Chapter 57—The Revelation
In the days of the apostles the Christian believers were filled with
earnestness and enthusiasm. So untiringly did they labor for their
Master that in a comparatively short time, notwithstanding fierce oppo-
sition, the gospel of the kingdom was sounded to all the inhabited parts
of the earth. The zeal manifested at this time by the followers of Jesus
has been recorded by the pen of inspiration for the encouragement of
believers in every age. Of the church at Ephesus, which the Lord Jesus
used as a symbol of the entire Christian church in the apostolic age,
the faithful and true Witness declared:
“I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou
canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which
say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: and hast
borne, and hast patience, and for My name’s sake hast labored, and
hast not fainted.”
Revelation 2:2, 3
.
At the first the experience of the church at Ephesus was marked
with childlike simplicity and fervor. The believers sought earnestly to
[579]
obey every word of God, and their lives revealed an earnest, sincere
love for Christ. They rejoiced to do the will of God because the Saviour
was in their hearts as an abiding presence. Filled with love for their
Redeemer, their highest aim was to win souls to Him. They did not
think of hoarding the precious treasure of the grace of Christ. They
felt the importance of their calling; and, weighted with the message,
“On earth peace, good will toward men,” they burned with desire to
carry the glad tidings of salvation to earth’s remotest bounds. And the
world took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. Sinful
men, repentant, pardoned, cleansed, and sanctified, were brought into
partnership with God through His Son.
The members of the church were united in sentiment and action.
Love for Christ was the golden chain that bound them together. They
followed on to know the Lord more and still more perfectly, and in
their lives were revealed the joy and peace of Christ. They visited
the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and kept themselves
381