Ephesus was the capital city of the Romans in Asia Minor. It was on the Aegean Coast of present day Turkey. It was a magnificent city.
1. Theater had a 24,000 capacity. It was built in the 4th century B.C. It took 60 years to build.
2. They had 4 aqueducts that brought water into the city. They had public baths and public toilets. They had a sewer system.
3. They had several temples dedicated to Emperor Hadrian. Paul's extensive efforts their led them to transform one of the temple into a church during the 4th century A.D.
4. The Agora was a huge public market, where people came to sell/buy their goods. They also had a State Agora, which was a public location where people came to discuss politics, economics and philosophies.
5. A valuable port City in 1400 B.C. It was long and deep cove that was well protected landing spot.
6.The temple to Aritmis (the Greek goddess and protector of the city). According to Herodutus it was one of the "7 wonders of the ancient world". It was 418' long X 239' wide with 100 marble pillars 56' high. (The Greek goddess Artimis later became the Roman goddess Diana.)
7. Today Ephesus is visited by 1 million tourist a year. Many of the sites still stand today. You can see a lot of them on the internet.
Now the story of the church at Ephesus. Paul made 3 missionary journeys. On his s2nd missionary journey he visited Ephesus.
Acts 18:19-21 (ESV) "And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. But on taking leave of them said, 'I will return to you if God wills,' and he set sail from Ephesus."
Later on his 3rd missionary Paul returned to Ephesus.
Acts 19:8-10 (ESV) "And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks."
Ephesus was a hub of activity, but it was surrounded by 230 independent communities. So when revival broke out at Ephesus it spread to the surrounding communities. But where the Holy Spirit moves opposition will arise.
Acts 19: 23- 20:1 (ESV) "About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, 'Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into dispute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.' When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, 'Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!' So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's companions in travel. But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, 'Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!' And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, ' Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky? Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious no blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give justify this commotion' And when he said these things, he dismissed the assembly. After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia."
Paul saw the opposition arose and decided to leave, but there were a lot of Christians there and they continued to spread the Word. Paul comes back at the end of his 3rd missionary journey, but does not go to Ephesus, but stopped in Miletus, which was 68 miles by land/38 miles by sea.
Acts 20:19-38 (ESV) "serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " "And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And the accompanied him to the ship."
Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians from prison in Rome (Acts 21-28). Most believe that Ephesians was a circular letter, meant to read in many churches around Ephesus. The church was not a building it was the body of people. In Revelations chapters 2 and 3 the 7 churches mentioned were in the surrounding area around Ephesus. So this letter was circulated in many places. The book of Ephesians does not address problems with the church like you see in Corinthians and Galatians. But the book of Ephesians is not a correction. He is writing to them about the basic doctrines of Christ and here are the applications that goes with it. He was there for 2 years, so these people were not baby Christians. He goes deeper in depth than he does in other letters. He addresses doctrinal issues first and then moves on to application later in the letter.
Ephesians 3:20-21 4:1 (ESV) "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, "
The first 3 chapters are heavy theology and the final 3 chapters are practice, how you put that theology into practice.
Now the intro into the book.
Ephesians 1:1 (ESV) "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus."
An apostle is someone sent forth with a message...from God. Paul did not choose this position. Jesus appeared to him in a vision and told him that he was chosen to follow Jesus. He was chosen by God. Paul said this was written to the saints. Anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ is a saint. You have been set apart. You are holy unto Him.
Ephesians 1:2 (ESV) "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
This was a standard greeting.
Ephesians 1:3 (ESV) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,"
The important word in this verse is "has". It is past tense. Jesus has already blessed you with every spiritual blessing. As we move through the book of Ephesians we will see these spiritual blessings in the first 3 chapters. We will find heavy doctrine and controversial doctrine in these 3 chapters.
Ephesians 1:4-6 (ESV) "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."
Here is a big question... If you are a Christian
1. Did you freely (of your own will) CHOOSE to accept Christ?
2. Did God PREDESTIN you... without your permission?
Today the majority of Christians hold to free will/personal choice, BUT 200 years ago the predominant view was election...God chose you....predestination.
2 views
1. Free will (libertarianism) Humans have free will to accept or reject Jesus Christ, his sacrifice as Lord and Savior. This emphasizes personal responsibility. God's foreknowledge does not force a person to accept or reject Jesus.
2. Pre-destination (determinism/ Calvinism/Fatalism) God is completely sovereign and He has predetermined the fate of every individual before the foundation of the world. Unconditional election. Free will is limited and salvation is entirely God's choice and not yours.
3. Compatibilism (middle ground) This vies says both concepts can co-exist and that the 2 vies are not mutually exclusive. We do make choices and ultimately God is in charge and He uses our choices to accomplish His will. This view says...
A. God is absolutely sovereign and can do whatever He wants whenever He wants.
B. In His sovereignty He has allowed individual to make their own choices (concerning Christ).
So what view does Scripture support? Both!
Ephesians 1:11 (ESV) "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,"
Romans 8:28-30 (ESV) "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified ha also glorified."
I Timothy 2:3-4 (ESV) "This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Titus 2:11 (ESV) "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,"
2 Peter 3:9 (ESV) "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."
1 John 2:2 (ESV) "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins cof the whole world."
The Bible teaches election (God's choice), it also teaches human resposibility.
Romans 1:19-20 (ESV) "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."
So how do we harmonize this? We can't! But God can! It seems to be a contradiction in Scripture is an appearance of a contradiction, but it is not a real contradiction. God knows the answer even though it is confusing to us. I lean toward free will personally, but I cannot ignore the verses that talk about predestination. You can get bogged down in this, but Scripture teaches both. Instead of dealing with the universal application of this. Do all people get a calling from God? My suggestion is that you deal with it personally.
John 6:44a (ESV) "No onecan come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him."
So instead of "does God call all men?" Has the Holy Spirit called you, drawn you, invited you?
Basically there are 2 kinds of callings people experienced.
1. An emotional calling- The Holy Spirit gets ahold of your emotions, feelings. You can't prove scientifically that God is calling you, but you KNOW He has spoken and called you.
2. An intellectual calling- You eventually came to the rational conclusion that the Gospel is true. You just know it to be correct. (example C.S. Lewis)
Sometimes it can be both. They both can be valid. Rather than argue the 2 position, the real question is....Has God called you? And if so how what was your response? If you say "Yes" to the Holy Spirit (God the Father/Son) then eventually you need to make your decision public.
