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Outline: Letter to a tired church—Ephesus--Revelation 2:1-7
給以弗所教會的信（啓示錄2：1-7）
A. The revelation of Jesus Christ walking in the midst of the church.
1. 耶穌基督在教會中行走的啓示。
B. Jesus shows that He knows this church and He is pleased with them.
2. 耶穌讓我們看見祂知道這個教會的光景，並且祂喜悅這個教會。
C. Since Jesus knows the church intimately, He addresses the fault of the Ephesian church—they had lost their first love.
3. 因著耶穌密切地了解教會，祂指出了以弗所教會的錯——他們把起初的愛心離棄了。
D. The Ephesian church is counseled to change or else face serious consequences.
4. 以弗所教會被勸告改變，否則將面臨嚴重的後果。
a. Remember （回想）
b. Repent （悔改）
c. Return to first works （回到起初的工作）
d. Or face the removal of your witness. （或面對被挪去見證）
Background information on the city of Ephesus
1. In the time of John, Ephesus was the greatest harbor in Asia.
2. Ephesus was the Gateway of Asia.
3. Ephesus was the highway to Rome.
4. In later times, when the Christians were brought from Asia to be flung to the lions in the arena in Rome, Ignatius called Ephesus the Highway of the Martyrs.
5. It was a free city. In the Roman Empire certain cities were free cities; they had had that honor conferred upon them because of their services to the Empire.
6. Temple of Artemis or Diana of the Ephesians. The Temple of Artemis was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was four hundred and twenty-five feet long by two hundred and twenty feet wide; it had one hundred and twenty columns, each sixty feet high and the gift of a king, and thirty-six of them were richly gilded and inlaid.
7. Ephesus was a notorious centre of pagan superstition.
The Christian leadership invested much time in Ephesus.
Paul stayed longer in Ephesus than in any other city (Acts 20:31).
It was with Ephesus that Timothy was connected so that he is called its first bishop (1 Timothy 1:3).
It is in Ephesus that we find Aquila, Priscilla and Apollos (Acts 18:19; Acts 18:24; Acts 18:26).
Surely to no one was Paul ever more close than to the Ephesian elders, as his farewell address so beautifully shows (Acts 20:17-38).
In later days John (the beloved disciple) was the leading figure of Ephesus.
Notes from William Barclay’s commentary on Revelation 2:1ff
以弗所城市的背景
在約翰的時代, 以弗所是亞細亞最大的港口
以弗所是亞細亞的出入口
以弗所是通往羅馬的必經之路
後來當基督徒從亞細亞被帶來甩給羅馬競技場的獅子時, 以革那修稱以弗所是殉道者的必經之路
它是當時羅馬帝國的自由城市之一, 這是它效力於羅馬帝國所賦予的榮譽.
以弗所的阿蒂米斯或戴安那神廟. 阿蒂米斯神廟是古代七景之一. 有425呎長, 225呎寬, 有120根柱子, 每根柱子60呎高, 是王送的禮物. 其中36根有华丽的镀金和镶嵌.
以弗所是一个异教迷信的臭名昭著的中心.
基督徒領袖在以弗所投入了大量的時間
保羅停留在以弗所的時間長於任何其他城市 (徒20:31). 提摩太被稱為以弗所的第一任主教 (提前1:3).就是在以弗所遇到了百基拉,亞居拉和亞波羅. (徒18:19,24,26).
從保羅的臨別贈言知道沒有人比保羅更認識以弗所的長老們. (徒20:17-38).
後來主所愛的門徒約翰成為以弗所的領袖.