Study of Ephesians

Study of Ephesians Pastor Trey Graham Week 2 of 8 Class Schedule Week 1 – March 21, 2018 Week 5 – April 18 Lesson topic: Intro to the Bible and intro to the author Lesson topic: Ephesians chapter 3 of the Book of Ephesians Admin: turn in chapter 3 test; take home chapter 4 test Admin: receive writing assignment and explanation of Week 6 – April 25 tests, do week 1 test in class, take home week 2 test Lesson topic: Ephesians chapter 4 Week 2 – March 28 Admin: turn in chapter 4 test; take home chapter 5 test Lesson topic: Intro to the City of Ephesus Week 7 – May 2 Admin: turn in week 2 test, take home chapter 1 test Lesson topic: Ephesians chapter 5 Week 3 – April 4 Admin: writing assignment due; turn in chapter 5 test; Lesson topic: Ephesians chapter 1 take home chapter 6 test Admin: turn in chapter 1 test; take home chapter 2 test Week 8 – May 9 Week 4 – April 11 Lesson topic: Ephesians chapter 6 Lesson topic: Ephesians chapter 2 Admin: turn in chapter 6 test; take final written exam Admin: turn in chapter 2 test; take home chapter 3 test This Semester Writing assignment • Should have chosen topic last week (see handout) • Continue reading and researching this week • Final paper due in class #7 on May 2 Tonight’s Class Week 2 – March 28, 2018 Lesson topic: Intro to the City of Ephesus Admin: turn in week 2 test, take home chapter 1 test Questions from Last Week Apocrypha Languages Introduction to the City of Ephesus • Ephesus was a sea coast capital city in Western Asia, the area of modern Turkey, located at the mouth of the Cayster River between Smyrna and Miletus. “Having dedicated a sacred precinct to Rome and Caesar in 29 BC, Ephesus enjoyed the height of its prosperity in the first and second centuries AD as the fourth largest city in the Empire.” Paul visited this city on his second and third missionary journeys. • The famous temple of Dianna, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was built in Ephesus. The Latin name Dianna equates to the Greek name of the same deity, Artemis. In this temple, the Ephesians worshiped the goddess Artemis, the patron saint of hunting, nature, and fertility. The temple held an image of the goddess Artemis, probably made from a meteorite (see Acts 19:35 “a sacred stone that fell from the sky”). The temple, according to its ruins, was 239’ wide and 418’ long, four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens. • A religious center, hot bed of cults and superstitions. Sources: Harper’s Bible Dictionary and Bible Knowledge Commentary Location of Ephesus on ancient map Location of Ephesus on modern map 3rd Missionary Journey of the Apostle Paul ca. 53-57 AD Source: https://www.conformingtojesus.com/charts-maps/en/paul's_letters-journeys_chart.htm Recipients • The people of Ephesus first met the apostle Paul as he traveled through their city on his second and third missionary journeys. Though he probably did not begin the Christian work in Ephesus, Paul certainly hastened the spread of the gospel message as he preached and taught in the local synagogue. Prior to Paul’s arrival, however, other Christian leaders began to teach and evangelize in Ephesus. • In Acts 18:24-28, Luke describes the arrival in Ephesus of Apollos, an eloquent Jewish orator who had preached to the Jewish believers. Apollos, though he had a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures, “knew only the baptism of John” (Acts 18:25), meaning that he did not preach that salvation comes only through faith and trust in the crucified Christ. Priscilla and Aquilla, a tentmaking couple who assisted Paul in his ministry, helped Apollos understand the truth of the gospel message. Apollos then traveled to the city of Corinth, where he ministered to the believing Jews and evangelized the unbelieving Jews. • In Acts 19:1, “Paul having passed through the upper country came to Ephesus, and found some disciples,” the followers of John and Apollos. The Ephesians failed to see Christ as the object of their faith, but mixed the fundamentals of Christian doctrine with influences from pagan religions. Once they understood that Jesus Christ was the Messiah in whom they were to place their faith, they received Christian baptism. After Paul had preached for three months in the synagogue in Ephesus, “some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude” (Act 19:9 NAS). This resistance to his message forced Paul to withdraw to a lecture hall used by a teacher whose name was Tyrannus, meaning “tyrant.” • Paul preached for two years from this school, healing people and casting out demons. Ephesus was a religious center and therefore a hotbed for cults and superstitions. In Acts 19:14-16, the seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva attempted to cast out demons by using the name of Jesus. But, the evil spirit confessed that he knew both Jesus and Paul, but did not know the sons of Sceva. Under demonic influence, the possessed man became violent and attacked Sceva’s sons. • This incident produced fear and respect for Jesus among superstitious people, and many abandoned pagan and occult practices by publicly burning magical books and collections of curses. “Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices” (Acts 19:18 NAS). Recipients • In Acts 19:23-41, an incident demonstrated the rapid spread of the gospel message throughout the city of Ephesus. Demetrius, a silversmith who made statues of the goddess Artemis, protested that Paul’s preaching led people to deny the existence of man-made idols, thus lowering his profits and hurting his business. The artisans whose profits were reduced by this revival of Christianity acted as if this was a religious issue, but in reality they were upset at being hurt financially. • After this trouble settled, Paul left Ephesus for Macedonia. Paul had been in Ephesus for nearly three years, from approximately AD 54-57. Then, about five years later, Paul writes a letter to his friends in the church of Ephesus, and this letter is carried from his Roman prison to the Ephesians by Tychicus (Eph. 6:21-22). • Dr. Lea writes that “some have suggested that Ephesians was originally a circular letter, sent perhaps to churches throughout Asia. The church at Ephesus kept a copy of this letter without an address. As time passed, readers outside of Ephesus might have assumed that Ephesus had initially received the letter.” Some scholars also have theorized that the letter “from Laodicea” mentioned in Colossians 4:16 might actually be the letter to the Ephesians as it traveled from city to city. However, Lea effectively refutes this argument when he states, “If Ephesians was originally written as a circular letter, however, it is strange that it would contain very personal references to Paul’s contact with Ephesus (see Eph. 3:13). Such personal touches would not be expected in a general circular letter.” Acts 18 - 21 regions cities Mentioned in Acts 18-21 After these things he (Paul) left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized. And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. Acts 18:1-11 But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.” But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrong or of vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; but if there are questions about words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.” And he drove them away from the judgment seat. And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.

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