The End is the Beginning

The End is the Beginning

In the year 1994, the city of Ephesus made a tiny ripple of news. This once proud city, which housed one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Artemis, again touched the ear of modern man in the year 2000 as it faced a temporary setback. And in 2015, after 22 long years, it finally achieved its goal. It got the recognition it had been hoping for. To have its ruins designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a tourist destination, not to drink in the culture or try out the cuisine. People now go to marvel at what it once was, before it crumbles entirely into dust. The city, how far it had fallen, that once welcomed noted figures such as Mark Antony and even Alexander the Great and was also the capital of proconsular Asia under the Romans. That was then of course, and this is now. And now? After a multi-decade fight, Ephesus was classified by an arm of the UN to be historically significant enough to be preserved. A rare example of the UN making the unquestionably right call. The memory of Ephesus should be preserved, but we needn’t make a proclamation or a tourist site. We need only turn to Revelation. “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.” (Revelation 2:1-3)

…….So, what’s the point? A slightly interesting story of an ancient Greek city, tangentially connected to a lovely sounding description of an early church. If not for 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 2:4-6) ‘Consider how far you have fallen.’ A sobering admonishment if ever there was one. Why was hard work, enduring, and perseverance not enough? Why wasn’t rooting out wickedness and testing false apostles enough? How could a church that endures hardships and refuses to grow weary fail? Because strength gives out. Because faith without love is a brittle thing that over time turns bitter. Because you cannot excommunicate your way to a thriving church or exclude out a path to growing the gospel. It is not wrong to cleave tightly to Scripture, and it is not wrong to correct those that deviate from it. It is necessary to stand up against wickedness and not allow it a foothold in the Church. But love must effuse through all that you do, it must be your driving force, and goal. “If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2) For God the what is not as important as the why. By all means “Expel the wicked man from among you.” But you cannot do this out of malice, self-righteousness, haughty derision, or any semblance of superiority. A loving devotion to the Father and an intolerance for those who willfully and repeatedly besmirch Him should be your motive, otherwise it is only self-aggrandizement. An addition by subtraction, viewing sinfulness as zero sum.

But sinfulness is not zero sum, it is all encompassing. A single blot removed us from paradise and has stained the world and all that have lived within it since. And that blot has been joined with a number beyond reckoning as we have labored dutifully, person by person, to add our acts to that bloody register. Yet, “in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.” (Ephesians 1:12-13a) How can we have hope when our just reward is death? Because it isn’t up to us. We have been given something we cannot attain on our own. We have been chosen by a benevolent God to rescue us from the furnace our actions are marching us toward. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace, that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:7-8) In fact, this entire section (verses 3-14 were a single sentence in the original Greek) paints the picture of a very active God bestowing gifts upon His creation. These verses make clear that our Salvation is God’s work and not something brought about by our action or inaction. We cannot bridge the chasm that our sin has rent. “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” (2 Corinthians 12:9a)

Alright, we get it. Ephesus was old, the people weren’t loving, and God is very very kind. Got it! But what does it all mean? There are three pretty big takeaways from these first 14 verses of Chapter 1 in Ephesians. The first is assurance. “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” (Ephesians 1:4) God does not play with dice nor has any need for coincidence. You are chosen because He chose you. End of sentence. It was not done idly, nor haphazardly, nor mistakenly. Some are convinced they are beyond redemption for the things they’ve done, the words they’ve said, or the thoughts they’ve had. God knew those in advance and chose you anyway! Are you wiser than God, more knowledgeable about His ways and reasons? “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) This is what grants us assurance. If we think that God can’t work through such a broken tool as ourselves, we must recognize that all God has to pick from are broken tools! Those are the only ones to be found here. Which is precisely why Paul revels in his weaknesses. So that it stands as a larger proof of God’s power and love. Paul is excited that his weaknesses can serve as a showcase for God’s capability.

Secondly, we can glean hope from these verses. This hope is a natural outgrowth of our assurance. If indeed God has chosen us, it is with a distinct purpose. Our faith should encourage us to see the unlimited potential of this situation and bring us hope. God recognizes this may prove difficult for us, and in His steadfast love refuses to leave us alone. “Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13b-14) The Holy Spirit, among many other things, reminds us of God’s promise and reassures us that we are part of it. And how should one act who is assured and hopeful? Boldly.

There is no reason for apprehension, nervousness, trepidation, or anxiety in us. It may exist, but there is no reason for it. We are God’s chosen with a hope that just does not exist for anyone else. Act like it. “In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.” (Ephesians 1:5) Benny was good enough to remind us that the adoption referred to here is into royalty. And not just in the Plantagenet line. But to an eternal Kingdom. There would be no reason for a prince or princess of the realm to be timid or frightened. Why should we be? When referring to the mystery of God’s will, Paul reminds us what its aim is. “To be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.” (Ephesians 1:10) This is the destiny of all things. Christ’s dominion will be complete. All encompassing one might say. And our actions are meant to bring Him glory. (v.12)

And we cannot do that without love. We simply can’t. If we are to emulate our Father and our Savior, then we must act out of love, because that is precisely what animates their actions. It was out of love God created this world, it was with love He sent His Son into it, it was with love Christ humbled Himself to that of a mere man, and with love that He submitted to the Father’s will even unto death on a cross. How do we know that? Because before “Let there be light” there was a choice. He chose you. Your actions cannot give God glory if all you are interested in doing is excommunicating or excluding. Piety must include humility, because truth must recognize when we fail. Righteousness is not a bending measure or a sliding scale. It’s pass/fail. And we cannot pass.

Ephesus was a major port along the Kaystros river. This lifeline flooded commerce, people, news, notions, and so much more into the city. Sometime around the 5th century A.D. it silted up. Despite the best efforts of the people, the river dried up and the route to the Aegean Sea was lost. People slowly left, the temples there were used as building blocks for new homes. Even the marble sculptures were ground down to powder to be used as lime for plaster. If you want a physical manifestation for what happens when love is erased as the motive for your actions, I invite you to visit the ruins of a town called Ephesus. If our heart stops beating for God, then we too dry up and lose access to the source of joy, peace, assurance, hope, and boldness that taking up the mantle of Christ requires. Ronald Reagan was fond of pointing out that “Freedom is always one generation away from extinction.” Each successive generation has to fight on its own terms for the (surprisingly fragile) freedom that we in this country hold dear. Each successive generation has to do the same for the gospel. Just because you received an epistle from Paul himself doesn’t guarantee your survival. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1) So how will the church of this generation respond? How will we endure? Will you rise to the challenge of the times? Why not? Before all, He chose you. What else are you waiting for?

Jordan Williamson