The Ephesians Episodes
1. The Ancient City of Ephesus
It was about 52 AD when Paul left the church in Syrian Antioch for his third missionary journey. He again traveled west through places he visited earlier – Tarsus, Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch. According to the 18th chapter of Acts, Paul visited churches and friends throughout the regions of Galatia and Phrygia, “strengthening the disciples as he went.” Ultimately, he arrived at the coast of the Aegean Sea and the incredible city of Ephesus.
2. Paul in Ephesus
Paul returned to Ephesus, probably in late 52 AD, and made the city his temporary home during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius. During his approximately 30 years of traveling ministry, Ephesus was one of the places where Paul stayed the longest. According to the historian Josephus, a substantial community of Jews resided in Ephesus and had been there since the 3rd century BC.
3. Paul's Letter to the Church
The broad theme of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians is building the body of Christ – the church. How do we do that? By understanding what we are called to believe and how we are called to behave.
4. One Church in Christ
During the 1st Century, religious Jews considered themselves “clean,” because of their national heritage and their traditional rules and rituals. Religious Jews considered all non-Jews (known as Gentiles) ceremonially “unclean.” In his Letter to the Ephesians, like in some of his other letters, Paul argued that both Jews and Gentiles were unclean before God and the only thing that could cleanse both was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
5. The Body of Christ
The Body of Christ is a common New Testament metaphor for the Christian Church. The Church is called “one body” in Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, “one body in Christ” in Paul’s letter to the Romans, and “the Body of Christ” here in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
6. The Full Armor of God
The hard truth is that the Christian life isn’t always a playground, but a battleground. Therefore, Paul uses the final chapter of Ephesians to equip us, train us, and pump us up as his soldiers. In short, chapter 6 focusses on Spiritual Warfare. What is Spiritual Warfare? It’s the heavenly conflict that Christians face here on earth.
