A Lofty Introduction

As we look at the second of the 4 epistles we are studying, the situation is much different than the situation in Galatia

One of the focus’

Paul’s Introduction

Paul reaffirms his apostleship

Appointed by Jesus Christ

By the will of God

The Saints in Ephesus

Ephesus is a city in Asia, or modern day Turkey

It was one of the largest and most influential cities in the Roman world.

It had both land and water routs leading too and from it, making it a center for commerce and travel.

Paul visited Ephesus twice, once on his second journey and again on his Third (acts 19)

His second visit to Ephesus was especially eventful

First, he encountered disciples of John the Baptist and lead them to Christ

He taught in the synagogs and in the intellectual halls of the city for about two years

God did many miracles by Paul, so that even his clothing healed sick people and cast out demons

The seven sons of Sceva

Lastly, there was a riot due to Paul’s influence on the city and all of Asia

A man, Demetrius, a silversmith that made idols saw the impact Paul was having in bringing people out of paganism and toward Christ

So much so that they burned their books, half a million dollars worth

The people of Ephesus worshiped Artemis (Diana).

She was the goddess of fertility and hunting

She was so important to the Greeko-Roman pantheon that she was one of the 12 Olympians and the sister to Apollo

She had a very elaborate temple

They even worshipped a “sacred stone that fell from the sky” Acts 18:35 and associated it with Diana

Most likely a metorite of some type.

The saints in Ephesus would have came out of a very pagan, very materialistic culture.

Later, if not possibly by the time of this writing, Timothy was a leader of Ephesus

1 Timothy was written about 61 AD, this is about 59-60 AD

Serving probably as the bishop of the church in Ephesus

Not only that, but they are one of the 7 churches listed in the letters of Revelation

John is told to write 7 letters to the 7 churches of Asia, and one of them is the church of Ephesus..

They are commended for:

their works and toil

their patient endurance

unwillingness to allow evil

testing and finding out false apostles

They are reprimanded and encouraged because they have “abandoned their first love”

This letter is vastly different than the Epistle to the Galatians

Galatians was written to combat theological heresy and end division within the Galatian church

Ephesians on the other had seems to not be writing for correcting purposes but encouraging purposes

There are not major corrections issued, but instead uplifting encouragement

The structure of this letter is similar to Galatians

Three chapters of theology followed by three chapters of practical living advice.

While Galatians dealt a lot with our sin, Ephesians deals a lot with our relationships, first to Christ and second to each other

The main themes are:

The Blessings of Chirst

The Mystery of the Gospel

Loving Unity

As we go through Ephesians you will encounter many verses and passages you know.

Hopefully, you will experience them in a deeper way than before.

Grace and Peace

He ends salutation with a blessing

Grace and Peace

Grace: a free gift

The undeserved gift given by the blood of Christ

Peace: tranquility, freedom from disturbance

A state or period in which there is no war

Often we hear peace and we think of tranquility

Peace of mind, but when peace is related to grace it’s not an internal peace, but peace with God

These are a gift of God

Given by the work of Christ