“That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3)

John in Ephesus

After spending twenty years as a prisoner on the island of Patmos and knowing the situation of the churches, when the apostle John got out of prison he resolved to go to Ephesus; not to speak beautiful messages but to lead them to the spirit. Even though John knew that in Ephesus there were people living in their soul, he did not care about this and went to help them. Of course this was according to the leading of the Holy Spirit, for John was already mature by that time and did not make choices by himself.

He was one of the twelve apostles who, on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, had started the church in Jerusalem through calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 2:21, 38). Arriving in Ephesus he must have realized that the saints were not practising the words Paul had written to them but were only discussing the truths contained in them. So his first move was certainly to help the Ephesian saints to live in the spirit.

Before John could help the church in Ephesus change their situation, there was the need for the Holy Spirit to open the way. Because of this John must have led them to call on the name of the Lord, which is the simplest and easiest way to contact Him in the spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). Next he must have helped the saints to practise what Paul had written to them.

Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians touched difficult things that are hard to understand (2 Pet. 3:16). Because of this John possibly helped them to read it prayerfully. This is most important, because when we read the word with prayer we can have the experience of tasting God in an intimate way and receiving the life that is in the word.

In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul spoke of the dispensing of the Father, of the Son and of the Spirit, and of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. These things are not easy to explain.

However, when John wrote his gospel, he did it in a way to not lead people to the mental realm, to reasonings, but to the spirit, where there is fellowship with God. In the spirit people begin to have a seeking after God, then they are able to experience the dispensing of the Father, of the Son and of the Spirit, as well as every kind of spiritual blessing.

John begins his gospel by bringing us to the Word: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). It was as if he were saying, “God is the Word, so you Ephesians need to enter into the Word of God. You have to pay attention to the Word.”

He went on, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (v. 4). In the Word is the divine life, which is also light. Then he shows that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth (v. 14). This is our Lord Jesus.

John wrote in a simple way what he heard from the Lord Jesus concerning His eternal will and the importance of the Spirit and life for Christian living. After he remained there, the situation of the church in Ephesus changed. The Ephesians began to live in the spirit because they were calling on the name of the Lord and were reading and praying His word.

Regarding every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places mentioned by Paul, John showed that this refers to the work of the Triune God: the Father chose us before the foundation of the world and loved us; the Son as the Lamb of God accomplished the work of redemption because we are sinners, and He cleansed us with His precious blood; thus we can receive the Spirit and flow rivers of living water (3:16; 1:29; 7:38-39).

Even today the Spirit continues to work. He is the Spirit of reality to bring us into all the reality (16:13). When we act according to God’s will, the Spirit comes to seal us. But if we do what doesn’t please Him, He does not seal us.

Key Point:

Back to the beginning and to simplicity.

Your Key Point:

Question:

What way did John use to help the church in Ephesus?

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