Introduction to Ephesians: Part 3

Welcome to delight in grace the teaching ministry of Rich Powell Pastor Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The book of Ephesians overflows with the message of our marvelous inheritance in Christ today.

Pastor Rich continues a new series from Ephesians titled in Christ, the riches of his grace as we dig into this study we will go behind the scene to get a glimpse into the world of ancient Ephesus. Knowing the back story will give us a strong framework through which we can read and interpret Paul's letter through Paul's journey, people's lives were changed not through politics or a cultural shift that from the transforming power of the gospel, one life at a time to listen as Pastor Rich concludes his message on Ephesians 11 into the gospel of Jesus Christ was changing what first lives and as lives were changed, then the culture was being changed.

Christian radio back in this because the culture was not impacted by the gospel through any political means was it. It wasn't done through petitions and demonstrations. It was done by the transforming power of the gospel, one life at a time. That's the mission of the church.

This is what we need to get back to now. Demetrius recognizes this and his bottom line the bottom line of his business was hurting because people weren't buying these shrines anymore and he recognized that so he started a riot. He arouses the people. He says these guys this Paul is saying that they are not gods, which are made with hands, he say these shrines that you all are buying from us that you buy you put them in your home and you worship them. He is telling you those are God. Think about what he saying there for a minute we created these we built them. We sold them to you. You plot them and he's telling us they're not gods you see the deception of the human heart. There how prone we are to put our trust in things that we create ourselves.

Things that we can see and manipulate.

That's the human heart. This is what the gospel of Christ counters and Demetrius was recognizing that and so he was afraid that his trade was coming into disrepute not only his trade but the temple of Diana itself. Look with me at versus 28 and 29 now when they heard this, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, great is Diana of the Ephesians. So the whole city was filled with confusion and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus Macedonians.

Paul's travel companions you can just see the image that is a riot going on.

It's a mob scene you.

What's interesting about it. Two of Paul's companions were seized. But Paul was held back by the other believers. They did not own. Paul wanted to go out there talking people had no Paul you can go out there, they will tear you to shreds. If you go out there but look what it says here about the mob is as most of them did not know why they had come together and all they did was that they chanted for two hours. Great is Diana of the Ephesians, so you have a whole lot of people. Everyone thinks something different as to why they're coming together and the only thing they can do is just shout down the opposition things haven't changed much. Have Christians listen to me you are not called to that tactic don't do it.

That's not how God operates. He doesn't operate by demonstrations and shouting down the opposition. That's not what we are called to. We are called to present the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ. 1211 life at a time so that lives and hearts are transformed and when they are transformed then the culture becomes transformed. That is the mission of the church.

That's what we need to get back to I want you to join me on. There's a reason why we say we are a community of grace with a culture of discipleship. This is how the first church transformed the first century Roman empire. It can be done again. But there's something there for you to think about now as they were chanting for two hours. Great is Diana of the Ephesians.

The town clicks as a town clerk comes out says clerk. This man is a scribe rethinking hotel clerk. Oh he's just a low guys will peon gets everybody quiet house that Lee's not just a little PR okay this town clerk. He is the executive officer of the town assembly right so is belike town manager, city manager sums up like that.

Kinda like the mayor eat. He is the highest ranking official of the natives of that land.

Now it was there was Roman rule there so you had, you know, the governor and all that comes up, and those well Roman, but this is the highest ranking native official in the city of Ephesus, and he quiets the crowd and he Dimmitt dismisses what he calls a disorderly gathering and he told them if there any charges to be brought they need to be determined in a lawful assembly, so there are many in our world today. They could learn from acts chapter 19 aren't there, including some Christians. Here's the reason why they rioted because Paul had turned away many people.

It was the power of the gospel. He is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ which is the power of God unto salvation.

So we have now a growing church.

The church is mushroom for two years. Paul's been teaching tennis is all of that region of Asia had heard about this. So the church is growing and now Paul needs to write to the church and so this takes us now to about five years later Paul writes to the church at Ephesus, where is he right from he writes from prison. Paul had a tremendous jail ministry as an inmate he's in prison it's about five years later after the events of act 19. It's about eight A.D. 62. He's in prison, probably in Rome. But while he's in prison he's allowed visitors.

One of his fellow prisoners is a path for us if pathos was a fellow church planter in the region of that region region of Asia Minor and Paul calls him at a fellow prisoner, and as he encountered Paul in prison. He brought a report of the condition of the churches at Colossae and probably Laodicea and even Ephesus. So what Paul does from prison is, he writes letters he wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus probably to be circulated among other churches and in talk more about that here in just a second very quickly now as we come to a close when he writes to the church at Colossae. That's the New Testament book of Colossians, and he was addressing very specific issues there. Particularly false doctrine false philosophies that were coming in, but he also wrote to Philemon Philemon is one of the shortest New Testament books.

What was Philemon. He was a wealthy businessman. Why did he write to Philemon. I'm sending an SMS back to who was on Emco and estimates. He was a slave. So here he is in prison, and he writes letters. He writes to the Colossians he writes to Philemon and he writes this Ephesian letter. One of his visitors in prison was tight because take a guess, was a native of Ephesus soaked appetite because comes gives him a report and is visiting Paul in prison and then Paul sends him back to that region of Asia minor and he sends him as a messenger and as a chaperone whose a chaperoning on estimates the freedom that the slave who had run away and had stolen from his master, Philemon's own estimates and come to Christ he encountered Paul. Poor thing had no chance right so he encounters Paul he comes to Christ.

That's I know I know God that's all God becomes the Christ and Paul sends him back with psychic us because Philemon is in Colossae.

Paul writes to the church at Colossae. So here goes psychic us with an SMS and he's carrying three letters one to the church at Ephesus one to the church at Colossae and one to Philemon and take it just takes these back Ephesus was probably written for more general circulation. Much like Galatians and first Peter and other books in the New Testament, but Ephesus was again like it said that whole region of Asia was hearing the gospel and learning these things and so the church was growing and it wasn't just in the RV they didn't have big huge church goes. They don't have mega churches in those days, right, the people would meet in smaller gatherings and so in the cities surrounding Ephesus this church.

This letter was written to all of these churches, but primarily to the church at Ephesus goes after the Ephesians church was probably the flagship church of the region, but it would be read by that church and then distributed around to all the other churches as well to points and closing here Timothy Paul sent Timothy to Ephesus after Paul had been there and he is in prison now, he sent Timothy to the church at Ephesus to establish order to combat false teachers and to establish the doctrine of the apostles.

First Timothy you know first Timothy in the New Testament. First Timothy was written by Paul to Timothy to encourage him while he was ministering at Ephesus in Revelation chapter 2 about 30 years later John receives revelation of the glorified Christ in the glorified Christ has a letter a message to be given to the church at Ephesus, and John writes it down and he commends the church because they are strong in doctrine, but he has a warning against the church, to what is it you have left your first love. While that's something to consider. Is it, would you stand with me please. Father, we are so grateful for the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ to transform lives. Father I pray that you would find us as your disciples confident in that power and operating in that power that we would preach the gospel first to ourselves and live the gospel with bold compassion with our friends, relatives, associates and neighbors. Father, I thank you for the power of your word.

I thank you for the testimony of this historic record of the church in Ephesus that grew under the ministry of the gospel. Father I pray that you would encourage us today that we would acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior that it wouldn't be just something that happened in the past. Father, but that we would recognize that he is our identity.

He is our means.

He is our end and so father I pray that you would guide us in our study through this great book. This letter of the New Testament father prepare our hearts and our minds to understand what it means to be in Christ, and to understand the riches of his grace.

Thank you father for what you have done and for what you will do.

We pray in Jesus name. The lighting grace team ministry of Rich Powell, the pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem visit our church website to see upcoming events or to listen to my messages@gbcwinston.com to discover how to live by grace to you in with us on weekdays at 10 AM