Jesus wrote a letter to the Ephesians.  You knew that, right?  It can be found in Revelation chapter 2, and I'd encourage you to read it.  But to get a better understanding of the text, here's some very pertinent background information on the city.  Trust me, it's good stuff.

Situated on the southwestern edge of Turkey, it was built on, (or very near), the Cayster River, which flowed into the Mediterranean Sea.  The good part of this is that the city became a major seaport and center of trade for the Roman Empire.  Estimates claim that at its peak, Ephesus may have had as many as 500,000 people within its walls, and up to 1 million people counting the surrounding villages and countryside.  Which made it the largest Roman city outside of Rome itself. 

The major downside of this river is that it had a tendency to build up silt deposits at the harbor, which if left untreated, ruined the ports and turned the coast to marshland.  Which then caused outbreaks in malaria and other diseases.  So the people had to continuously dredge out the river to prevent this from happening.  It occasionally got so bad that they would pack up and relocate a mile or two in a different direction, rebuilding where they stopped. 

The application then (as Jesus clearly knew of the city’s history, and the people there would have as well), is that the city flourished when they focused on what they were good at, even if it sometimes took some extra effort.  The city failed if they took for granted their situation and let the silt build up in the harbor.  And whenever they came to their senses and went back to fix up their harbor, it prospered again. 

The church of Ephesus may have learned its lesson… I don’t know.  But the city itself certainly didn’t.  The city began to decline between ca. 400-600 AD because the harbor was receding.  They tried to convert partially to a more agricultural community (rather than continue dredging), but it wasn’t sustainable due to raiding from enemies and an earthquake in 610.  Everyone packed up and moved to the hill country.  By 1000 AD, the mighty city of Ephesus was merely a small village. 

There were a few attempts to rebuild by other empires through the years, but they weren’t vigilant at keeping up with the river dredging.  Today, the site of Ephesus is 5 kilometers from the coast.  I’d have to say the lampstand had been removed.