Week 01

An Introduction to Ephesus and the Ephesian Church

Imagine a booming bustling city – noisy and full of life, full of action, full of humanity and all that brings: people working, living, loving, talking, interacting, and even rioting. A place where people engage in culture, sport and worship, a centre of immorality and pagan worship, with an active criminal element. How can we keep our relationship with Jesus growing and thriving in conditions like these? Am I talking about 21^st century Britain? I am, but I’m also setting the scene for us to look at a 1^st century city, the fourth largest in the world, yet a place where, among all that was confusing and, let’s face it, evil, there are some people who are described as the ‘faithful in Christ Jesus’.

This week I am going to encourage you to look up the references to Ephesus, to find out some of the things that were happening in that city. We’ll find these references in the book of Acts.  I want to whet your appetite for what is to come, when we study together and begin to see not only what Paul says to the Ephesian people, but also what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, about our lives, today.

So to begin: read Acts 18:18-21, which tells how the church in Ephesus began.

In this passage, who were the people who went to Ephesus?

Who stayed there, and who left?

Read Acts 19:1-41 and the first verse of Acts 20, which records Paul’s exciting and much longer second visit.

What different kinds of people do we meet here? What kinds of employment are highlighted?

What different religions are there in Ephesus?

What occult practices can you identify?

A few years later Paul is on his way to Jerusalem, but stops near Ephesus. Read Acts 20:16-38

Had the people of Ephesus appreciated Paul’s ministry?

Do you appreciate and pray for those who minister to you?