The Church in Ephesus

"Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."
(Rev 1:11 ESV)

In the Bible, cities are spoken of by their earthly names, but they are also spoken of by their spiritual names (see Rev. 11:8). These seven cities that the Apostle John is writing to have earthly names and histories, but they also are spiritual cities. These earthly cities have been destroyed and are in ruins, but their spiritual counterparts are alive and growing and many in the Church are spiritually living in them today. The Church, the wife of Jesus, is divided in these seven cities.

When you become a Christian, you become a citizen of the spiritual New Jerusalem. Christians are supposed to be living in freedom in the spiritual New Jerusalem (Eph 2:20-22, Gal. 4:22-26), but instead, many are living in bondage in these seven spiritual cities. As you read each of these descriptions, take a good look at your own life and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you where you have been living and ask Him to help you overcome and return to living in the great city of the King, the heart and soul of His Kingdom.

Here is the first one:

THE CHURCH IN EPHESUS -
"To the messenger of the church in Ephesus, write: 'The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands, says this: 'I know your works, your toil, and your endurance. I also know that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles, but are not, and have found them to be false. You have endured and suffered because of my name, yet you have not grown weary. However, I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Therefore, remember how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. If you don't, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. But this is to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 'Let the person who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give the privilege of eating from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.'"
(Rev 2:1-7 ISV)

DESCRIPTION:
She is moral, hard-working, obedient, persistent, and very knowledgeable of the scriptures. She is a light in the darkness. She stands up for what is right and true and does not tolerate evil in this world. She has suffered for this, but has endured. Unfortunately, though, she has become a busy-body, a perfectionist, a worrier, and a complainer. She thinks she must not fail in her service to the King and has over-worked herself. She has separated herself from others and has forgotten the love that King Jesus had taught her from the beginning. If she doesn't remember and realize how far she has gotten away from His love, then her light will be removed.

Another Example of her in scripture:
Now as they were traveling along, Jesus went into a village. A woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the Lord's feet and kept listening to what he was saying. But Martha was worrying about all the things she had to do, so she came to him and asked, "Lord, you do care that my sister has left me to do the work all by myself, don't you? Then tell her to help me." The Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha! You worry and fuss about a lot of things. But there's only one thing you need. Mary has chosen what is better, and it is not to be taken away from her." (Luk 10:38-42 ISV)

Her destiny is to be a conquerer in the Kingdom, if she repents and returns to loving like King Jesus.