INSIDE MATTERS

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Opening Prayer

Merciful Father, in the serious business of being Your disciple, grant me some joy and humor as I follow You.

Read REVELATION 2:1–11

^[1] “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. ^[2] I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ^[3] You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. ^[4] Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. ^[5] Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. ^[6] But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ^[7] Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. ^[8] “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. ^[9] I know your afflictions and your poverty-yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ^[10] Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. ^[11] Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Meditate

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57). Thank God for his promise of victory, even in the areas with which you struggle.

Think Further

Given the earlier pattern (God, Jesus, his angel, John, the reader, the hearers; 1:1,2), the angel (1) is best understood as the one who can communicate God’s message to his people, rather than representing the spirit of the congregation. In these two chapters we read not letters (the whole of Revelation is a letter) but royal pronouncements from the one on the throne, declaring affirmations, rebukes and challenges, and holding out a promise (7). The white light of the vision of Jesus in chapter 1 is here split, as if by a prism, into a rainbow of attributes, each pertinent to the appropriate congregation.

Ephesus was a center of wealth and culture, the second city of the empire at the time. The congregation there had much to commend it: committed and ready for hard work, having persevered through hardships. It was discerning, having obeyed injunctions to “test everything” (1 Thess. 5:21, ESV; 1 John 4:1) and rejected the false teaching of the Nicolaitans (6). Yet duty had extinguished joy; hard work had displaced warm love; perhaps even the things of God were of more interest than God himself. Outwardly they looked good—but inside something was wrong. They needed to rediscover their first love for the one who walked among them (1) if they were to enjoy life in all its fullness.

By contrast, those in Smyrna were not fooled by outward appearances (9). Though their city was known as the Crown of Asia and held prestigious games, they knew that there was only one wreath worth competing for. Though others judged them, they knew that only one person’s judgment counted. And though struggling and at the point of death (10), their faith was in the one who had conquered death (8).

Apply

Does your outer life match your inner life? Why or why not? Which needs to change: your actions or your heart?

Closing prayer

Lord, I know that I often live to please others. The only one I should be concerned about pleasing is You. I make that my priority.

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