Ephesians: Part 1 - Speaking Boldly in Ephesus
Ephesians: Part 1 - Speaking Boldly in Ephesus
Pastor Scott Skones
Living Word Lutheran Brethren Fellowship
Dickinson, ND
September 21, 2025
In June, I had the opportunity to visit the ancient city of Ephesus. Ephesus is one of the most well-preserved ancient cities. You can stand in front of one of the 1st century’s largest theaters, and admire mosaic floors that the Apostle Paul likely paused to admire as well.
The Great Theater in Ephesus (Photo by Scott Skones)
Paul spent a total of nearly 3 years living, teaching, and preaching in Ephesus.
Estimates are that there were as many as 250,000 people living in Ephesus during the 1st Century. Some contest that number, but almost everyone agrees that there were no less than 100,000.
For a point of reference, Jerusalem probably had 50,000 or fewer inhabitants during the same time period. So, it was anywhere from 2 to 5 times the size of Jerusalem when Paul lived there.
Ephesus, at the time, was a harbor city on the Aegean Sea. You can stand at what in the first century were buildings along the docks of the harbor that today are 3 miles from the Aegean sea – because of silt and sediment from the Cayster river that has changed the access to the ancient city.
I have been planning for a series in Ephesians for several years, but I knew when I stood near the ruins of that city that now was the time.
Ephesians is a beautiful, rich, deep, comforting, and hopeful letter. And so today, as we begin, I have two primary goals. First, I want to set up our time in the letter by giving you some foundational knowledge. You might think of this like scouting the land before you go hunting – or researching a new city on Google Maps before you leave for a trip.
And then Second, we are actually going to spend the first two weeks of the series in the book of Acts. Acts gives us the background to Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. It shows us some of the context into which Paul writes – some of the concerns that those early Christians were faced with.
And so, if you were excited about Ephesians chapter 1, you’ll have to wait a couple of weeks – but I think it’ll be worth it.
So, as we begin, allow me to set up the letter and give you the lay of the land. There are several questions that we always look at when we are approaching a new book of the Bible.
Who wrote it?
For about 1800 years, the Church was in agreement that Paul was the author of Ephesians. In the last 200 years, there has been some disagreement about that. Some have indicated that the vocabulary that the author uses is different from Paul’s other letters. Others argue that the lack of personal comments precludes Paul from being the author.
I spent a fair amount of time reading and digesting these various arguments, and I don’t think there’s any reason to doubt the legitimacy that Paul is, in fact, the principal human author of this letter.
Who was it written to?
This second question is also one that has encountered some controversy in the last 200 years. If you read chapter 1 verse 1, you’ll see that most of our English translations say “To God’s holy people in Ephesus.” But then your translation may have a footnote that says something like, “Some early manuscripts do not have ‘in Ephesus.’”
And that is true. Some of the early manuscripts do not include the recipient. Others do.
There are two ways to think about this. For example, We could assume that someone added “in Ephesus” later. Or, we could assume that after the letter arrived in Ephesus, it was found that the message was so powerful that it was copied and distributed to other churches in Asia Minor in order to build up and edify them.
I think the latter is the explanation. There’s good evidence to believe that Paul did, in fact, write the letter to the Ephesian church, and that it was immediately distributed to other churches around the region who would have been free to insert their own city name in the blank when they read the letter.
The third question that we might consider is:
When was it written?
Paul left on his third missionary journey, during which he stayed in Ephesus, around the year 52AD. It’s widely believed that Ephesians was written from Prison in Rome sometime between 60-62 AD. That timeline seems to fit best with the progression of the book of Acts. So, it’s safe to say that the letter was written sometime about 5-8 years after Paul lived in Ephesus.
And so now let’s talk briefly about the major themes of Ephesians. If I were to summarize the letter in one sentence, it might be this:
In Christ, we have been reconciled to God, united with fellow believers in His body, and strengthened to live in His grace.
Paul is going to look at every aspect of life and show us how the Gospel transforms it. It changes the things we prioritize, the way we think, and the way we interact with our neighbors.
I do want to warn you about one thing – Ephesians will challenge your assumptions and your priorities. It will force you to question whether you just SAY you are in Christ – or whether you really BELIEVE you are in Christ.
Let me give you one example that we will get to in Chapter 4. Ephesians 4:17:
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
Paul’s language here is strong. I INSIST – that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. And then he goes on over the next dozen or so verses to apply this point. He says this applies to immorality, to speaking truthfully, to anger, to greed, to providing for the needs of your neighbor, to the way that we talk about others. And he ends it by saying, in 32 - “Be kind and compassionate — forgiving as Christ forgave you.”
Now this is a sermon for a couple of months down the road – but ask yourself the question today: In what ways have I been living as the ‘Gentiles’ – as those far from God? In what ways has my thinking been futile? In what ways have I allowed the world to influence the way that I see God, the way that I see myself, and perhaps most profoundly, how have I allowed the world to influence how I see my neighbor? How have I allowed cultural forces around me to control my family’s schedule? How have I allowed angry people on TV or the Internet to influence how my heart reacts to people who disagree with me?
These are the sorts of hard-hitting questions that Ephesians will throw at us.
And what we will see is this – that when we are in Christ, loved by God, chosen by him, united with him in our baptism, that status of being “in Christ” impacts everything. It changes us. We will see this come out in many different ways throughout our time in the letter.
It might be helpful for me to just briefly sketch out an outline for you of the flow of the letter. There are many that you'll find if you search for outlines of Ephesians. I think the most helpful for us might also be the simplest.
Ephesians
The Gospel Explained (Chapters 1-3)
The Gospel Applied (Chapters 4-6)
It’s not perfect, but I think this framing of the letter will help you understand where it is taking us and the work that God desires to accomplish within us.
For the rest of our time today, I want to look at the book of Acts as we set up Paul’s ministry in Ephesus.
As you may know, Acts records the history of the growth and expansion of the church from Jerusalem throughout the Roman Empire.
Today we are going to be in Acts 19:1-10.
I invite you to stand as I read God’s word for us: Acts 19:1-10.
Acts 19:1-10
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
Here ends the reading of God’s word. You may be seated.
There are two observations for us to consider during our time today in Acts 19.
FIRST - Confusion about baptism sparks the growth of the church in Ephesus
Paul is on his 3rd missionary journey and makes the decision to travel from Antioch, all the way across modern Turkey to Ephesus. And when he arrives there, he encounters some who had been taught about Jesus by Apollos. Apollos was from Alexandria, which is in Northern Africa. He was a passionate and effective preacher – but was, like many young preachers, not fully developed in his theology.
And so Paul encounters a problem among these believers in Ephesus. And the problem is really two-fold.
First, we see in verse 2 that they have never heard of the Holy Spirit. Verse 2: Paul asks, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
And, in the mind of Paul, that triggers another question: “Into what, then, were you baptized?”
Now remember, Jesus instructed his disciples to baptize a certain way. In Matthew 28, he says to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit….”
This passage is interesting for many reasons, but one of them is of particular importance. Paul’s assumption when he comes to Ephesus is that Christians receive the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Baptism. In Paul’s mind, there is no Christian baptism that does not convey the Holy Spirit.
And so he quickly addresses this issue in Apollos’ teaching.
Now, if we had read chapter 18, we would know that this issue was coming because in verse 25 it says of Apollos, “He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.”
Apollos hadn’t been properly instructed. He missed the core, the essence, the meaning of baptism.
Think back for a moment to Jesus’ baptism. What happens at Jesus’ baptism? Let’s read from Mark chapter 1:
Mark 1:9-11
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Heaven is torn open, the Holy Spirit descends, and God the Father speaks, declaring that this is his son.
In other words, Jesus takes this washing of repentance of John and it suddenly becomes much more than that. For Christians, baptism is NOT so much about what YOU say – but about what God says in your baptism. It’s not so much an outward confession, as much as it is receiving the word and promises of God.
In Romans 6, Paul says that in baptism we are United with Christ in his death and resurrection. In Galatians 3, Paul says that in Baptism we are clothed with Christ.
And so we find ourselves at the heart of Apollos’ incomplete understanding of Baptism. And Paul corrects it and baptizes the Ephesian believers in the name of the triune God – They receive the Holy Spirit. They are united with Christ. They are declared Children of God.
Why is this such a big issue for Paul? Some today might say that Paul was majoring on a minor issue of disagreement. But the reality is that Paul had a high view of baptism. He saw baptism not in the way that many in American Evangelical churches do – as something that YOU DO some day, if you get around to it, in order to declare your love for God. No, Paul saw baptism as the means through which God gives us the holy spirit, and the means through which God unites us with Jesus.
And this was the beginning of the Church in Ephesus – when a dozen men were baptized – Not merely in an outward sense – but in Christian baptism were filled with the holy spirit, were declared children of God, and were united with Jesus in his death and resurrection.
And throughout Ephesians we will encounter echoes of this event. This unity with Christ in baptism and filling with the Holy Spirit is CENTRAL to the teaching of Ephesians.
Now, for the second point, as we consider this introduction to Ephesus in Acts 19:
SECOND - We see a firm commitment to and passion for the corporate gathering of God’s people and the ministry of the Word
After the church is launched in Ephesus, what do we see?
Verse 8 - “he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.”
Paul goes into the Jewish gathering in the city, and for three months, he points them to Jesus. But eventually, some of them get fed up with it, and verse 9 tells us they “maligned the way.” “The way” is the phrase that Luke uses throughout Acts to refer to this growing Christian faith.
So these Jews get angry and slander Paul, and so it says that he withdrew from them and took his followers with him. But they didn’t give up. They didn’t leave town. They met daily in the hall of Tyrannus.
So they leave the gathering place of the Jews and borrow or rent a lecture hall, which was likely just an outdoor patio that might have had some shade. And daily they would study and discuss the good news.
Verse 9 tells us that this went on for two years.
The Christians in Ephesus were a minority. We will see this even more next week as we continue the narrative. But I want us to take a few minutes to just consider the words of verse 10.
This minority church – rejected and ridiculed by the Jews and the Gentiles both – meeting together every day around the word of God. And what is the result of that?
Look at verse 10: “This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.”
Did you hear that? This likely small group of believers who met together every day with only the power of the word and the spirit, resulted in Luke’s assessment that everyone in the province of Asia heard the Word of the Lord.
There’s a larger idea being reflected here. We see throughout Jesus’ ministry that he was rejected by the Jews and often embraced by Gentiles. And we see the same thing here. Paul goes first to the Jews in the synagogue in Ephesus, and they kick him out, and so his reach expands, and he is received by the Gentiles. And his message catches on.
We know that Paul didn’t do that all on his own – the province of Asia is large – and so undoubtedly he raised up and trained and sent out others to share the word of the Lord throughout the region.
And, in this way, the mission of the church has not changed. We place an emphasis on gathering together – hearing God’s word – allowing it to change us – so that we can take it with us and proclaim it where God places us.
This is the heartbeat of the church. We don’t exist purely for ourselves. Certainly, fellowship is important. We care for one another. And there is a lot of that happening here at Living Word. We bear one another's burdens. We encourage and teach and build up the body. But we do so as part of God’s mission to save the world. Paul didn’t envision a church that existed purely for itself. I would guess if you could ask Paul today, he couldn’t conceive of a church that didn’t tell, that didn’t proclaim, that didn’t take the gospel with it out the doors of the church into a dying world.
We will talk more about this next week – but I want you to understand one thing today. Our community, our state, our nation, is Ephesus.
Ephesus was full of worship. Not far from the streets that Paul walked in Ephesus was one of 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. It was known as the Temple of Artemis. There’s an artist’s rendering of what it likely looked like on the screen. It was huge. Many of you are familiar with the Parthenon – the temple that sits atop the Acropolis in Athens. Here’s the size comparison between the Temple of Artemis and the Parthenon.
Artemis, in Greek mythology, was the daughter of Zeus. People would flock from all around to worship her at the temple.
Ephesus was full of worship – full of idolatry. Full of people spending their lives searching for hope. Full of people wandering in darkness, desperate for purpose and belonging and peace.
We are living in Ephesus. Full of worship – worshiping money, sex, and power. Full of people willing to worship whatever might be beneficial to them. We are surrounded by people who need what Jesus offers.
We are surrounded by people who need the hope that is found in Ephesians.
And not only is idolatry out there, but it is in here as well. We often think of idolatry as bowing down in worship to an idol. But, of course, it’s so much bigger and all-encompassing than that. Idolatry is when you look to something or someone to give you what you ought to be looking to God for.
Listen to that again. Idolatry is when you look to something or someone to give you what you ought to be looking to God for. Most idols begin with a good thing – and, often, they begin with something that is a gift from the Lord.
Children are a blessing from the Lord – but many parents find their meaning, their purpose, their identity in their children, rather than in the Lord. We see this so clearly in the epidemic of youth sports that robs families of time to live balanced, purposeful lives.
The ability to work is a gift and blessing from the Lord – but how often does it become an idol? People choose their career over their children and spouse. Many people have no identity outside of their career. Even for believers, they are so busy with their careers that they aren’t actually part of the body of Christ. They disconnect and distance themselves from the church. Because, of course, that’s exactly what idolatry does.
We, like the Ephesians, are confronted with rampant idolatry. And it’s not just the world out there. It’s me. It’s you.
Verse 8 of our text says that while he was preaching in the synagogue in Ephesus, Paul spoke boldly. And we must do the same. We must always preach the gospel with clarity in a world that will largely resent the message.
But here’s the thing about speaking boldly. We all want a pastor who speaks boldly about the sinners out there. But if you read Paul’s writing, the majority of his most bold speaking – and certainly most of his harshest words — are directed at religious people.
Does our lost world need boldness? Of course. But so do I. And so do you.
And here's what I love about Ephesians. Paul will speak boldly at times. But, more than that, Paul makes much of Jesus. He exalts the Lord – he makes crystal clear what Jesus has done for us and what his salvation means for us and for our dying, divided, angry world.
And so as we begin this time in Ephesians together, my prayer is this:
That God would renew our Commitment to and passion for the corporate gathering of God’s people and the ministry of the Word. And that as that happens, we will be sent from here each week full of the good news that our Ephesus needs. That we would leave here full of the light of Christ, that is the only hope for a dying world.
I invite you to consider what you are worshiping today. Who or what is guiding your thinking and captivating your attention? Who or what is controlling your schedule or directing your decision-making? What temple are you making a pilgrimage to? And as the Holy Spirit convicts you of your own idolatry – ask Jesus to incline your heart toward him – to reorient your priorities. Ask God to captivate your heart with his word.
And, above all – remember what we heard earlier – that summary of Ephesians to which we will give ourselves over the coming months during our time in this book:
In Christ, we have been reconciled to God, united with fellow believers in his body, and strengthened to live in his grace.