1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:1-2
Paul found the church in Ephesus on the way home on his second mission trip in about 53AD. One year later, Paul returned to Ephesus on his 3rd mission trip and stayed there for 3 years, which is the longest Paul had ever stayed in a place during his mission trips.
Ephesus wasn’t an easy place to start a church. The whole city was deeply rooted in paganism. People were generally wealthy. Jews were against them. The non-Jews hated Paul because his teachings impacted their “religious business”. (Act 19)
Though a challenging place for the church, it’s evident that the church of Ephesus had a special place in Paul’s heart. Ephesians is a letter from when Paul was in the house (or in prison) arrest in Rome. Despite being in bondage, when Paul thought about the bro/sis in Ephesus, his heart was filled with joy. multiple times in the letter, Paul burst into praise, worship, and thanksgiving for the blessings bro/sis and himself received. Paul didn’t stop there. He moved on from the blessings of believers (ch 1-3) to the living of the believers (ch 4-6). It is easy to receive blessings but we ought not to stop there. How we respond to the blessings and grace defines our walk as Christians.
Outline
Part I WHAT YOU SHOULD BELIEVE
Ch 1: The great salvation
Ch 2: Unity of church (Jews and gentile)
Ch 3: Paul burst into praise for what was given to him and the blessings to others
Part II HOW YOU SHOULD BEHAVE
Ch 4: Live out the Christian faith and use our spiritual gift
Ch 5: Work out the Christian faith in different contexts lives.
Ch 6: Prepare to battle – whole armor of God
Prayer:
Dear Lord, please open the book of Ephesus in the coming weeks. Speak to us daily through the letter Amen!
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