They possessed a rare gift of discernment, and they were not deceived. Ephesus was - a model church in every way it appears. Their members were actively busy in the work of Christ, they were patient in their sufferings, and they were orthodox in their theology. Yet Christ had a complaint. B. A Complaint.
Love is the mark of a true and living church.
A church is not a living church unless it is a loving church, and without this love a church's work is lifeless. The Christians in Ephesus were busy, they worked with vigor, but they did not work with love. They endured with fortitude, but they did not endure with love. They tested their teachers for their orthodoxy, but not with love. One of the great pop songs of a couple of decades ago, sung by Neil Diamond and Barbara Streisand, speaks of what happens when love grows cold.