Check out all the previous Unstoppable readings here.
Unstoppable Reading Plan | Week 5 | Day 2
Prayer
Allow some silence for your soul to catch up with your body. As you come to spend time with Jesus, consider what you are fearful of and ask God to meet you in those fears today.
Bible Reading: Revelation 2:1-7
Read these verses three times slowly.
“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 favor: 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.
Reflection & Questions
We are looking this week at “Unstoppable Church.” As we read yesterday, Jesus said that, “ I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:18. There is nothing that can stop the family of believers across the world from growing. But just because the entire family of believers can’t be stopped, there is plenty that can trip up a local church. This week we are going to read about three local churches, which were located in modern-day Turkey, that had got tripped up and in the book of Revelation we have Jesus’ messages to them. It is good for us as a group of believers called Crossroads to learn from these churches’ mistakes.
These messages to the churches are often called “The Letters to the Churches” and there are seven of them (we will look at just three). There’s a similar structure to each letter. The sender (Jesus) is described. Then a commendation for the church. Then a rebuke and/or exhortation. Finally a promise.
The first letter we read today is to the church in Ephesus. Take a moment and read through the letter again, noticing the structure (Description of sender, commendation, rebuke and promise). The church in Ephesus has quite a track record: deeds, hardwork and perseverance and rejecting false teaching. However, they have “forgotten their first love.” This can mean they either had lost their devotion to Jesus or their love for each other, or perhaps both. Either way, the lesson is that truth and love are needed in a church. It is not good to be doctrinally pure and not love people. And it’s not good to love people and throw doctrine out the window. A church must hold truth and love hand in hand.
- If you were to lean on one side or the other, would you tend to be more concerned about truth or more concerned about love? Why? Do you need to rectify this balance in your life?
- In today’s culture, what are some situations where it can be difficult to hold truth and love in balance? How can a church handle those with truth and love?
Prayer
Talk to God in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
