Where the Kaestros River flows into the Mediterranean Sea, on the southwest corner of modern-day Turkey, there was a dark, demonic city, proudly famous for its occult practices. Ephesus, home to the cult of Artemis, also known as Diana, was a city of 250,000 people, second in size only to Rome in the entire Roman Empire.

For over a thousand years, the worship of Artemis had grown in Ephesus. The economy of the entire city was tied to this cult of demon worship. Paul went there, planted the church at Ephesus, and stayed for over two years.
It was not easy being a Christian in Ephesus. Imagine living in a city whose entire economy and culture were built around demon worship. Everyday life would be a struggle. Once people knew you were a Christian, they might not hire you, sell to you in the market, or do business with you.

They might not even want you in their neighborhood. We see that the opposition was strong and violent in Acts 19, as the silversmith Demetrius, who made statues of Artemis, stirred up a riot just by talking about Paul and what Christians believed. Rejected by family and friends, you would be seen as someone who betrayed your culture, your city, and everything they stood for.

When I hear stories of persecuted Christians, I see them as heroes of the faith. But what did Jesus say to these courageous Christians?

Revelation 2:2,6
"I know your deeds, your hard work, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people. You have persevered and have endured hardship for my name and have not grown weary. 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."

This is an extraordinary passage of scripture. Jesus said He saw their deeds. The hard work of the Ephesians. The church at Ephesus had persevered.

They clung to correct doctrines. They hated wickedness and wouldn't tolerate it in the church. They endured hardship for Jesus' name. Persecuted by the culture, they didn’t get worn out, and they didn’t quit. Many Christians today would consider this a biblically sound church. But truth is not enough. Right doctrine and right believing are not enough.
Righteousness—right living—is not enough. Jesus’ next words to us are a wake-up call.

Revelation 2:4-5
"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."

First Corinthians 13 is the core of Jesus’ message to the righteous Ephesians. Without love, even truth and righteousness are not enough.
Love and truth together make us the light of the world. Without love, we lose our light. Without love, we cannot represent Jesus well.

Scripture tells us that in loving others, the love of God will be made complete in us.
1 John 4:12
"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is made complete in us."