Ephesians and Ephesus

Ephesians is a “Circular” Letter (Epistle) known as an “Encyclical” written to be sent to various churches in the Roman province of Asia Minor now called Turkey north of Syria and Iraq. Circular letters were intended to be sent by couriers to churches to be read out loud by an elder of the church there. They were read out loud to groups of believers because reading and writing was only affordable to religious leaders, scholars and educated men and very few women or children were taught to read let alone write.

The epistle to the Ephesians is one of Paul’s “Prison Epistles” which includes Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon and it was written while he was in prison in Rome in 61 AD. Paul did not ‘write’ his epistles instead he dictated them to a scribe or secretary. Ephesians was most likely written out by Timothy as was Colossians also written in Rome earlier the same year. However Paul usually added a few words in his own handwriting to show that he was the author and to protect them from forgery.

Older Ephesians manuscripts such as the Codex Vaticanus (1209) do not have the words “At Ephesus” in the first verse. Reportedly the original was written as “To the saints in __” so that when it was copied – because printing was not yet invented – the name of the church it was to be send to would be written in. Most were copied from the manuscript addressed to Ephesus and are in the canon of scripture as Ephesians. As a result of this the early Christian theologian Marcion (85-160) called it the Epistle to the Laodiceans.

•According to legend Ephesus was founded by the female warriors the Amazons.
•Paul lived in Ephesus (originally a Greek colony) for three years (Acts 19:1-4).
•1 Corinthians was written by Paul from Ephesus.
•Ephesians 1:3-14 was originally one long sentence in the original and is the longest continuous sentences found in the Greek.
•Ephesians 1:15-23 and 2:1-7 were also originally one continuous sentence.
•Ephesus was the first of the seven churches addressed in Revelation.
•After the death and resurrection of Jesus the Apostle John (John 19:27) took Mary the mother of Jesus to Ephesus to live with him.
•The “House of the Virgin Mary” located in Selcuk two miles northeast of Ephesus is traditionally considered the place where Mary lived until her death.
•John wrote the epistles 1, 2 and 3 John in Ephesus (85-90 AD) and finished his Gospel there as well (80-85 AD).
•John was taken from Ephesus to prison on the Island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea 50 miles southeast of Ephesus where he wrote Revelation in 95 AD. After his release he returned to Ephesus where he died five years later in about 100 AD.
•John’s traditional tomb is thought to be located in Selcuk near Ephesus where he and Mary lived.
•In 269 Ephesus was devastated by the Goths and was destroyed by the Turks in 1090 and is mostly old ruins now however it is the best preserved classical city of the Eastern Mediterranean reflecting the atmosphere of the Roman empires time.
•In the 7th century Ephesus was moved to the site now occupied by the city of Selcuk.

Traditional Outline

1. Greetings (1:1–2)
2. The Divine Purpose: The Glory and Headship of Christ (1:3–14)
3. Prayer That Christians May Realize God’s Purpose and Power (1:15–23)
4. Steps Toward the Fulfillment of God’s Purpose (Chapters 2–3)
A. Salvation of Individuals by Grace (2:1–10)
B. Reconciliation of Jew and Gentile through the Cross (2:11–18)
C. Uniting of Jew and Gentile in One Household (2:19–22)
D. Revelation of God’s Wisdom through the Church (3:1–13)
E. Prayer for Deeper Experience of God’s Fullness (3:14–21)
5. Practical Ways to Fulfill God’s Purpose in the Church (4:1—6:20)
A. Unity (4:1–6)
B. Maturity (4:7–16)
C. Renewal of Personal Life (4:17—5:20)
D. Deference in Personal Relationships (5:21—6:9)
1. Principle (5:21)
2. Husbands and wives (5:22–33)
3. Children and parents (6:1–4)
4. Slaves and masters (6:5–9)
E. Strength in the Spiritual Conflict (6:10–20)
6. Conclusion, Final Greetings and Benediction (6:21–24)

Tips For A Christian Marriage

 

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is Mine – Song of Solomon 6:3

 

In a Christian marriage we must keep God first and we must honor our marriage and one another. We need to respect and encourage one another as well as communicate with one another and be quick to listen and slow to speak by carefully choosing our words as James tells us. We also need to pray with one another, read the Bible together and attend Church together whenever the doors are open.

 

When you choose to marry you become one (One Flesh) and it means that you choose to love your spouse and be patient with them and kind to them. You should not be not envious, boastful, proud, rude or self-seeking with them. You must not be easily angered or keep a record of wrongs. Finally you must be protective, trustful and always persevere because love never fails. All of this is spelled out by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and so we must do the following:

 

Be faithful to your spouse. 

Be hopeful with your spouse. 

Be kind to your spouse. 

Be patient your spouse.

Be truthful to your spouse. 

Be understanding towards your spouse. 

Be unselfish with your spouse.

Encourage your spouse. 

Forgive your spouse. 

Grow and mature with your spouse.

Help your spouse.

Honor your spouse.

Love your spouse.

Please your spouse.

Speak in love to your spouse. 

Trust your spouse.

 

Because the bond created in a Christian marriage by a man and woman is before God then God is in your hearts. If you adhere to the rules above you, your spouse and your marriage will be blessed.

 

 

Marriage From The Beginning

 

Several years ago when I was a home inspector I inspected a friend of ours house named Angelique before her and her husband bought it. There was a minor stress crack above one of the bedroom doors and I told her the house had settled and it was probably an old crack. To be safe I inspected the foundation and could not find anything obvious on the outside. On the inside the basement was sheet rocked and carped. As an inspector I could not pull up the carpet or take down the sheetrock and assumed all was well and they moved in shortly afterwards.

 

Two years or so later to make a long story short the foundation began to break apart and they had to shell out 40K dollars to have the house repaired. My wife and I stopped by one day and her yard was all dug up around the house. The house was covered on the inside with concrete dust and they had plastic on all the upstairs floors. The basement had holes in the ground around the inside edges where they were mud jacking and their basement was unlivable. It was sad to see and for them it was just the beginning of a nightmare. For the entire summer the house was being repaired and was hard to live in.

 

Eventually they got most of their money back for the repairs but it took two years to recover. As the inspector of the home I could have been liable for the damages in court. However their insurance man and I met the mudjackers at the house when they did their initial assessment. We soon discovered that the previous owners had known the foundation was bad and did not disclose it to their realtor. The mudjackers found that the previous owners had used silicone to repair several large basement floor cracks and glued carpet over it to hide the repairs and since they did not disclose it they were sued for the damages.

 

In our Christian lives there are lots of similarities to Angelique‘s misadventures. A marriage like a house needs to be built on a solid foundation and both couples should disclose everything. There should be no secrets and nothing should be covered up because communication is essential. If a Christian home is not filled with the spirit of God a remodeling occurs and the home can be hard to live in. But when God and the Holy Spirit lives in the home in the end damages can be recovered.

 

As Christian couples in our marriages need to build on a solid foundation and be wise and not foolish. In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus described someone who builds their house on sand as Foolish and one who builds their house on rock are Wise.

 

Jesus said in Luke 6:46-49 that a home built on a strong foundation of rock which is Jesus and the word of God is different from one built without a foundation or without God and the bible but Why? Because those who build on a Christian foundation can weather the storms of life by their faith because God and the bible is the blueprint for life or a roadmap.

 

To understand us as individuals we need to look at the Genesis Creation Timeline.

 

Day	God Created	Genesis
1	Heaven and earth	1:1
1	Light	1:3
1	Day and Night (Evening\Morning)	1:5
2	Sky	1:8
3	Land And Sea	1:10
3	Vegetation and Plants	1:11
4	Moon, Sun Stars	1:14
5	Fish and Birds	1:20
6	Animals	1:24
6	Man (Male\Female)	1:26
6	Gives Dominion to man	1:29
7	God Rests	2:2

 

God made man last on the 6th day of creation and rested on the 7th day. If you read Genesis 1: 26-30 in verse 27 we see that God created man and woman in God’s image. Then in verse 28 God blessed “them” both so they’re equals. Then in verse 28 we see God’s purpose for marriage and we are to fill the earth by being fruitful and multiplying.

 

If you are in a childless marriage for one reason or another how does this apply to you? Well you can adopt or be foster parents for children if you can. You can also help to raise spiritual children like step children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces or other children in your life such as those of close family friends or even the neighbor’s children.

 

For new Christians when reading Genesis chapter 2 and in particular Genesis 2:7-8 it is confusing for most of them as well as some believers. In Genesis 1:26 we read that God created male and female. But in 2:7 we read that God created Adam (Hebrew for Man). The key here is to understand that Chapter 1 is taken as an overview of creation. Whereas Chapter 2 deals with verse 1:26 in detail in verse 2:4 with the creation of the first man or Adam and the first woman Eve which in the Hebrew sounds like Man as it does in English.

 

Why was man created and why was he given dominion over all that had the breath of life in it? – To take care of it as in verse 2:5 so that he could work it which means to tend and take care of it. So God created Adam in 2:7 and put him into Eden in 2:15.

 

One of Gods primary purposes for marriage is stated in Genesis 2:18.  In 2:18 God said that it is not good for man (Adam) to be alone and he needed a helper that was suitable for him. One that could help him care for all that God had created for the earth. From this we see that Man was not meant to be alone and needed a woman to be his helper or partner who is suitable for him.

 

In summation a Christian home needs to be built on a strong foundation and we need to be wise and not foolish. To do so we have Jesus and the word of God present in ourselves, our marriage and in our home. God provided woman to man as a helper and both were blessed as equals.

 

When reading Genesis 2:21-24 in verse 24 when a man marries he is to leave his mother and father or their house and be united to his wife in their own house and they become one flesh and so they become one and not remain two. When God said – in the various Bible version translations – that a man is United, Joined or Cleave(s) it means Faithful Love. Jesus himself echoed this in Matthew 19:4-6 but added therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate. Paul tells us in Hebrews 13:4 that marriage is honorable and that the marriage bed should be kept pure and undefiled.

 

Paul also states in 1 Corinthians 11:11-12 that God created men and women as interdependent. Women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. Adam was created before Eve and even though Eve the first woman came from Adam ever since then all men and women have been born from women. No one is completely independent because everything comes from God who is the Source of all life. Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 tells us that intimacy is important as we seen in Genesis 1:28.

 

In Genesis 3: 1-6 where was Adam when the serpent was temping Eve? He was with her.

When they ate the fruit sin came into the world because of disobedience to God but was this Eves fault? – No because Adam was with her and failed to protect his wife from sin and temptation. Here Adam failed himself, his wife, their union or marriage and failed God. We cannot always force our mate to obey God but we can pray for them and with love admonish them. In Genesis 3: 7-13 when God asked Adam in verse 11 he blamed Eve the woman in verse 12 but it is important to note that when we sin we are to blame not someone else.

 

Suffering And Trials

 

Listed here are some verses that I refer to when counseling others when dealing with trials and suffering.

 

Christ shows us how suffer (1 Peter 2:21-24)

Christ’s followers will suffer (Matthew 16:21-26)

God expects us to grow through trials (James 1:2-4)

God knows what he is doing (Romans 8:28)

Have peace in trials (John 16:33)

Jesus can help us through our suffering (Hebrews 2:11-18)

Jesus understood our struggles (John 15:18)

No more suffering in Jesus Christ’s Kingdom (Revelation 21:4)

Suffering ends in glory (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Suffering helps us to comfort others who are suffering (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

Trials fade in comparison to the joy we have with Christ (Philippians 3:7-11)

Trials help us develop patience (Romans 5:1-5)

We are promised rest from trials (Matthew 11:28-30)

We can expect to suffer (2 Corinthians 6:3-13)

 

Angels

 

In the Bible Satan is called many things in both the Old and New Testaments but we know him best as Satan (Mark 1:13), the Devil (1 John 3:8) or Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12-14) all of which are titles for him. He is among other things called the Accuser (Revelation 12:10), the Antichrist (1 John 4:3), the Beast (Revelation 14:9-10), the Deceiver (Revelation 12:9), the Evil one (John 17:15), the Father of lies (John 8:44), the Lawless one (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10), a Liar (John 8:44), the Man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), a Murderer (John 8:44),  the Power of darkness (Colossians 1:13-14), the Prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:1-2), the Serpent of old (Revelation 12:9), a Tempter (Matthew 4:3), a Thief (John 10:10) and the Wicked one (Ephesians 6:16).

 

However he is also known as the Angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), the morning Star (Isaiah 14:12) and the Angel of the bottomless pit (Revelation 9:11). Satan is also known as a King: and he is the King of Babylon (Isaiah 14:4), King of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:12) and King of the bottomless pit (Revelation 9:11) and the God of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4).

 

Satan was created by God and was a beautiful angel in heaven (Ezekiel 28:12) and was called Lucifer the ‘light-bearer’ or the ‘morning star’ but he was a fallen Angel (Isaiah 14:12) and was separated from God. Satan rebelled against God and as a result he was cast down to earth as ‘the Ruler of this world’ and makes his first appearance as the Serpent when he temped Eve in the garden to eat the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:1-7). When Satan left Heaven he did not leave alone. More angels went with Satan and are called “Fallen Angels” or demons and he is the Ruler of demons (Luke 11:15) and the Ruler of this world (John 12:31-32) as the Ruler of the darkness (Ephesians 6:12).

 

These fallen angels like Satan were once in the presence of God in heaven created by God to serve him in heaven or as messengers or “Angel(s) of the lord” as we see when the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:11-22) is foretold. The angel Gabriel was also one of Gods messengers when he appeared to the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26-38) and told her that she would give birth to Jesus.

 

Angels like Man are given free will and free choice and they chose to leave or fall from heaven and leave the presence and grace of God to follow Satan as his earthly army. When they fell from heaven some that sinned were cast into hell (2 Peter 2:4) yet others were set loose upon the earth.

 

The Greek word “Angelos” where we get the word Angel from literally means messenger and the Hebrew word “Mal’ak” also means messenger as well. Angels both those who serve God and those who serve Satan are found throughout the Bible from Genesis (Genesis 3:1) to Revelation (Revelation 22:16).

 

Angels were created by God in the very beginning before the foundation of the world was set (Genesis 1:1) and the angels shouted for Joy as he created the earth (Job 38:4-7). All of the angels were created at once and no new angels have been created since and contrary to popular belief when we die we do not become angels.

 

As far as the number of Angels that God created is concerned we see in the Old Testament there are “ten thousand times ten thousand” in Daniel 7:9-10. In the New Testament we see that there are “thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand” in Revelation 5:11. Both verses imply myriad upon myriad where the Greek word myriad is used when a number is too great to count or describe and we can think of it as billions. Because angels cannot die (Luke 20:34-36) like we on earth do their numbers do not change. That is until the unholy trinity (Satan, the Beast and the False Prophet) and all the Angels who follow Satan are cast into the burning lake (Revelation 20:10) before the dead are judged (Revelation 20:11-15) and the new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1-3) are created.

 

Each of us has a guardian Angel (Psalms 91:11 and Matthew 18:10) however some of them like mine seem to have a warped sense of humor at times. God’s angels serve him in heaven and are always standing in the presence of God and some he sends as earthly messengers. God’s angels also protect us (Daniel 6:22) and they protected the Israelites as Moses parted the red sea (Exodus 14:19) and they can bring punishment (2 Kings 6:17-18) as well. Satan’s evil angels are less powerful than God’s angels but in other ways they are stronger as they lead us into temptation. On the other hand they are stronger than us (2 Peter 2:11) and are mightier (Psalm 103:20) than us. Angels are also wiser than us (2 Samuel 14:20) however they do not know everything (Matthew 24:36).

 

Gods angels are above Satan’s angels yet all angels are a little higher than man and were created before man. The NIV Bible dictionary defines Angels as “A supernatural, heavenly being, a little higher in dignity than man.”

 

God’s angels are his elect (1 Timothy 5:21) and they are holy (Mark 8:38) but Satan’s angels (demons) who oppose God have sinned (2 Peter 2:4) and have lost their positions of authority (Jude 1:6) in heaven. In the Bible Angles are said to be Spirits (Hebrews 1:14), Stronger than us (2 Peter 2:11), Powerful (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8) and cannot marry or die (Luke 20:34-36). Angels also assist us (Genesis 19:1-11) deliver us (Acts 5:17-21) and lead us (Acts 8:26-29).

 

In the life of Jesus angels played a role as well. They appeared to Mary (Luke 1:26-28) and then Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25) to announce his forthcoming birth and they appeared to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-16) to lead them to Bethlehem to see the newborn king.  After Jesus was tempted in the desert by Satan before he began his earthly ministry angels came to attend to him (Matthew 4:10-11). When Jesus was praying in the garden on the Mount of Olives an angel appeared to strengthened him (Luke 22:39-44) and after his death an Angel came to roll away the stone (Matthew 28:1-8) and sit on it.

 

We know two of Gods angels by name Michael the archangel (Jude 1:9 and Revelation 12:7-9) and Gabriel (Luke 1:19 and Luke 1:26-27). We also know that cherubim (Genesis 3:23-24) and seraphim (Isaiah 6:1-2) are angels.

 

Angels In The Life And Ministry Of Jesus:

 

John’s birth announced to Zacharias and the birth of John the Baptist: Luke 1:8-25, 57-66

Christ’s birth announced to Mary: Luke 1:26-38

Christ’s conception explained to Joseph in a dream: Matthew 1:18-25

Christ’s birth announced to the Shepherds: Luke 2:8-20

Angels attend and minister to Jesus after Satan tempts him in the desert: Matthew 4:1-11

An Angel strengthens Jesus as he prays on the Mount of Olives: Luke 22:39-44

An Angel rolls back the stone from the tomb and sits upon it: Matthew 28:1-10