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Paul Establishes Church at Ephesus
The Church at Ephesus was founded by Paul at the
close of his first Missionary Journey.
Ephesus was one of the great metropolitan cities of
Asia, which is modern day Turkey. Ephesus was second only to Rome in
population. It had a population of between 400,000 and 500,000 people and it
was at the center of the Imperial Highway system from Rome to the east.
Idolatry and sensuality being one of the main business of the City. The
Temple of the goddess Diana which was the Roman Name and Artemis was the
Greek name was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. The temple was
built of the purest marble and it took over 200 years to construct. She was
worshiped with a continuous festival of various forms of temple
prostitution, sexual debauchery and she often depicted as having as many as
sixteen breasts in iconography. Vast multitudes of idolatrous worshipers of
Diana became Christians and congregations were established for hundreds of
miles around this great metropolitan center.
Acts 18:19-21 And he came to Ephesus, and left
them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with
the Jews. When they desired him to tarry longer time with them,
he consented not; But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means
keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto
you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus
Acts 18:24 And a certain Jew named Apollos,
born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the
scriptures, came to Ephesus.
Apollos was a very eloquent Jew who became a
leader in the Corinthian Church .
1Corinthians 3:1-15 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto
spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have
fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to
bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for
whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are
ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and
another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and
who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord
gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the
increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that
watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he
that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward
according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye
are God's husbandry, ye are
God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a
wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth
thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other
foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if
any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood,
hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall
declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try
every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath
built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be
burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by
fire.
Acts 18:25-28 This man was instructed in the
way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught
diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue:
whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them,
and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia,
the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he
was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: For he
mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the
scriptures that Jesus was Christ.
Paul returned again during his third Missionary
Journey.
Acts 19:1-5 And it came to pass, that, while
Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came
to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye
received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We
have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said
unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's
baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of
repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him
which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard
this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
You should be able to understand from this
example that you can’t be taught wrong and baptized right.
Acts 19:6-7 And when Paul had laid
his
hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues,
and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve.
Thus we see that the 9 supernatural gifts of the
Holy Spirit that are explained in I Corinthians 12th chapter
were given by the laying on of the Apostles hands. Cf Acts 8:6ff
Acts 19:8-17 And he went into the synagogue, and
spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the
things concerning the kingdom of God. But when divers were hardened, and
believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed
from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of
one Tyrannus. And this continued by the space of two years; so that all
they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and
Greeks. And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that
from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the
diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. Then
certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them
which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you
by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of
one Sceva, a Jew, and
chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said,
Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the
evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against
them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was
known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell
on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified
Paul spent 3 years at Ephesus teaching.
Preaching the Gospel with such success that the
Greek culture was turned upside down.
Acts 19:17-20 And
this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and
fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And
many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds. Many of
them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and
burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them,
and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily
grew the word of God and prevailed.
Here we end with one of the many summaries of the
book of Acts. Mightily with great power the preaching of the cross of Christ
has overcome all obstacles in the Greek culture.
Act 19:21-41
After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had
passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I
have been there, I must also see Rome. So he sent into Macedonia two of
them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself
stayed in Asia for a season. And the same time there arose no small stir
about that way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith,
which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the
craftsmen; Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation,
and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover
ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all
Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that
they be no gods, which are made with hands: So that not only this our
craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the
great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be
destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. And when they heard
these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying,
Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And the whole city was filled
with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of
Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into
the theatre. And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the
disciples suffered him not. And certain of the chief of Asia, which were
his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not
adventure himself into the theatre. Some therefore cried one thing, and
some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not
wherefore they were come together.
And they drew Alexander out of the multitude,
the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and
would have made his defence unto the people. But when they knew that he
was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out,
Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And when the townclerk had
appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is
there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a
worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which
fell down from Jupiter? Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken
against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. For ye have
brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet
blasphemers of your goddess. Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen
which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and
there are deputies: let them implead one another. But if ye enquire any
thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful
assembly. For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's
uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this
concourse. And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.
Paul had a very emotional meeting with the Elders
of the Church at Ephesus on his way to Jerusalem.
Acts 20:17-23 And
from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. And
when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day
that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all
seasons, Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears,
and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: And
how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed
you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, Testifying both
to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward
our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto
Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the
Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide
me.
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