Warning:   “But this  I have against you, that you have left your first love.” 
Rev. 2:4

Nicolaiton:  “I  am  so sorry.  I am  so sorry.  Restore me, Father.    Restore me and make me right.”

Warning:   “Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.” Revelation 2:5

Nicolaiton:  “My soul is scared.  I don’t want to be banished from  Your sight in shame of my unrepentant ways.  I have lost sight of the seriousness of sin, not understanding  faith nor what You have done for me, I remain unchanged.”

Counsel:    Faith must be more than belief in certain facts; it must result in action, growth in Christian character, and the practice of moral discipline, or it WILL die away.  You must learn to know Me better, develop perseverance, do My Will, love others.  These actions do not come automatically; they require hard work.  They are not optional; all of them must be a continual part of your Christian life.  I have empowered and enabled you, but you must be responsible to learn and to grow.  You have been given adequate grace, yet you continue to sin.  You are cognizant.  The choice is yours.

Warning:   “Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.” Revelation 2:5

Technique:

Tall weeds and torn paper pasted over the windows of a derelict house set up the eerie mood of this picture. The loneliness of an abandoned house and the seclusion of the nude woman is conveyed simply by the foreground weeds and the reflection of a hillside and sky in the right-hand window.

For Jesus to “remove your lampstand from its place” would mean the church would cease to be an effective church.  You would totally cease to be an effective Christian.  Just as the seven-branched candlestick in the temple gave light for the priests to see, the churches were to give light to their surrounding communities.  But Jesus warned them that their lights could go out.  In fact, Jesus himself would extinguish any light that did not fulfill its purpose.  The church had to repent of its sins; you must repent of your sins, turn away from your sins.

The Nicolaitons were believers who compromised their faith in order to enjoy some sinful practices of Ephesian society.  The name Nicolaitons is held by some to be roughly the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word for “Balaamites”.  Balaam was a prophet who induced the Israelites to carry out their lustful desires.  When we want to take part in an activity that we know is wrong, we may make excuses to justify our behaviour, saying that it isn’t as bad as it seems or that it won’t hurt our faith.  There is NO EXCUSE to consciously and deliberately turn to sinfulness.

How many depressed Christians are those who chose the way of the Nicolaitons?  Without the light, you may as well die.

Is there a ministry for those who had their lampstands removed?