A History on Ephesians

Hello Friends- When Marcie approached me about her new calling into a women’s ministry, I had no doubt she was made for the job. When she thought I should join her, that took a little more faith, but in prayer I accepted this journey with her. As we began discussing things like Mission, Vision, and Purpose for the ministry, the passage of Ephesians 4 spoke to both of us. It’s full of rich teachings for everyday life, speaking directly to Marcie’s direct vision for Women Growing in Faith:

The goal of Women Growing in Faith is to help women grow into spiritual maturity by equipping them with resources and regular events which creates an online community of supportive women so that they can go serve their local community well.

As we begin to pull away from God’s characteristics, we want to lean into the “what next” scenarios in life. In light of God- how should we live. This is beautifully laid out in Ephesians 4.

Before we dive into the it, we wanted to take time to give background to the book. Let's take a look at the history of Ephesians. One of the key things I learned in my Interpreting the Bible class was to look at what was culturally happening when the passage being studied was written. This plays into how we should be reading and interpreting the passage. For example, if we were to be talking about a pandemic 5 years ago- people would have thought about things like bubonic plague, AIDs, or smallpox. Now- Covid is on the mind. The happenings of this world matter to what we write about, talk about, and think about. Where you are, and what's happening in the world around you matters deeply, and that applies to scripture too. So where was Ephesians written? And who was it written to?

Ephesians was written by Paul from prison in Rome. Paul was in prison for a number of charges including a false charge of desecrating the temple by allowing a Gentile into the inner courts (see Acts 21). It was written during the Roman empire, when Roman culture was well spread. It was written to the people in Ephesus, a city in modern day Turkey. But this city was no ordinary city. It was a major capitol city in the providence of Asia. It was at the center of major trade routes, allowing it to thrive on commerce, and it also housed the temple of Artemis which at one point was one of the seven wonders of the world. People far and wide came to Ephesus to worship another god and to participate in trade.

The Ephesus church would be considered a Gentile church, one outside of the Jewish lineage which meant they did not grow up learning the Torah and other Old Testament stories. When Paul writes in Ephesians 1 about us being predestined to be adopted into God’s family- it hits home more for them. In Ephesians 1-3, Paul lays out the new purpose for us in Christ. He talks through the heavenly blessings from Christ’s sacrifice and the power of his Spirit in Chapter 1. He reminds them that being made new and alive in Christ through his sacrifice grants these Gentiles the same rights as their Jewish brothers. In those times, Gentiles were looked at as lower, to the point that they were not allowed into the inner parts of Jewish temples (the exact rule Paul was accused of breaking). There was a literal wall with signs in multiple language warning all foreigners not to cross into the inner courts. When Paul in Ephesians 2:14 speaks about a “wall of hostility”, he literally means a wall!

When he goes on in verse 19 declaring they (the Gentile Christians) are no longer foreigners and aliens but fellow citizens with God’s people he is reminding the people of God’s intention- that is he for ALL people. Even throughout the Old Testament law, God always allowed foreigners and aliens who wanted to seek and worship him to be a part of his family. (Leviticus 24:22, Leviticus 19:33-34) Paul then goes into a dialogue in Ephesians 3 about why he, Paul, was able to write to them- that Paul’s wisdom and power is based solely on God and his redemptive power. Friends, this book is revolutionary for our current world. We live in a world divided by culture, ethnicities, and beliefs. We all need a reminder that God did not create us to be separated but to be unified in HIM. Without God, we will never find unity, but in God PEACE CAN REIGN.

Come back next week as Marcie dives into the beginning of our study on Ephesians 4.

In grace- Nicole

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better- Ephesians 1:17