is to be a relationship more than a religion. If your relationship with Jesus is not what it should be, then take His advice: remember, repent and do!
posted by David Frank Wilson | 8:15 PM
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