Introduction
The letter to the church in Ephesus was one of four written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison in Rome from A.D. 61-63 awaiting his trial and appearance before Nero, who at that time was the Emperor of the vast Roman Empire. Soon after, Nero would grow to hate Christians because many refused to worship him as a god, yet at this point in history, Nero held no ill will or bias specifically against Christians. In fact, Christians were seen only as a sect of Judaism. There are reasons to believe this epistle was not written for just the congregation in Ephesus, but was intended to be carried and passed around to several churches throughout Asia Minor. The letter itself was written with more general themes and does not contain specific personal greetings like many of Paul's other letters. The letter also does not address unique problems happening only in Ephesus, but remains focused on general doctrine, spiritual guidance, and encouragement. Similar to how we should view scripture today, the words of Paul were divinely inspired and meant to be shared with as many as possible.
The church in Ephesus held a special place in Paul's heart for many reasons. He would have held onto many memories, both good and bad, from his time there. Paul first came to the city of Ephesus for a short visit toward the end of his second missionary journey (Acts 18:18-19). Located on the Southwest coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), Ephesus was one of the great cities in that part of the world. It was a Roman capital, a wealthy commercial center, and home to the worship of the goddess Diana with a temple dedicated to her worship. On his third missionary journey, Paul made it back to Ephesus for an extended stay of three years. We can read about this period in Acts chapters 19 and 20. After his initial success in converting the twelve disciples of John, Paul spent three months teaching in the local synagogue before resistance to his doctrine by Jews forced him to leave the synagogue to focus his ministry on Gentiles. He then began to teach in the school of Tyrannus for the next two years with great success. The result of this period of ministry is that the gospel spread from Ephesus throughout Asia Minor. In Ephesus, Paul shifted from his role as an apostle or missionary to being more of a pastor and teacher, displaying Paul's wide-ranging set of ministry skills. A disturbance created by some of the local idol makers, which eventually turned into a riot, finally forced Paul to leave Ephesus. Toward the end of his third journey, Paul stopped at nearby Miletus and met with the elders of the church at Ephesus. Reminding them of his work with them, he charged them to fulfill their responsibilities as overseers of the flock of God and then bid them a tearful farewell before returning to Jerusalem where he knew he would be arrested.
Many scholars have noted how Ephesians is in many ways a simplified version of Romans, (which had been written 5 years earlier) with many shared themes, ideas, and doctrinal clarifications appearing in both. The general themes of his letter to the Ephesians were very important and timely to the spiritual health of the church at large. A grand letter like Ephesians almost defies coming up with one main theme, but some scholars have tried. One simple description boils the letter down into three main ideas: what we have in Christ, who we are in Christ, and how we should walk because of Christ. Another idea laid out is God's eternal master plan of how to bring heaven to earth, and how a church community can grow to take on the attributes of heaven and take on a role in this master plan. The great preacher Charles Spurgeon described Ephesians like this: "The Epistle to the Ephesians is a complete Body of Divinity. In the first chapter, you have the doctrines of the gospel; in the next, you have the experience of the Christians; and before the Epistle is finished, you have the precepts of the Christian faith. Whoever would see Christianity in one treatise, let him ‘read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest’ the Epistle to the Ephesians.”
Whatever the intended theme, Ephesians as a whole orients us toward God. In the first chapter of the letter, it is God who is center stage. These initial verses are filled with all that God has done for us. God has blessed us in Christ; God has chosen us in Christ; God has destined us for adoption; God’s glorious grace has been freely bestowed on us; God has made known to us the mystery of his will; God will gather up all things in Christ; God lavishes his grace on us; God accomplishes all things according to his divine counsel and will. Each day of this 21-day reading plan of Ephesians, you will read a short portion of scripture, followed by a devotional commentary, and finally a handful of questions for the reader to think about how to apply what they are reading to their everyday life. Our hope is that this book will be as much of an encouragement to you as it was to the early church 2,000 years ago.
The church in Ephesus held a special place in Paul's heart for many reasons. He would have held onto many memories, both good and bad, from his time there. Paul first came to the city of Ephesus for a short visit toward the end of his second missionary journey (Acts 18:18-19). Located on the Southwest coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), Ephesus was one of the great cities in that part of the world. It was a Roman capital, a wealthy commercial center, and home to the worship of the goddess Diana with a temple dedicated to her worship. On his third missionary journey, Paul made it back to Ephesus for an extended stay of three years. We can read about this period in Acts chapters 19 and 20. After his initial success in converting the twelve disciples of John, Paul spent three months teaching in the local synagogue before resistance to his doctrine by Jews forced him to leave the synagogue to focus his ministry on Gentiles. He then began to teach in the school of Tyrannus for the next two years with great success. The result of this period of ministry is that the gospel spread from Ephesus throughout Asia Minor. In Ephesus, Paul shifted from his role as an apostle or missionary to being more of a pastor and teacher, displaying Paul's wide-ranging set of ministry skills. A disturbance created by some of the local idol makers, which eventually turned into a riot, finally forced Paul to leave Ephesus. Toward the end of his third journey, Paul stopped at nearby Miletus and met with the elders of the church at Ephesus. Reminding them of his work with them, he charged them to fulfill their responsibilities as overseers of the flock of God and then bid them a tearful farewell before returning to Jerusalem where he knew he would be arrested.
Many scholars have noted how Ephesians is in many ways a simplified version of Romans, (which had been written 5 years earlier) with many shared themes, ideas, and doctrinal clarifications appearing in both. The general themes of his letter to the Ephesians were very important and timely to the spiritual health of the church at large. A grand letter like Ephesians almost defies coming up with one main theme, but some scholars have tried. One simple description boils the letter down into three main ideas: what we have in Christ, who we are in Christ, and how we should walk because of Christ. Another idea laid out is God's eternal master plan of how to bring heaven to earth, and how a church community can grow to take on the attributes of heaven and take on a role in this master plan. The great preacher Charles Spurgeon described Ephesians like this: "The Epistle to the Ephesians is a complete Body of Divinity. In the first chapter, you have the doctrines of the gospel; in the next, you have the experience of the Christians; and before the Epistle is finished, you have the precepts of the Christian faith. Whoever would see Christianity in one treatise, let him ‘read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest’ the Epistle to the Ephesians.”
Whatever the intended theme, Ephesians as a whole orients us toward God. In the first chapter of the letter, it is God who is center stage. These initial verses are filled with all that God has done for us. God has blessed us in Christ; God has chosen us in Christ; God has destined us for adoption; God’s glorious grace has been freely bestowed on us; God has made known to us the mystery of his will; God will gather up all things in Christ; God lavishes his grace on us; God accomplishes all things according to his divine counsel and will. Each day of this 21-day reading plan of Ephesians, you will read a short portion of scripture, followed by a devotional commentary, and finally a handful of questions for the reader to think about how to apply what they are reading to their everyday life. Our hope is that this book will be as much of an encouragement to you as it was to the early church 2,000 years ago.
Daily Challenge
We pray that this devotional is more than just a to do list item but that it allows you to refine the habit of spending time with God.
Dwell on the scriptures.
Allow God to speak as you meditate on his Word.
Reflect on each entry. Take time to write down what God is saying and how it can be applied to your life.
Go to God in prayer. Thank Him for all He has done and ask Him to continue to refine and strengthen you through the power of the Holy Spirit.