The Seven Churches 2:4 left your first love. To be a Christian is to love the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:21, 23; 1 Cor. 16:22). But the Ephesians’ passion and fervor for Christ had become cold, mechanical orthodoxy. Their doctrinal and moral purity, their undiminished zeal for the truth, and their disciplined service were no substitute for the love for Christ they had forsaken. 2:5 remove your lampstand. God’s judgment would bring an end to the Ephesian church. 2:6 the deeds of the Nicolaitans.