Yeah. Good.
We would like to consider the Song of Songs.
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth,
Where thou feedest thy flock,
Where thou makest it to rest at noon:
For why should I be as one that is veiled
Beside the flocks of thy companions?If thou know not, O thou fairest among women,
Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock,
And feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.
Now let us turn to Acts 19.
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper country came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples:
And he said unto them, Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye believed? And they said unto him, Nay, we did not so much as hear whether the Holy Spirit was given.
And he said, Into what then were ye baptized? And they said, Into John’s baptism.
And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on Him that should come after him, that is, on Jesus.
And when they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
And they were in all about twelve men.
And he entered into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, reasoning and persuading as to the things concerning the kingdom of God.
But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
And this continued for the space of two years; so that all they that dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
Now turn to Acts 20, beginning with verse 17.
And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to him the elders of the church.
And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, after what manner I was with you all the time,
Serving the Lord with all lowliness of mind, and with tears, and with trials which befell me by the plots of the Jews;
How I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly, and from house to house,
Testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, shall see my face no more.
Wherefore I testify unto you this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
For I shrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God.
Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which He purchased with His own blood.
I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock;
And from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
Wherefore watch ye, remembering that by the space of three years I ceased not to admonish every one night and day with tears.
And now I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified.
Let us have a further word of prayer.
Lord, we really thank You because You so loved us, and for us You gave Your own life. Lord, we also thank You and praise You because the purpose You have set for us is so noble and so glorious.
May we not take Your love lightly. By the encouragement of Your love, may we rise up and follow You.
We look up to You this morning, Lord. Through Your own Word, encourage us, that we may find You in Your own Word. Only You are the love of our heart. In the name of the Lord Jesus, amen.
Now, because of the shortage of time, I originally intended to go directly to the book of Acts. But I think perhaps, brothers and sisters, there is one question in your heart.
If this question is not resolved, then even if we want to go on, we may not be able to make it clear.
In the Song of Songs, we see this woman who has a heart longing for the Lord. Yet she was in a very confusing environment.
She was beside the flocks of the companions of the Lord. The companions of the Lord should be with the Lord, but we see many companions because they were not with the Lord.
Originally, the flock of the Lord is only one flock, because John 10 tells us that there is one flock and one Shepherd. The flock belongs to our Lord.
But here this woman found that there were not only many companions, but each companion had his own flock. So she was really confused. She could not see where the Lord was.
She cried fervently to the Lord. She said, “Lord, I am like one who is veiled. I am like one who wanders around. What I have seen are Your companions and the flocks of these companions, so I cannot find You.”
And she begged the Lord to tell her where He was. The Lord responded, “O thou fairest among women, if thou know not, just follow the footsteps of the flock, and then you can find Me.”
Indeed, that woman followed the footsteps of the flock and found the Lord. But today we have a question.
We have seen many flocks, and we also see many companions of the Lord. So where are the footsteps of that flock?
Here they say, “This is the footsteps of the flock.” There they say, “Those are the footsteps.” In the history of the church, we have seen many different footsteps. Which, then, are the footsteps of that flock?
It is as though the Lord said something that cannot be realized: “Brothers and sisters, just follow the footsteps of the flock, and you will find Me.”
Certainly, if we follow the footsteps of the flock, we will find our Lord. But the problem is that we do not know where the footsteps of the flock are.
Would our Lord say something confusing? Would He say anything that cannot be done? I believe that cannot be the case.
Why, then, do we feel such difficulty today?
First of all, does our heart really long for the Lord? If our heart singularly desires our Lord, then surely we will see the footsteps of His flock, and surely we will find Him.
The Lord has said that if you seek, you shall find; if you knock, the door will be opened to you.
But oftentimes our heart is not singular enough. We say that we long for the Lord, but that desire is mixed with other desires. In that condition, we cannot find the footsteps of His flock.
Second, the Lord has given His Word to us. In His Word we can find the footsteps of the flock.
The Gospels show us the footsteps of our Lord, and Acts shows us the footsteps of that flock.
If we truly go back to the Word of God, we can find the footsteps of the flock. Oftentimes we cannot find the footsteps of our Lord because we do not go to His Word to look. We look for the footsteps of His flock outside of the Word; then, of course, we will be confused.
Third, God has put His Spirit in us. Every believer has the Holy Spirit in him.
The Holy Spirit in us will teach us in everything. If we truly follow the leading of the Spirit, surely we will find the footsteps of the flock.
Brothers and sisters, I feel that oftentimes the questions we have arise not because the Word of the Lord is unclear, but because the problem is with us.
If we have a singular heart toward the Lord, if we are willing to go back to the Word of God, and if we are willing to follow the Holy Spirit in us, I believe the footsteps of the flock are not hard to find. We can find the Lord, who is the love in our heart.
We believe that Acts shows us the footsteps of the flock. We have already shared concerning the church at Jerusalem. They left us footsteps, and if we follow them, surely we will find our Lord.
We also shared concerning the church in Antioch. There we see the continuation of those footsteps, because our Lord proceeds forward.
He goes from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth. Jerusalem not only shows us the footsteps of the flock; on the one hand, it gives us encouragement, and on the other hand, it gives us warning.
Then the Lord moved forward to Antioch. His flock left footsteps at Antioch, and that also is our admonition.
Then He moved forward to Galatia, and there He also left some footsteps. He also shows us how one can deviate from those footsteps, that we may receive warning.
This morning we would like to share concerning the church at Ephesus.
Bible students generally agree that God began at Jerusalem, and then God began anew at Antioch.
The church at Jerusalem showed some very glorious conditions, but it was greatly influenced by Judaism. It could not set itself free from Judaism.
At the church in Jerusalem, almost all were Jews—Jews who had accepted the Lord. Therefore, the Holy Spirit made a new start in Antioch.
Antioch was far away in distance, and most of the believers there were Gentiles. At Antioch the disciples were first called Christians, because other people did not consider them merely a sect of Judaism.
But in Ephesus, the Holy Spirit began a new thing. In Antioch most people were Gentiles, but when we come to Ephesus, we see Jews and Greeks together.
Whether Jews or Gentiles, they were baptized into one Body. When they believed in the Lord, they became one new man. Here we see the Holy Spirit beginning a new thing.
When Paul went out on his second missionary journey, as we have mentioned in Acts 16, they went through the places they had visited before.
They intended to go into Asia, Asia Minor, a province of Rome. Yet the Holy Spirit forbade them from going into Asia.
For this reason they wanted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus forbade them again. So they went forward west.
At that time, on Paul’s second missionary journey, the Holy Spirit brought them to Europe—to Macedonia and Greece.
When we come to Acts 18, we find that on their return journey Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla went to Ephesus.
And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.
And when they asked him to abide a longer time, he consented not;
But taking his leave of them, and saying, I will return again unto you if God will, he set sail from Ephesus.
Although God had forbidden Paul to go to Ephesus when he began his second journey, because the will of the Holy Spirit was to bring the gospel into Europe, on the way back they did go to Ephesus.
Perhaps Paul was there only briefly. He went into the synagogue and spoke once. When they wanted him to remain longer, he said, “No, I cannot. I have to go back to Jerusalem. But, Lord willing, I will return again to you.” Then he sailed away.
When Paul left Ephesus, he left behind Aquila and Priscilla. We know that this couple really loved the Lord.
Although they were tentmakers, it seems that wherever they went, the Lord used them to raise up His own testimony. Paul left them in Ephesus, and they began to function there.
We know that Apollos came from Alexandria to Ephesus. Apollos was a very learned man, with a deep knowledge of the Scriptures. He also knew about the Lord Jesus Christ, but he knew only the baptism of John.
When Apollos came, he went into the synagogue to preach Jesus Christ. But Aquila and Priscilla realized that Apollos was not clear enough concerning the Lord, so they brought him to their home and explained the way of God to him more accurately.
When Apollos was going to Corinth, the brothers wrote a letter to the believers at Corinth to introduce him. This shows that Aquila and Priscilla had already borne fruit in Ephesus. The church had already begun in their house, and there were brothers there.
This couple was indeed precious. How good it would be if there were more families like that on earth today.
When Paul went out on his third missionary journey, we discover that he spent most of his time in Asia, particularly in Ephesus. The Holy Spirit has His own time, and the Holy Spirit has His own strategy.
The third time Paul went out on missionary journey, Ephesus was the center of his work.
He came to Ephesus and met twelve disciples. As he spoke with them, he found that there was a problem. So he asked them, “When you believed, did you receive the Holy Spirit?”
They said, “We believed, but we have never even heard of the Holy Spirit.” Paul asked, “What baptism did you receive?” They answered, “We received the baptism of John.”
I do not know whether these twelve disciples had heard the preaching of Apollos and had become disciples of John. They believed that Christ would come, that the Messiah would come, and they repented. They were waiting for the Messiah.
But they did not have, in their lives, a relationship with the Lord who had already come. They had heard the doctrine concerning His coming, but they did not have a life relationship with the Lord.
Their baptism was the baptism of John. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, preparing people to believe in the Messiah who was to come.
Therefore, they had never heard of the Holy Spirit. When the Lord comes, He baptizes us in the Holy Spirit. John used water to baptize, but the Lord baptizes people with the Holy Spirit.
No wonder they had never even heard the name of the Holy Spirit. If there were no Holy Spirit, how could they be born again? How could they have a life relationship with the Lord?
What they had was objective doctrine; they did not have subjective experience.
Paul told them that they should be baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. That is to say, they should believe in Jesus and be baptized unto His name.
So they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. After they were baptized, Paul laid his hands upon them.
Why did he lay his hands upon them? It was an identification. In the past, you were not in the Body of Christ. Now you have believed in the Lord. We are identified; we are in union in the Lord Jesus.
The gifts were also manifested in these members. Thus, when Paul arrived in Ephesus, the church had already begun with these twelve.
Paul then went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews. The word translated “reasoning” means that he was dialoguing with them.
There he explained the Word of God to the Jews and persuaded them concerning the kingdom of God. On the one hand, he encouraged them; on the other hand, he warned them. For three months he went to the synagogue to reason and dialogue.
But some of the Jews opposed him and spoke evil of the Way. The Way is the way of life. We believers walk on the Way, and we have a way of life that men cannot find in this world.
Some of the Jews rose up and blasphemed this Way. So Paul left them, and he brought out those in the synagogue who had believed in the Lord.
He went to the school of Tyrannus and used that place. Every day he preached the Word of the Lord there for two years.
Thus all in Asia heard the Word of the Lord, because Ephesus was a center in Asia. People from all over Asia came to Ephesus, and they heard the Word of the Lord.
What was going on in the school of Tyrannus? It was not like a school today. Perhaps it was one of the well-known gymnasiums in Ephesus.
At that time, their working hours were different from ours. From eleven o’clock in the morning until four o’clock in the afternoon was their rest time. What did they do then? They went to the gymnasium or school.
There they not only exercised physically; they also listened to teaching. Paul rented that place, and every day he preached the Word of the Lord for two years.
The people in all Asia heard the Word of the Lord. We also see that the Word of the Lord was powerful there. Many people came to the Lord.
Our purpose now is not merely to retell history. We want to look for the footsteps of the flock. We want to learn some lessons from the church at Ephesus.
If you look at the church at Ephesus, you see two characteristics.
First, the Word of God among them was prosperous and victorious.
Paul spent about three years in Ephesus. In those three years, how diligently he preached the Word of God.
If you read Acts 20, you find what Paul said to the elders: “You know, when I was with you, with tears in my eyes, I admonished you publicly and privately, from house to house. I admonished you to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus.”
In those three years, Paul richly supplied the Word of God to the believers at Ephesus. He also told them, “There is nothing beneficial to you that I withheld.”
The Word of God was prosperous at Ephesus, and it was also victorious. What does that mean? It means that the Word of God had effect in them.
They did not merely hear something or know something in their minds. The Word of God had power in their lives, and their lives were changed. Therefore, the Word of God was victorious.
The church at Ephesus was especially strong in the Word of God.
Not only was the Word of God abundant among them; we also see the condition of the preacher of that Word when he was among them.
Oftentimes we can preach the Word of God well, but the preacher himself may not be in union with the Word. In that case, the Word of God cannot be victorious, because what people hear is only knowledge. They cannot see the power of the Word of God.
But when Paul was with them, he lived among them. In everything, he proved that the Word was true, that the Word was real, and that the Word had life.
There was nothing in Paul’s conduct that could cause the Ephesians to stumble. Therefore, Paul could say, “If you perish, your blood is not on my head.”
This is such an important thing. Today, not only must you give the Word of God to men; the preacher himself has to be given to men.
If we cannot present ourselves to the conscience of men, the words we speak are totally empty and without power. They cannot be victorious.
We thank and praise God that Paul was among them in everything for three years. He worked with his own hands, and he did not covet anyone’s silver, gold, or clothing.
No wonder the Word of God was so powerful there. This is a characteristic of the church at Ephesus: the Word of God was living among them. It was not only word; it was living.
This is the first characteristic. What can edify the church is the Word of God. The word of man cannot edify the church. Only the grace of God and His Word can edify the church.
Paul said to the elders, “I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace,” because that Word can edify you.
Brothers and sisters, how can we find the footsteps of the flock? The footsteps of the flock are in the Word of God.
The whole gospel, the eternal purpose of God, is spirit and is truth. This is the footsteps of the flock, because our Lord is the Way and our Lord is the Truth. Whoever finds the Way of the Lord finds the Lord Himself.
The second characteristic is that the church at Ephesus was filled with love for the Lord.
How do we know? They had heard the Word, and the love of the Lord touched their hearts. Therefore, they no longer had the same love for other things as before.
Before the Ephesians believed in the Lord, many people practiced magic. They loved magic and bought many books about it.
But after they believed in the Lord, they confessed openly. This was not merely something in their minds; it produced action.
They took the books of magic from their houses, brought them out, and burned them. The value of those books was about fifty thousand pieces of silver.
Here we see that their following of the Lord was absolute. Because they loved the Lord, they rejected everything that was outside of the Lord.
The church at Ephesus had this first love. What does “first love” mean?
First love is the love of a virgin. It is pure love. It is not a love divided among other things; it is a singular love.
They had a singular love toward the Lord, and for the Lord they did not count any cost. This is a very special thing about the church at Ephesus.
Because they loved the Lord, Paul was able to open to them the eternal purpose of God.
We know that Paul could not say these things to the Corinthian church, because the Corinthians were like babies. They could take only milk; they could not take solid food.
When Paul was with them, he could tell them only the most basic things. But as to the mystery of God and the wisdom of God—the things that God has prepared for those who love Him—he could not release these things to them.
It was not because the Corinthians were not intelligent. The Corinthians were very clever people. They were eloquent and lacked nothing in knowledge or utterance.
But the knowledge of God is not gained by the wisdom of man. Many wise men in this world do not know God at all.
The Ephesian brothers and sisters may not have had the human wisdom of the Corinthians, but because they loved the Lord, they could know God.
Today, we can know God because of love. It is not because you are smart; it is not because you are wise.
The wisdom of God is hidden from those who are wise in their own eyes, but it is revealed to the childlike. A child is not childish; a child is childlike.
A child has a singular and pure heart. If you have a pure heart toward the Lord, the Lord will reveal His secret to you.
Today we do not know the Lord, not because we are not smart enough, but because our heart toward the Lord is not complete.
If our heart toward the Lord is complete, the Lord wants to reveal His heart to us fully. That is why the Ephesian brothers and sisters knew the Lord.
Paul was in Ephesus near the end of the 50s after Christ. Then, at the beginning of the 60s, when he was in a Roman prison—about A.D. 62 or 63—he wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians.
What Paul wrote in the Epistle to the Ephesians was the highest watermark of the revelation of God given to him. The highest revelation that God had given him, he could share with the Ephesians.
We do not have time to consider the Epistle to the Ephesians in detail, but Ephesians tells us of the true knowledge of God. It tells us of the mystery of God and the eternal purpose of God.
Paul prayed that they might have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the true knowledge of God.
Why could Paul share so openly with the Ephesians? Because the Ephesians loved the Lord.
At the end of Ephesians, in Ephesians 6:24, Paul says:
Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible.
Some translations say, “Grace be with all who love the Lord with undying love.” The Darby translation says, “Love in incorruption.”
This shows us that the Ephesian brothers and sisters had a first love toward the Lord.
These are the two most prominent characteristics of the Ephesian church: the Word of God was living and victorious among them, and they had a first love toward the Lord.
But, brothers and sisters, when Paul was released from the Roman prison, about A.D. 63, he went through Ephesus again.
When he arrived at Ephesus, he discovered that the condition of the Ephesian saints had changed.
In Acts 20, Paul invited the elders of the Ephesian church to Miletus. He warned them, “After I leave you, savage wolves will come in among you. They will bring in other doctrines. And among yourselves there will be people rising up to speak strange things, drawing people after themselves.”
Paul said, “Take heed to yourselves, and take heed to the whole flock,” because the flock was purchased by God with His own blood.
Paul’s warning was indeed realized. Within those years, the elders had passed away, and when Paul went to Ephesus again, he discovered difficulties among them.
What were the difficulties? Some among them taught other doctrines, strange and groundless things. They talked about genealogies and said that one had to keep the law of Moses.
In other words, Judaizing Christians had come to Ephesus.
In Acts, wherever Paul went, Judaizing Christians followed him and gave him much trouble. They wanted to confuse the true Word of God.
When Paul was kept in prison, these people went to Ephesus and said that believers had to keep the law.
But whatever these people taught did not benefit the dispensation of God, which is in faith. The summary of God’s commandment is love.
This love comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned.
These strange doctrines did not strengthen love and faith. Rather, some lost their conscience, their love, and their faith.
Truth and love are connected. If what you receive is truth, truth will inspire and increase your love.
But if you go into strange doctrines, you will lose your love. You may even lose your conscience, and you will lose your faith too.
The Ephesian church’s strength became the point at which the enemy attacked. On the matter of truth and love, the enemy came in.
Paul did not have time to deal with the situation himself, so he left Timothy there, that Timothy might forbid those who taught doctrines that appeared to be true but were actually wrong.
This was about A.D. 63. When Paul was released from prison, he discovered that this was the condition in Ephesus.
Brothers and sisters, oftentimes your strength is the very point at which the enemy attacks.
This is true both individually and corporately. Many people fail, not because of their weakness, but because of their strength. That is the target of the enemy.
Truth and love were the banners of the Ephesian church, but on these two points the enemy attacked them.
In A.D. 64, the emperor Nero burned the city of Rome. The Roman citizens were very angry, and Nero needed a scapegoat.
The easiest target was the Christians, because Christians were so different from the world. Nero said that the Christians had set the fire, and great persecution came.
If you were a Christian, you were considered a criminal. Many Christians were martyred.
Paul was, of course, a target. He was put in prison again and brought to Rome.
The conditions were entirely different from the first time he went to Rome. The first time, he was allowed to rent his own house, with one of the Praetorian guard assigned to him.
But the second time he was brought to Rome, he was put in a dungeon. The condition was totally different. It was an era of terror.
In A.D. 67 or 68, Paul was martyred. Before he was martyred, he wrote 2 Timothy.
When he wrote 2 Timothy, the condition of the church was different from the earlier time when he had been released. He said, “All that are in Asia turned away from me.”
Paul had worked hard in Asia, yet all Asia had forsaken him. This does not mean that they ceased to believe. Rather, because the situation was so dreadful, they wanted to draw a line between themselves and Paul so that they would not be brought into trouble.
At that time, the love of the brothers had disappeared. Their love for the Lord and their love for the brothers had grown cold.
This does not mean that no one stood with Paul. Timothy was there, but Timothy was a timid man. So Paul wrote to encourage him: “Do not be afraid of difficulties. Be like a soldier of Christ.”
When Paul arrived in Rome, while others were trying to keep away from him, Onesiphorus looked for Paul and found him.
But by and large, all Asia had left Paul. When Paul was first tried in Rome, no one was willing to testify for him. Everyone was afraid. Everyone loved himself and sought to protect himself.
Paul was too dangerous to associate with. If you touched him, you could be burned. But the Lord was with him.
At that point, where was the love at Ephesus?
Paul was martyred. Peter was martyred. But out of the original twelve apostles, John was still there.
According to what we know, John went to Asia and visited the churches there.
Around A.D. 95, when Domitian was emperor, John was exiled to the island of Patmos.
When we come to Revelation, we find that on the Lord’s Day John was on the island of Patmos, near Asia Minor. On a clear day, from Patmos, one could see the coastline of Asia.
I believe that on the Lord’s Day John may have looked across the sea and thought of his brothers and sisters in Asia. He could not take care of them, and he did not know their condition.
But he heard a voice behind him. He turned around and saw seven golden lampstands, and One like unto a Son of Man in the midst of them.
The Lord was speaking to John: “You are not able to shepherd My flock. That is all right. But I am still their great Shepherd. I am still taking care of them. I know their condition.”
When John wrote to the church at Ephesus, perhaps Timothy was there, and John was also there. It seems that the other doctrines had been dealt with, and the church had come to know the Word of the Lord again.
The Lord said, “I know thy works. I know thy patience. I know thy labor.”
“I know that thou canst discern those who call themselves apostles and are not. I know that thou canst suffer for My name. Thou dost hate the works of the Nicolaitans.”
But the Lord said, “I have one thing against thee.”
In the original language, it has the sense that although they had all these good merits, the Lord still had something against them. Why?
Because they had left their first love.
Perhaps this was the second generation, perhaps even the third generation. They had taken hold of the Word, but what they held was doctrine rather than the living Word.
In other words, they had received doctrines handed down from others, but they did not have fresh revelation. These things had become secondhand. They had been handed down to them, and they held them firmly.
They were able to identify false apostles. They opposed the Nicolaitans. What they had was external; it was something handed down from those who had gone before them.
Indeed, those things were true, but they were not living. The Word had become letter rather than Spirit and life.
For this reason, what they had was doctrine, but they did not have love. They did not have the first love. They did not have the same love that they had before—the love of a virgin.
Outside, everything was fine. Inside, they were empty. Our Lord was pained, because what the Lord wants is love.
But this church had lost that love. It had only the outward forms.
This was the condition of the church at Ephesus. Therefore the Lord said, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.”
This does not mean that they should stop doing other things. Rather, they had to rise up and do the works that they did at the beginning.
What is the difference? Before, they did these things with love. Now they did them without love.
The Lord said, “If thou dost not, I will come unto thee, and will move thy lampstand out of its place.”
The Bible does not tell us exactly how the church at Ephesus fell or how it lost its first love. Very possibly, they became proud.
Proverbs tells us that pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Perhaps they thought, “Now we have recovered all the doctrines. We are safe. We are better than others. We know more than other people do.”
They became proud. But inside there was corruption.
Brothers and sisters, God gives grace to the humble, but God opposes the proud.
Later, when Nerva was emperor, John was released from the island of Patmos and returned to Asia.
According to tradition, John lived to about one hundred years old. When the brothers and sisters gathered together, they brought him in on a couch and asked him to say something to encourage them.
He would always say, “Children, love one another.”
They asked, “Do you have anything else to say?” And he said, “If you love one another, everything is in it.”
I do not know whether, because John was among them—the apostle of love—he helped them to restore their first love. It may be so.
May the Lord have mercy upon us.
We see the footsteps left to us by Ephesus. At the beginning, they walked in the footsteps of the Lord. Then they deviated.
May we be able to come back to the footsteps of the Lord. May the Lord have mercy on us.
Let us bow down and pray.
Lord, You like to dwell with those who repent, who tremble at Your Word, and who have a contrite heart.
May we be such people. Have mercy upon us.
Today we ask You for mercy, because You are a merciful Lord. In the name of the Lord Jesus, amen.