Dear Family and Friends,

Have you ever visited a place and found it was not how you imagined it would be?

For me, that was Ephesus in modern day Turkey.

As we all know, Ephesus is mentioned all over the New Testament – in Acts, Ephesians, 1 Corinthians, 1 & 2 Timothy and Revelation. Yet the Bible tells us very little about the city itself.

Ephesus was the largest city in Asia Minor and a commercial and religious hub. It’s large population and high traffic of visitors made it an ideal location for spreading the Gospel.

This helps explain why Paul, Timothy and others devoted years to building the Ephesus church.

But despite all their hard work, the church in Ephesus was the first of seven churches to receive a letter from Jesus in the book of Revelation.

After commending them for their perseverance, Jesus said this.

“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 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.”  Revelation 2:4-5 NIV

Forsaken is not a word we commonly use today. The Greek word aphiémi is very direct; to give up, to abandon.

The love they first had and then abandoned was their love for Christ. After walking through the ancient city, it became clear how that could happen.

Ephesus was the kind of city that celebrated the success and wealth of it’s citizens. 

The city was filled with monuments and statues. One would expect monuments of leaders.

But not a marketplace surrounded by hundreds of statues of successful citizens: eloquent speakers, philosophers, athletes, state officials.

I was amazed when we walked through a recently excavated area called the Terrace Houses. It was beyond impressive.

It was like a large apartment complex which featured large living areas, indoor plumbing and heating, frescoes, mosaics and walls adorned with portraits of philosophers.

A marble road passed in front of the houses. Next door were shops that sold prepared meals for those who chose to not cook. Across the road was a temple. And at the base of that road stood the magnificent Library of Celsus.

Our guide shared a fun fact about that library. Excavators found a secret tunnel that ran from the library under the road to an establishment across the street – a local brothel.

Yes, life in Ephesus was very good, much better than I imagined it could ever be.

Timothy was leading the church in Ephesus when Paul wrote him the letters now known as 1 & 2 Timothy.

It’s now clear what Paul meant when he wrote.

“I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”  1 Timothy 2:9-10 NIV

“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”  1 Timothy 6:9-10 NIV

What we saw in Ephesus hit close to home. Why?

I walked away from the ancient ruins thinking – – we live in a modern day version of Ephesus.

We are surrounded by the same temptations they faced centuries ago. We too struggle to stay faithful when everyone around us is chasing fame, fortune and pleasure.

So, what can we do?

We can start by reading the passage from Revelation 2 above again. But read as if it was written to us.

Take some time to contemplate the depth of our love for Jesus.

Ask ourselves if we are doing the things we did at first. If not, consider the consequences and ask why not.

If repentance is necessary, do so.

Finally, as we do this, let’s all set this as our goal: To have Jesus write us a letter that instead says, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”  Revelation 3:11 NIV

In love always,