Have you ever longed for your church to be more like a church of the New Testament? If so, you should carefully study the church at Ephesus. More material in the NT pertains historically to Ephesus than any other community of believers. No less than 20 chapters, covering a period of more than 40 years, describe God’s work in this city. Luke describes its founding (Acts 18 – 20), Paul wrote Ephesians to the congregation there and sent two letters to Timothy, its young evangelist. John, repeating a message from Christ, encouraged and warned the believers in a letter preserved in the book of Revelation (2:1-7).
The eighteenth chapter of Acts is filled with much movement for Paul and his companions. He decides that his ministry in Corinth is about to come to an end. The apostle senses it is time to report back to Antioch. He travels a short distance to a town named Cenchrea, Corinth’s eastern sea port. Sailors would haul small ships and their cargo across the Isthmus of Corinth on a man-made ship road rather than sailing 200 miles around the dangerous peninsula. Apparently Paul takes a vow here and has his head shaved. Cenchrea was the home of Phoebe who gained biblical fame for being the courier of the letter to the Romans.
Sailing from Cenchrea, Paul apparently has a “lay-over” in Ephesus. This was very common in the ancient world, much like our air travel today. Most likely some goods were being left at Ephesus and other goods and passengers were brought aboard. A typical stop would take about a week, but often was extended because of weather conditions. Paul takes the opportunity to “reason with the Jews” in the synagogue. Intrigued in some way by their response or the size of the city, Paul leaves Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus. Luke interestingly adds that the two friends asked Paul to stay longer in Ephesus, leaving us to only speculate the situation. Paul’s answer, though, is clearly given: he will not stay for he desires to be in Jerusalem for the feast.
After visiting Jerusalem for the Passover and spending some time in Antioch reporting on his journey, Paul again embarks on travel. He retraces his steps through Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the churches in Lystra, Derbe and Iconium. Paul’s ultimate destination is to return to Ephesus and reunite with his friends. Luke interjects a story at this point giving us a picture of what is happening with Priscilla and Aquila. A Jew from Alexandria, Egypt named Apollos has arrived in Ephesus. Luke describes him as eloquent, a term referring to his speaking ability. He also tells us that he was mighty in the Scriptures – what an incredible description – and that he had the ability to reason and convince his listeners. The picture of the two helping Apollos understand the Scripture and then commending him to a ministry should encourage us today to prepare and send servants.
The Jargon for Believers
Almost every segment of society injects its own meaning and significance to the language it uses. Sometimes there are words used by those within the segment that do not find usage outside of the particular circle. Medicine, education, politics and business are just a few examples of a segment that has a specific vocabulary. The same is true in Christianity. Let’s look at the first couple of verses of Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians to discover some important words for these believers.
Here, as in his other epistles, Paul adopts the conventional form and structure used in beginning more formal letters of the period. Usually the writer would first identify himself and establish his credibility. He would then identify the recipients, then add a formal expression of greeting.
Each phrase of this salutation can be paralleled in other letters of Paul. He often refers to his apostleship – his credibility – and on occasion he traces it back to its source – the divine will of God. He regularly addresses “the saints” in the church to which he writes – and in Colossians, written very close in time to Ephesians, he describes them as “faithful.” The conclusion of the greeting, found in verse two, is found in almost every epistle that Paul penned.
apostle (ἀπόστολος, APOSTOLOS)
The word apostle is a comprehensive term for one who bears the gospel message with authority. It is applied first to the original twelve disciples and then to other Christian missionaries. Paul claimed that, like the twelve, his commission came directly from Christ (Acts 26:16-18; 1 Corinthians 9:1). The title stresses the authority of the sender and the accountability of the one sent. Paul does not allude to God’s will in order to draw attention to his own status, but to show his own awareness that his mission did not arise from any special qualifications that he might possess.
saints (ἁγίοις, HAGIOIS)
The word saint does not carry any of the “special character” qualities that have come about since the Catholic Church. It is instead a normal designation for Christians. It speaks to the inward, personal consecration to God. The word itself mean “to set apart” and is often used to describe articles and utensils that were only to be used in the Temple.
faithful (πιστοῖς, PISTOIS)
Faithful is also a term used to designate the believer – combining the ideas of trust and fidelity. When the idea of faithfulness is presented, we are at once drawn to the one who is always faithful – God himself. “Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.” This exercise of faith with its matching faithfulness is possible only “in Christ Jesus.”
grace (χάρις, CHARIS)
Paul uses a slight variation of the standard Greek greeting, chaire’ – rejoice, with a little shift, charis – grace, which seems to embody the essence of the gospel message. It is this word charis that Paul sets in opposition to the Law.
peace (εἰρήνη, EIRANA)
For peace (Hebrew “shalom”) the Hebrews within the Ephesian community would feel both greeted and tied to their Old Testament heritage (cf. Ezra 4:17; 5:7; 7:12; Daniel 4:1; 6:25, etc). This new Christian flavor on faith in God was not completely abandoning the Old Testament concepts – rather it was seeing Christianity as fulfilling it, taking it to a grander level. Think for a moment how important and deep the concept of peace was for the Jewish believer. In Christ, the believer experiences “beyond peace.” Notice how Paul associates “the Lord Jesus Christ” with “God our Father” as the source of these blessings.
The name Christ appears in each of the three clauses in this opening greeting. We are taken immediately to our understanding of the relationship that Christ has with all that we are – a theme that Paul will develop throughout the epistle. Notice also that Paul places a great deal of emphasis on the relationship between “the saints” or “the faithful” and their living Lord.
Our understanding of the believers and the circumstances of their growth is enhanced by Luke’s account in the gospels and from Paul’s letters to the church. Together we are able to see in our Mediterranean Moments in Ephesus an opportunity to follow their example.
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