[Revelation] To the Church at Ephesus 預覽

Resist Evil, Endure Hardships

I would have liked to be part of the Church of Ephesus when the Lord Jesus praised those believers who worked hard, persevered, endured hardships for His name, and did not grow weary. And, let me not forget about the fact that the Ephesians did not tolerate wicked men and were able to discern those false Christians or false teachers. These are qualities and virtues I would very much hope to hear the Lord Jesus commend me for. 

To be able to resist evil, we must first pray for discernment. We need to identify whether the evil in the other person is the kind that seeks to deceive or whether it is mostly due to the old and sinful nature. If deception is at hand, we must not endure it, and we must resist it openly, with boldness. If human weakness is the matter, we should pray for and exhort that person with patience. Resisting and enduring is not an easy task. It requires boldness and patience.

The believers at the Church of Ephesus lived through the end of the Apostolic Age and had to endure severe persecution. Their lives were constantly in danger, and their faith was continuously put to the test. Yet, they endured and they were able to persevere. Oh, how I pray for courage and endurance! 

We have seen so many become so weary and fearful of Covid-19. It is a very real threat, but one that we must not allow to overtake us. We must endure this trial and face it with faith in the fact that God is our shield. When God appeared to Abram in Genesis 15:1, He told him: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield.” Every time we leave our home, we must remember that God is our shield, and we must not fear. Fear can open so many doors to negative emotions; it can lead us to make negative confessions such as, “I will get sick if I go out.” We can speak words of fear or words of faith. Let us speak words based not on a probability but on God, who is our shield.

We must endure this trial and this threat, since we are challenged to imitate the enduring faith of the Ephesians.