Assessment
Pastor Patrick Rowland
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.’’” Revelation 2:1-3
In any kind of court case or investigation, it is critical that evidence and witness testimony have a high level of credibility. The witness’ story cannot just be believable, the witness must also be a person who is trustworthy. This passage begins with the letters to the seven actual churches at the time of John’s recording of Revelation with each letter having an important message for each church. You could call it an assessment of each ministry.
As a pastor for a long time, I am very aware of the assessments that are made each week of a church, ministry, pastor, and message. They are shared in the form of passive observations, social media comments, and my favorite, Sunday afternoon emails. We hear those comments all the time and over the years I have learned to only listen to the ones with credibility.
In Revelation 2:1, the messenger establishes credibility before one thought is shared, “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.’”
These words are delivered by One who not only has been in the presence of each of these churches, but also maintains the spiritual life of those churches. We know based on chapter 1, verses 10-11, that it was Jesus who instructed John to record these words. It was Jesus who is the credible source of this ministry assessment. We read, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, ‘Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea’” (Revelation 1:10-11).
If the church in Ephesus was given a grade card they would be receiving an A. Listen to how they are described, “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary” (Revelation 2:2-3).
Ephesus was one of the top cities in the Roman Empire because of its geographical location and its commerce. This also lead to a wide range of diversity and cultures which contributed to a reputation for pagan worship. In Acts chapter 19, we read of a riot in the city because of the impact Paul was having on sharing the Gospel. These new converts were directly affecting the economy. Basically, the church had its challenges in this culture. However, it is in the darkest times that light can stand out all the more. The church at Ephesus was known for standing out and standing up.
It makes me wonder, what would our church be known for? If you ask people in our community, “What do you know about The River?” how would they respond? Better yet, what are you known for? How would Jesus assess you and your life right now?