Paul Luckraft interviews author Steve Maltz about his latest book, ‘Shalom’.

Over the years, I have reviewed most of Steve’s books for Prophecy Today and in the past I interviewed him to find out what motivated him to go on writing. “I was born to write, that is my gift” was his reply, and it would seem that with Shalom, his 25^th book, that gift is still in full flow. But a valid question remains: why another book? And why this particular book?

Steve admits to being on a personal journey and that writing books is his way of continuing that journey. As he explains in the preface of Shalom, “every book is a personal odyssey and a time of great learning” (p9). Pressing him further on this, he added that “I always write what is on my heart and each time I finish a book I think the journey may have ended, but so far it hasn’t.”

The journey actually started when he was crossing London Bridge ten years ago and God began to show him how the Church had lost ‘the Way’ by detaching itself from its Hebraic roots. Many books later, Shalom brings that vision into greater focus.

Its theme is an exploration of what Paul in Ephesians calls the ‘One New Man’ (Eph 2:15). If the Church is ever to recover what it lost in the past and achieve God’s shalom, God’s peace, it will need to embrace the truth that Christ has broken down the barrier of hostility between Jew and Gentile and that Gentiles are Gospel heirs together with Israel: members together of one Body, sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Eph 3:6). Steve’s argument is that embracing this truth will bring renewal to the Church, individually and corporately.

Searching for Answers

As such, Steve isn’t just writing for his own benefit. He believes others are asking the same questions that God has put on his heart, and seeking the same answers. This was dramatically illustrated just an hour or so before meeting up with me in London.

If the Church is ever to recover God’s shalom, God’s peace, it will need to embrace the truth that Christ has broken down the barrier of hostility between Jew and Gentile.

Prior to our interview, Steve visited a major London bookshop to introduce his new book and drop off a couple of copies. While talking to the staff there one of the customers overheard him explaining the book and suddenly burst into tears! “This is just what I’ve been looking for!” she explained. And then added that she had been on a train on the Underground when God had told her to get off at that station and go to the bookshop there. She had no idea why at the time, but clearly God knew what she needed!

Just like this lady in the bookshop, readers new to Steve’s books can start with Shalom without having to read all that has gone before. Each of his books stands alone and usually contains several quotes or references to previous ones. To this end, the first part of Shalom takes us back over how the Church lost the Way, the Truth and the Life by severing ourselves from Israel and our Hebraic roots. Here, Steve explains the problems in the Church that show our need for God’s shalom, found only in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).

After a short second part on ‘The Shalom of Salvation’, in the third part we are reminded how the key to recovering the Hebraic nature of the Christian faith is function, not form. In other words, it’s about discovering and developing our roles and callings – who we are and what we do - rather than about offices and structures; it’s about being and doing ‘church’ rather than church as an institution or set of rituals. This is a significant theme in his previous books.

After this comes Part Four, which is devoted to exploring what shalom means when it comes to the Church and the idea of the One New Man. It should be stressed that just because the title is ‘Shalom’, the book is not merely a study on this particular word. Rather, as the subtitle emphasises, here we discover ‘God’s Masterplan’ for oneness or completeness, which Steve unpacks through seven other Hebrew words (simcha, chaim, kadosh, chesed, mishpocha, limmud, berakhot). Through these we can reverse all the Greek thinking that has dominated Church life since the 2^nd Century and undo the unbiblical practices introduced by Constantine and others.

In short, Steve asks the big question: what would the Church look like if there had been no influence from Greek philosophy or Roman emperors? Through these Hebraic concepts the answer starts to emerge. The next big question is, who will be brave enough to try it the Hebraic way?!

Steve believes that others are asking the same questions that God has put on his heart, and seeking the same answers.

Joyous Conclusion

The final part of the book came as a surprise, even to Steve. “Here’s a chapter I never intended to write because it references a series of events that came after the writing of the first draft of this book” (p215). At the ‘Foundations 10’ Hebraic conference in Devon, Steve saw Hebraic church come alive, in practice – ‘it happened in Devon!’ is the joyous conclusion to the book.

Shalom is being launched this weekend at the 'Foundations 11' conference, being held at The Hayes in Swanwick. The conference is appropriately entitled ‘One New Man’ and will continue to explore the theme further through teaching and discussion.

That walk over London Bridge many years ago has certainly borne a lot of fruit. Is the journey reaching a conclusion? I doubt it. The next book, and 'Foundations 12', are already being planned!

‘Shalom’ (234 pages, paperback) is available from Saffron Planet Publishing for £10.

Monica Hill continues her series on the ministry gifts of Ephesians 4. 

This article is part of a series. Click here to read other instalments.

“It was Christ who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:11-13, emphasis added).

“And They Shall Prophesy…”

‘Prophecy’ appears in all three lists of spiritual gifts – but it has a slightly different meaning in each. We will explore the meaning of the ‘manifestation’ of prophecy described in 2 Corinthians 12 later, but we just note here that manifestations are not bestowed permanently on any individual, but come as the Lord wills and to anybody who is open to the Spirit.

Manifestations are very different from the ministry gift of ‘prophet’ which is given to an individual who is specifically called to build up the Body. The Ephesians ministry role of ‘prophet’ bears more resemblance to the more ‘natural’ role of prophecy described in Romans 12, with its emphasis upon the forthtelling of the word of God as well as the foretelling of future happenings. But the emphasis for any spiritual gift still needs to be on equipping the Body and this is especially true for those who are given a ministry role.

Perhaps in our modern society we can see more affinity between the role of prophet and that of the ‘preacher’- though obviously there are differences (incidentally, it should be noted that the title ‘preacher’ is not recognised in any of the lists of spiritual gifts – the nearest is the role of the teacher, although it is not difficult to see the differences).

Old Testament Prophets

The prophets, both writing and speaking, in the Old Testament, were walking closely with God and knew him intimately. They had reached such a close understanding of his nature and purposes that they found it easy to see where the people they were called to address were falling short of all that God wanted for them.

Biblical scholars maintain that less than 20% of the words of the writing prophets are warning or foreseeing what will happen in the future, while more than 80% of their prophetic words are forthtelling God’s nature and purposes – and reminding the nation how God had revealed himself in the past.

Less than 20% of the prophetic words of the writing prophets are foreseeing what will happen in the future - more than 80% are forthtelling God’s nature and purposes.

The whole nation of Israel was in a covenant relationship with God. The prophets were the biblical preachers of their day, spending their time reminding the Jewish people of God’s requirements, while also remembering God’s actions in similar periods in their history and then challenging them to become more like the people that God expected them to be.

Occasionally they did receive a revelation of what would happen as a consequence if the nation continued in the direction it was taking, but their messages were more than foretelling and often they were of an encouraging rather than a warning nature.

New Testament Prophets

The reason we do not hear much about specifically named individual prophets in the New Testament is that with the coming of Jesus, God’s revelation of himself, his nature and his purposes was now complete (nothing new would be revealed, although to each of us “the Lord has yet more light and truth to break forth from his word”). The coming of Jesus fulfilled Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 15:18 and “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people” (Luke 24:19).

The task of the New Testament prophets was unchanged, in that it was to remind people of, and bring them back to, the biblical roots set out for them (and us) in the word of God, so that they could understand God more completely and strive to be like him. Their function was additionally related to the fulfilment of the Great Commission and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, with the understanding that now the Church itself was to be the Prophet to the nations.

The individual role of each prophet (both then and today) is therefore increasingly to impart the wisdom they have received from their close walk with God to others, so that they too can be built up in their faith and thus be an effective ‘front line’ with the world. This is why prophets need to be subject to other prophets so that they are both open to correction and also protected from bringing anything of themselves into the words they share with others. The lone prophet is, by and large, a thing of the past: each needs to meet with others, not just for fellowship and to build each other up, but also to confirm or correct what they are hearing and to keep their thinking in line with Scripture.

The task of the prophets was to bring people back to their biblical roots, so they could understand God and strive to be like him.

Apostles and prophets are often linked together – they were the foundation of the early Church (Eph 2:20, 3:5) and interestingly these are the two most neglected of the ‘ministry gifts’ today. Their function has always been to give the Church, locally or nationally, the right base for ‘sending out’ and ‘speaking out’ (which is a powerful combination that ensures the Church is guided both in the right direction and with the right values and strategy).

The ‘prophetic’ function is to bring and present the unchanging word of God to others, both in a contemporary setting and to a contemporary world: reaching each new generation, preparing them for works of service and ensuring that the message is passed on.

The words of the prophets should be judged by their contemporaries on their truth, irrespective of the effectiveness the messages have on the +believers in their generation or acceptance of the words they had received. If the biblical prophets were judged on the acceptance of their messages, they would all be judged to be failures.

‘I Wish That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets’

Numbers 11 gives us a great example of how God supported Moses in the desert when he was almost in despair, and began to set in motion an effective strategy that has continuing significance today. Moses’ great joy when God “took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders” led him to want even more as he saw that “when the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied” (11:25).

He wanted there to be no restrictions or limit on who could receive this blessing, when he made the far-reaching statement “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” (11:29) which, with the coming of the Holy Spirit, did come to pass and is still available today.

Prophets need to be subject to other prophets so that they are open to correction and protected from bringing anything of themselves into the words they share.

All human beings have the ability to hear from God, although few actually do!! There is truth in the words of Jean-Paul Sartre, who said “I tell you in truth: all men are Prophets or else God does not exist”. As Romans 10:14 in the Message says “…how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it?”

Encouragement or Warning

When building up the Body of Christ, words of encouragement are just as important as words of warning, and although they may not require the same hard testing as the warnings, they should still be tested. Yet, in our modern society, they are not often treated as of equal importance and often people think that God only rebukes his people.

Continually giving words of warning can be counter-productive – and it is also unbiblical - Jesus called us to ‘feed his sheep’ – not berate them all the time. It is interesting that Judas (Barsabbas) and Silas were prophets who explained the decisions of the Jerusalem Council to the believers in Antioch and encouraged them (Acts 15:30-32).

When the word came to the Seven Churches in Revelation, each of the different gatherings from Ephesus to Laodicea were both commended and rebuked, although only two (Smyrna and Philadelphia) were seen as pleasing to God, while nothing good was said about Sardis. Nevertheless, they all had warnings of what was to come in the future alongside the amazing promises for the overcomers. Our Father is concerned that we listen and hear him – and wants each of us to be ‘overcomers’ so all words from him will be given in order to help us to achieve his desire.

Individual Prophetic Words

Although most words of prophecy are to the whole Body of believers, there can be a place for individual words of encouragement that will build specific people up so that they can play their part in the Body of Christ – and that should be the main emphasis. We will look at personal ‘words of knowledge’ about the future of individuals when we cover the manifestations, but note here that they are usually linked with ‘words of wisdom’ too.

Equipping the Body of Christ

In order to equip the Body of Christ effectively, the modern day prophet should not only desire that the Body of Christ (the Lord’s people given to him to minister to) would have a right relationship with God, but that they too would know the scriptures and know the Lord - and be able to pass this on to others.

Prophetic words should be judged on their truth, irrespective of the effectiveness the messages have on believers.

This confirms the reason given in Ephesians 4 for the continued existence of the prophetic function (working along with the other ministries): “so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ”.

Those with a prophetic function are the most effective when a real relationship has been built up and they know who they are reaching. Their own relationship with God and understanding of the scriptures and the insights they have received are not just for themselves, but God will also show them how they are to share these with others.

As we have noted there are NO prophets speaking directly to the nations today. There are prophetic voices within churches or fellowships of believers – or there should be! They should be the groups who are more open to listening and hearing from God, to enable the Church to be the Prophet to the nation.

But remember, prophets have never had an easy ride! When prophets compare what God is alerting them to in his word with what is happening in the fellowship, they usually call for change – which is not often welcome. People like the status quo and the words of the prophet are often resented by the pastor or priest. Dean Inge said “a priest is never so happy as when he has a prophet to stone”.

There is much more we could include about the role of the prophet – which is also covered elsewhere in this magazine. Prophecy will also play a major part on the Issachar Ministries Community Portal (under construction) – click here to find out more about this project. But if you have any other comments to add about prophets and their role – past and present - please add them below.

 The first - and most controversial - ministry gift of Ephesians 4.

This article is part of a series – click here for previous instalments.

“It was Christ who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph 4:11-13, emphasis added)

While there is much that we can read in the New Testament about the original apostles appointed by Jesus, their calling and the role they fulfilled in the burgeoning Church, there is a divergence of opinion today on whether or not there are, or ever can be, modern-day apostles.

It can be a very divisive subject – but the one thing that all should be agreed on regardless is that the role of an apostle, as it was understood in the Early Church, can and should be carried on in the Church today – a role which, incidentally, has no equivalent in the secular world!

Who WERE the Apostles?

Christ appointed 12 of his disciples to be apostles and named them in Matthew 10 and Luke 6. Following the defection of Judas Iscariot and the ascension of Jesus into Heaven, the remaining 11 (Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James) were praying.

They felt the importance of replacing Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, with “one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection” (Acts 1:21-22). There were two nominations - Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. After prayer they cast lots; “the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:26).

There is a divergence of opinion today on whether or not there can be modern-day apostles.

The Apostles mentioned in the New Testament all had three things in common – they had to have been personally called by Christ, been taught by him directly for several years, and seen him alive after his resurrection (Acts 1:17, 22, 25).

Paul was the one exception, and he had to make a strong case for his inclusion as he had not been one of the disciples at the time of Jesus’ death. In fact, he had been the opposite – distinctively anti-Jesus - yet he too was offered and accepted a specific God-given task.

Ananias had been told by the Lord to seek out Paul after his Damascus experience, “for this man [Paul] is a chosen vessel to me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15-16). Paul’s qualifications were that he had seen the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ and witnessed him perform miracles, and that he had also seen the imparting of the Holy Spirit to baptised believers. He describes himself in Galatians 1:1: “Paul, an apostle - sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead”.

Commissioning

There are others described as ‘apostles’ in the New Testament: Barnabas became an apostle (Acts 14:14) of the congregation of Antioch, Syria. Other men also are referred to as ‘apostles of congregations’ in the sense that they were sent forth by such congregations to represent them. James the brother of Jesus was commissioned to become a leader among the apostles in Jerusalem, but he still met the same requirements placed upon Paul.

Today, commissioning and the laying on of hands carries on the apostolic succession of the Pope in Roman Catholic churches, although most denominations also commission members they consider to have the right qualifications to other, different tasks and many also lay on hands to confirm this.

The first Apostles were all personally called by Christ, taught by him directly and saw him alive after his resurrection.

The Meaning of ‘Apostle’

The word ‘apostle’ is taken from the Greek word apostolos meaning simply ‘sent forth (or of)’ or ‘one who is sent on a mission’. But this does not mean that all who receive a calling from God and are sent forth to share the Good News with those who have not heard it, or who have had hands laid on them, or who are commissioned to plant churches, or for any other reason, are to be called apostles today.

Those who are sent out can often also be called evangelists or teachers, but ‘apostle’ gives the impression of having been given the authority to break new ground – and all are called to some kind of leadership. Apostles are often linked with prophets in partnership; they are seen to need each other.

This particular passage in Ephesians 4 ensures that the five roles designated are part of a team – all of whom are needed in our churches today – and usually in the leadership. This is essentially a team of people called by Christ himself “to equip his people for works of service”. They are not a hierarchy leading from the top – but a group who, having had special privileges, are then also given a special commission to equip and enable others so that they can be on the front line.

The end result is “so that the body of Christ may be built up” – there can be no role for individuals here who do not also have right relationships with others in the areas within which they operate.

Passing on the Baton

Jesus’ final commission to the original apostles just before his ascension to his Father was to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them everything I have commanded you” (Matt 28:19-20).

This carried with it the assumption that the continuance of the true faith was in their hands. They were responsible for ensuring that the faith remained true to all who heard it so that the baton could be passed on to succeeding generations. They needed the Holy Spirit to do this and their fruit would be that others followed Jesus.

‘Apostle’ gives the impression of someone given the authority to break new ground.

In practice, the first apostles continued to meet together in Jerusalem, ministering to the large number of disciples there, which included many Jews. They acted as a focal co-ordinating and consulting point for the spreading Church, remaining linked throughout Paul’s ministry and beyond.

There are glimpses in Paul’s letters of their continuing role and their relationships with the expanding Church, although it was Philip who first took the Gospel to the Samaritans and Paul who then took it farther afield, with Thomas reputed to have taken the Good News to India. By the time of the first Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, there was no longer a Christian representation of the Jewish section of the Church and “building up in unity” had become a major issue.

In order for the baton to be passed on from one generation to another successfully, the wider apostolic role is also definitely still needed – but it is one that is sorely missed in the Church today.

If you have any other comments to add about apostles and their role – past and present - please add them below.

Monica Hill turns from the ‘natural’ gifts (Romans 12) to the ‘ministry’ gifts listed in Ephesians 4. This article is part of a series – click here for previous instalments. 

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph 4:11-13)

We have already noted that there are four lists of the Spiritual Gifts given by the Holy Spirit in different epistles – Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Peter 4 (which concentrates on methods) and Ephesians 4. Each of them have additional teaching in the surrounding verses on how they should operate within the corporate body of believers – often relevant to that specific understanding of the gifts.

The Five-Fold Ministry

The five ‘ministry gifts’ listed in Ephesians 4 are surrounded by teaching on the place of these quite specific roles within the body. Two things stand out of which we need to take note:

1. First, ideally these gifts are meant to operate together, as a team – the five-fold ministry is an entity in itself, and all its gifts should be visible in the leadership of our churches and fellowships today. If Christian communities do not recognise these gifts in specific individuals, at least the principles and values of each should be adopted. Team ministry is not easy and needs to be embraced and worked upon. If this does not happen, one or other of these roles will inevitably take precedence. For example:
   1. For many centuries in the Western Church, pastors and teachers have been predominant, to the neglect of the other roles.
   2. Evangelists have often set up separate, para-Church organisations, and are often felt only to be needed for overseas work - which means that work among nominal Christians has been neglected.
   3. Apostles and prophets are still very rare, with many believing that apostolic ministry died out at the end of the New Testament era. Although they are now receiving more attention these ministries are often misunderstood and can create problems.
   4. Individual prophets in the style of the Old Testament were also relegated to history as it was anticipated that, with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the whole Church would become the Prophet to the nations. An understanding even of the role of the prophet, within fellowships and wider afield, is often missing.
2. Secondly, these roles are given to serve the Body and to help those to whom they are called, to enable all to grow to maturity and be found worthy of being called followers of Christ. They are not given to give status to individuals.

There is no mention of these gifts operating in this way in a worldly sense (unlike the ‘natural’ gifts of Romans 12). Apart from the role of a teacher they do not have secular counterparts, although the world has at times tried to pick up the same values and take them into secular occupations – but more of that when we look at each of them in detail. Leadership in the world is based on very different principles.

In this introduction we will be looking at the context of the introduction of Ministry gifts in the Body of believers and seeing how these gifts should operate.

The ministry gifts are designed to operate together to serve and build up the Body of Christ.

Lessons from Ephesus

The whole of Ephesians is concerned with building up the body of believers in Ephesus, from which we can learn so much. The epistle starts with an emphasis upon Christ as the Head of the whole Christian community - the Church, or (more accurately) the Body of Believers (Eph 1:22-23) (not the institutions), which is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph 2:20-24) and is without any divisions, comprising one Body and one Spirit (Eph 4:4). Members are encouraged to “live a life worthy of the calling” (Eph 4:1), given various instructions on how to act (Eph 5-6) and finally encouraged to “put on the whole armour of God” (Eph 6:10-18).

It is worth noting that Paul has just given that beautiful prayer to God for his brothers and sisters in Ephesus (Eph 3:14-21) which is still such an encouragement to all who read it today. His next words express not only his own total commitment to the Father but his desire that all should “live a life worthy of the calling you have received”. The way to do this is to “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”.

The Priesthood of All Believers

Here is no definition of a hierarchy, an ‘us and them’ or a ‘pecking order’ as so often seen in our churches, but a recognition that we need each other (which is described more fully in 1 Corinthians 12). The sole purpose of these ministry roles is to serve the body of believers so that they can all become mature and be the front line of mission.

The New Testament Church operated as a ‘priesthood of all believers’ – they had a different vision from that practised in Judaism when the Temple was in operation and priests were in control and acted as mediators with God. But even after the birth of the Church and the early days of taking the mission worldwide, it was not very long before the established denominations re-introduced a priestly leadership into churches.

In the priesthood of all believers, there is no hierarchy or pecking order – just a recognition that we all need each other.

Many new movements have since tried to re-capture this concept of the priesthood of all believers, but far too often institutionalisation pushes them back into the need for strong leadership aligned with worldly principles.

The ministry gifts are essentially serving roles - encouraging and empowering others – so that everyone is encouraged to have that direct relationship with the Father themselves and can discern the truth – so that they are “no longer infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”

Ingredients for Full Community Life

The ministries described in Ephesians can be seen as leading roles in the community, but they should also encompass vision, strategy and unity - all essential for any community’s survival. It is not a necessary requirement that the leader has to be the one who has the original vision, but he or she must embrace it and make it their own – just as everyone else in the body must; and likewise with the strategy and action that follows – these two aspects must both be embraced to help form a community and give it its raison d’etre. But often the ministry role also provides the glue that makes people stick together in unity.

Truth and love are essential ingredients to any community of believers – so that “we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph 4:15-16).

Unity is expressed in “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph 4:4-6).

In the next few weeks we will be looking at each of the specific ministry gifts given to the Body of believers – Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher - and exploring further the reasons for which they are given and the way they should operate and relate to each other.

Clifford Hill looks at the letter in Revelation 2 addressed to the Ephesian Church.

"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. 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. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

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. But you have this in your favour: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
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." (Rev 2:1-7)

Ephesus was one of the three great cities of the eastern Mediterranean in the Greco-Roman period – the other two being Antioch of Syria and Alexandria of Egypt. Paul spent three years of his ministry there and John is thought to have settled there sometime after Paul – probably taking with him Mary the Mother of Jesus. John was evidently banished to the island of Patmos during the reign of Domitian (81-96 AD), who was the first Emperor to initiate serious and widespread persecution against Christians.

John was 'in the Spirit' on 1 August (the day named after the Emperor who was the first to be deified) known as 'Lord's day' when many Christians would be refusing to do homage to Caesar at the local shrine by saying "Caesar is Lord!".

As was said in the introductory article last week, the personal messages sent to the Seven Churches were intended to be read aloud in each of them together with the following chapters. The whole message was intended:

...to embolden the timid, to strengthen the weak, to warn the complacent, to give reassurance to the faithful and to give understanding of the purposes of God during this period of hardship and persecution before the second coming of our Lord.¹

Ephesus Then and Now

Ephesus was a busy seaport as well as a centre of commerce and communications. At the time of Paul's ministry its population was somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000. It was also a centre of culture with large numbers of visitors coming to its famous library, much of which Mark Anthony gave to Cleopatra - although many of the scrolls and tablets would probably have been replaced by the time Paul arrived some 20 years later.

Today, Ephesus is the best preserved ancient city in the Mediterranean world because, although it suffered some earthquake damage, it was never conquered and never destroyed by hostile armies. It was simply abandoned when the river silted up making the port unusable and mosquitoes and other insects made it uninhabitable.

Visitors today can walk down the well-preserved main street called Marble Way, with restored buildings on either side. It is usually crowded with visitors which gives the feel of a busy city as it was in Paul's and John's day. A great attraction is the beautiful architecture of the library with its infamous tunnel under the street to the brothel. The library itself was adjacent to the Hall of Tyrannus which Paul rented for his daily teaching.

John was 'in the Spirit' on 1 August, or 'Lord's day', when many Christians would be refusing to do homage to Caesar at the local shrine by saying "Caesar is Lord!".

Rules for VisitorsTheatre in Ephesus.

Visitors to Ephesus would normally enter the main gates at the upper level and would no doubt have been impressed by the efficient organisation of the city with its strict immigration procedures. All caravans and chariots had to be left outside the city gates just as coaches and taxis are today.

The first building inside the gates was the baths and all visitors were required to wash their bodies on entering the city. Next, they had to go into the City Hall where the rules of the city were displayed. Visitors then went into a small theatre where they were addressed by the city elders who elaborated the regulations ensuring that everyone was familiar with the rules and norms of behaviour required.

Christian visitors can see the spiritual significance of this in terms of entering the Kingdom of Heaven. New converts first have to leave behind the baggage of the world. They are then washed of the sins of the world through baptism after which they receive the word of God which is expounded by the elders. Finally, they are free to enjoy living in the city of God.

Success of the Gospel

In addition to the well-preserved Main Street with its numerous buildings, Ephesus also has a magnificent theatre with 24,000 seats. It was this theatre that was filled by the riotous mob led by Demetrius (Acts 19), the leader of the silversmiths' trade union, shouting "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!". They were protesting that Paul's ministry was threatening their trade in making images of the fertility goddess Artemis.

Ephesus was renowned as a city of vice and idolatry attracting sailors and traders from around the world, but Paul had enormous success in converting large numbers with the Gospel, resulting in many of them publicly burning their scrolls and images (Acts 19:19).

Turkish guides are often not aware of the most significant part of Ephesus for Christians. After leaving the great theatre, the guides usually lead their parties to the exit gate where the coaches wait. But Christians should look for a small track on the left-hand side that leads to the ruins of the church of St Mary the Virgin with its well-preserved chancel – a beautiful place to sit and pray.

The building was originally built by the Romans as the Financial Exchange, before becoming a church. At the end of the nave on the right-hand side there is a transept with the oldest remaining baptistery in the world. This church is where the Council of Ephesus took place in 431 AD, which fixed the Canon of the Bible and settled many questions of doctrine.

Like those entering the Kingdom of Heaven, visitors to Ephesus would have had to leave behind their baggage, go through a cleansing process and then receive new instruction on how to live.

Paul's Message

In the personal message to the Christians in Ephesus sent by John there was praise for their "deeds, hard work and perseverance". The message continued "I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary" (Rev 2:3).

This was followed by the rebuke: "But you have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen!" They had been diligent in upholding the true faith of the Gospel. They themselves had discovered the true God of the universe and they wanted everyone to know him and to share their faith. They had overflowed with love for each other in the fellowship of believers and their love was so great that it overflowed to their pagan neighbours – but that was the early days, probably back in the heady days when Paul was around and everything was new and exciting.

Having to sort out false teachers who had come among them made them suspicious. Testing false doctrine had put a strain on personal relationships and even made them critical of each other in the fellowship, resulting in false accusations. They were however perfectly right in opposing the Nicolaitans for their false teaching. It was right to expel false teachers; but there was a cost – the cost was their love.

Believers in Ephesus had diligently upheld the true faith – but in doing so had lost their initial love for God.

The fellowship of believers in Ephesus could be summed up in a few words: they were 'vigilant but loveless'. The message of Jesus to his beloved ones in Ephesus was to return to their first love.

This is such a relevant message for us today. The Church has been assailed by many false teachings in recent decades that have brought division and conflict within fellowships and between one church and another. The struggle to hold fast to the faith has been costly for many believers and has often resulted in the loss of personal relationships of love. We all need to hear this call to return to our first love for the Lord Jesus and for his Gospel.

References

1 Hill, C & M, 2005. Ephesus to Laodicea, Handsel Press, Edinburgh, p106.

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