I don't know about you, but sometimes I find myself feeling disconnected from the Lord, with a spirit that feels dry and a heart that is lacking in Hope and peace. Sometimes my Bible study, it just becomes a habit. Something that I'm doing to check off of my to-do list, and then it's like my heart disconnects, and the truths that I read, they stop changing me, and God's promises stop filling me with the hope and the confidence that they should. And what I've come to recognize is that when I study God's word, either purely academically, or I'm doing it out of a sense of obligation instead of desire. Well then, my study loses some of its power and its effectiveness, but we don't have to study the Bible that way; there is a better way. We can study God's word responsibly, engaging our brains and learning. While at the same time, coming to God's word with the spirit of humility of devotion, and desire. And that is how we're going to approach the Bible. As we begin our study in the book of Ephesians.

Hi friends. Welcome to my channel. My name is Sarah, and I love the word of God, and I am so excited to start this new study with you in the book of Ephesians. David refers to longing for the Lord as the dear pants for the water. And I've noticed that the more time I spend with the Lord, in the word, engaging, listening, praying, and even wrestling through the things that I don't understand, those are the times when I begin to sense his presence in my day-to-day moments; that's when I begin to hear his whisper of comfort. When I'm experiencing fear or doubt, I don't want to just be a student of the word. I want to be a lover and a follower of Jesus, but how can I love him if I don't know who he is?

But that's the thing that the Bible offers us, it offers us an opportunity to know our God today. I'm going to give you an introduction to the book of Ephesians. Now we're going to start by just looking at the basic context. We're going to ask questions like what kind of book is this, and who wrote it? Who was it written to? But later in this video, we're going to go deeper, and we're going to really learn about the people in the city of Ephesus. These are the people that Paul loved so much and was so committed to that he spent two years in the city of Ephesus with them, pouring into them, making sure that they understood the gospel of Jesus and the freedom that Christ offered them.

This book is special because it comes from a place of great devotion and affection. Now, in our next video, we're actually going to begin studying the book of Ephesians, and we're going to ask the Lord to reveal Himself to us through the scriptures. But today we're going to study the fascinating history behind the Book of Ephesians.

So grab your Bibles and let's seek him together. Now, anytime I start studying a new book of the Bible, the first question that I want to ask myself is what kind of book it is. When we are looking at the books of the Bible, we need to consider the type of literature that the specific book that we're looking at is. The Bible actually has a lot of genres of literature, and we want to consider that when we're determining how to understand and interpret the book that we're going to read.

For example, we would not read the book of Proverbs, which is a collection of wisdom sayings, in the same way that we would read the book of Isaiah, which is a prophetic book. And we wouldn't interpret the poetry of the Book of Psalms in the same way that we would interpret the narrative of the Book of Luke. So while we know that all scripture is God-breathed and profitable, there are different types of literature, and we want to know that before we begin to try to understand what the book means. So the Book of Ephesians is an epistle, and an epistle is a letter. Now, in the Bible, the epistles were written by Apostles, most of them by the Apostle Paul, and these were letters that carried weight.

They were valued and worthy of honor. So when we read the book of Ephesians, we are reading a letter that carries an important, valuable message. Now, Ephesians is actually a specific type of epistle. It is one of four prison Epistles in the New Testament. And what that means is that Ephesians, along with the books of Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, are all letters that were written by the Apostle Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome.

So we referred to them as the prison Epistles. Now, after we've discovered what type of literature it is, we then want to consider who wrote it, which of the human authors that God inspired to write the scriptures wrote, the book that we are going to study, and the answer to our question is actually found right in the book itself.

If you would look with me at Ephesians chapter 1 verse 1, the first words we read are Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by God's will. And then again, if you look at chapter 3 of Ephesians, verse 1, it says, "For this reason, I Paul the prisoner of Christ Jesus."

So we see Paul actually is identifying himself as the author of this letter. Next, let's ask the question. Who is this book to? So we saw that it was written by Paul. Who is Paul writing to? And we actually see the answer to this question in the same verses that we just read.

So if you look back to Ephesians chapter 1 verse 1, it says, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will to the faithful Saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus." Now again skip to chapter 3, and look at verse 1, where it says, "For this reason I Paul the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles."

So, did you notice that there are actually three different things mentioned in. Those two verses are about the original recipients. First, we see that this letter is to the faithful Saints. So what does that mean? What is a faithful saint? Well, really, what this means is that this book is to Believers.

This is to those who have already decided to follow Jesus. Next, we saw that it is to the faithful Saints in Ephesus. So this book is called Ephesians because it is a letter written to the church in the city of Ephesus. Then, in chapter 3, we saw that it was written to Gentiles.

So, this letter is not written to those who grew up in the Jewish faith and then came to know Jesus as the Messiah. This is actually written to those who were outside of the Jewish faith, outside of the Jewish nationality, and they have given their lives to Jesus. They've come to see that Jesus is the Messiah.

Now, this is actually something that there is a lot to say about. And we're going to look a lot more at that idea that this book is written to Gentiles and the significance of that as we study the book of Ephesians But for now, we just want to take note of those background facts so so far we've seen that Ephesians is a prison epistle it was written by the Apostle Paul to Gentile Believers in the city of Ephesus.

Now, just a quick side note about that is that, although this letter is specifically written to the Ephesians, it is very likely that it was actually intended to then circulate among the other churches in the region. Now, let's talk for a minute about the city of Ephesus because this will give us some context for these people, that Paul is writing to. So, Ephesus was a poor city, it was a capital of the Roman province of Asia, and inside of the city of Ephesus, you would find the Temple of Artemis or the Temple of Diana.

And much of the culture, both in Ephesus and the surrounding region, was centered around the worship of the goddess, Artemis. Now, something else to note about the city is that it was steeped in Magic in the occult. So, keep in mind that these people that Paul is writing to, they are following Jesus, but they are living in a culture centralized around the idolatrous worship of Artemis as well as the practice of magic.

Okay. So we've asked the question, what kind of literature is the book of Ephesians? We've also asked who wrote it, and to who is it written. And now, we want to ask the question, when? So we want to consider the time frame of the book of Ephesians. And we really want to look at two different time periods.

We want to consider the time when Paul was actually writing the book, but we also want to look at the time when Paul spent time in Ephesus because the Book of Ephesians is a letter written from Paul to Believers in Ephesus, but this was a city that he had been to.

He's actually writing back to a church where he spent a significant amount of time in the past. So let's start with a little bit of a history lesson of Paul's time in Ephesus. Now, if you're trying to plot this on an actual timeline and consider dates, Paul first spent a brief period of time in Ephesus, at the very end of his second missionary journey, and this would have been around A.D 53.

So we're going to look at the Book of Acts because this is where we're going to read about the time when Paul was in Ephesus. So, if you would turn with me to Acts chapter 18, and we're going to look at verses 18 through 21. And this is what we read,

"After staying for some time, Paul said farewell to the brothers and sisters and sailed away to Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, but he himself entered the synagogue and debated with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined, but he said farewell and added, 'I'll come back to you again, if God wills.' Then he set sail from Ephesus."

So there we see this short stay in Ephesus with the intention to return. Now, then, in Acts chapter 19, you can actually read about Paul's return to Ephesus on his third missionary journey, where he actually spent between two and three years in the city of Ephesus.

So Paul's primary time in Ephesus would have been around AD53 to AD56 now. Let's spend a few minutes in Acts chapter 19 and the two to three years time span where Paul is in Ephesus when he's teaching and preaching the gospel. Now, remember that as we learn about Paul's time in Ephesus, we're learning about the Believers and Ephesus.

And we're beginning to see the relationship between Paul and these people, that he's going to write the letter of Ephesians 2 in just a few more years. So, in the first few verses of Acts chapter 19, we find out that Paul arrived in Ephesus, and he encounters some disciples of John the Baptist.

Now these were people who had heard John preach about repentance, and they had actually accepted this message. They had repented and been baptized by John, but they had not yet heard that the Messiah had come; they were still waiting for the Messiah. So they hadn't heard about Jesus or the Holy Spirit, and so Paul, he explains to them, that Jesus is the Fulfillment of the Messiah they've been waiting for. And they turned to Jesus, they are baptized, and they have received the Holy Spirit. Now let's look at Acts chapter 19, verses 8 through 10. And this is where we will read about what happens next. It says, "Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some of them became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them, taking the disciples and conducting discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord."

So we see here that Paul enters the synagogue and he's teaching and preaching, but he begins to receive a lot of criticism. It says that there are people who became hardened and would not believe, and they slandered the Way in front of the crowd. And so what Paul does is he actually just removes himself from the synagogue, and he finds a new place to teach where he can continue to preach the gospel, and he does this for two years.

So over the course of this two years, he is regularly sharing the gospel in the city of Ephesus, and it says that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord. So what we see here is that Paul's influence is extremely significant; he's not willing to be dissuaded by those who seek to shut down his ministry.

Instead, he just finds a new location where he can continue to preach boldly, the gospel, and as a result, the gospel is spreading, not just in the city of Ephesus. But the ripple effects are trickling into the surrounding region. Now, remember how I told you that in the city of Ephesus, there is this significant practice of magic, and you can actually read about this in the next section.

In Acts chapter 19. You can read about it in verses 11 through 20. I'm not going to read the whole thing, but basically, what you have is that there are people that are practicing magic through evil forces. But then you also have Paul, and God is empowering Paul to do these amazing Miracles.

And the people are noticing. So those who are practicing this dark magic recognized that there is a greater power that Paul seems to have, and they're hoping to gain some of that power. So in these verses, there are men who want to cast out demons through the power of Paul or Jesus, but they don't actually know Jesus.

So, in Acts chapter 19 verse 15, we read this, it says, "The evil spirit answered them, I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul, but who are you?" And so, there's this significant contrast where God is showing that his power is greater, it is different, and it is to be set apart from the magic that is practiced through these spiritual forces of darkness, and the people in Ephesus are noticing it.

And in verse 17, it says, when this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high esteem. And the impact here is so profound that many of the people who have been practicing magic, they actually collect their books and they burn them, and it says in verse 20. In this way, the word of the Lord flourished and prevailed. So once again, we see that God is working through Paul in such a significant way in the lives of the people here in the city of Ethan. God used Paul in a mighty way because he was a humble servant willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus and willing to continue to preach the gospel boldly even in the face of great criticism and persecution.

Now, in the remainder of chapter 19, we can read about the conclusion of Paul's time in Ephesus, and things get pretty rowdy. Those that were making their living around the idol worship in the Temple of Artemis. They realize that Paul is making trouble for their way of living, and they create a major disturbance in the city.

They realize that as Paul's influence increases and continues to spread and people stop worshiping Artemis, their income has the potential to decrease significantly. And so they gather the people, they get them all worked up, and they actually begin to start a riot. They drag some of Paul's companions into the amphitheater, and everybody is shouting, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" They realize that they've got to put a stop to Paul's teaching.

Now Paul wants to go into the amphitheater and speak, but the disciples won't let him. They know it's not safe for him. And actually, in verse 31, it says that some of the provincial officials of Asia, who were friends, they actually sent Words of Paul, and they pleaded with him to please not go into the amphitheater.

Now, fortunately, a city official kind of comes in and he talks some sense into the rioters, and things calm down, and the assembly is dismissed, but this is really the climax of Paul's time there in Ephesus. We see that Paul is having such a significant influence that it's beginning to create some unrest in the city.

So then in chapter 20 verse 1, it says, "After the uproar was over, Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them, and after saying farewell, he departed to go to Macedonia." So Paul understands that his time in Ephesus has come to a close, and he departs. Now, I want to look at another portion of scripture where we can read about Paul's last face-to-face interaction with some of the people in Ephesus.

Now, he left the city of Ephesus and he continued his missionary work. But in chapter 20, verses 17 through 38, you can actually read about another interaction between Paul and some of the elders of Ephesus. Now I want to read just a portion of this. We're going to read Acts chapter 20, verses 17 through 21.

It says, "Now from Miletus, he's sent to Ephesus and summoned the Elders of the church. When they came to him, he said to them, 'You know, from the first day I set foot in Asia how I was with you, the whole time serving the Lord with all humility, with tears, and during the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews, You know that I did not avoid proclaiming to you anything that was profitable or from teaching you publicly and from house to house, I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord.'"

Jesus Christ. So then he goes on to tell them that the Spirit is compelling him to go to Jerusalem and that he knows that when he gets to Jerusalem, he's going to face chains and affliction, he knows what's ahead of him, and yet, he's moving forward boldly. His time in this region has come to a close, and he knows that he may never see these people again face to face, and it's like he realizes, wait a minute, I have a few more important things I have to share with these people that I love.

So, he calls the elders to him, and he gives them a warning. He talks to them about being on guard against what he refers to as "savage wolves" in verse 29. He says that, "I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them."

So he's giving these Elders, these last warnings about watching out for false teachers, who will come in and distort the truth that he's taught them. Then he reminds them that he lived sacrificially among them, and he wants them to live sacrificially among each other. Then, in verses 36 through 38, we read this sweet, intimate interaction that shows us the extent of the relationship between Paul and the people in Ephesus.

Let's look at Acts 20, verses 36 through 38, "After he said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. There were many tears shed by everyone. They embraced Paul and kissed him. Grieving most of all over his statement that they would never see his face again and they accompanied him to the ship." And this concludes the record that we have of Paul's time in Ephesus.

But we have one more thing we need to look at and really consider, as we prepare for our study in the book of Ephesians. We've been talking about the time when Paul was in Ephesus, but now we want to consider the time period when Paul actually wrote this letter.

Where was he, what was he experiencing? What were the circumstances surrounding his writing of this letter to the Ephesians? Now remember, we learned that Ephesians is one of the prison Epistles and is called that because we know that Paul wrote it while he was in prison. Now we're going to flip back to the book of Ephesians, and we've already read chapter 3, verse 1, but I'm going to read it to you again.

It says, "For this reason, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles." So we see here that Paul is identifying himself as a prisoner. Now, if you skip ahead to Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1, it says, "Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received."

So once again, Paul is identifying himself as a prisoner. And finally, in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 20, he says, "For this, I am an ambassador in chains." So we know that Paul wrote Ephesians while he was imprisoned. So let's talk a little bit about what that looked like.

Now, we're gonna turn back to Acts, and we're going to go to chapter 28. So, in Acts chapter 28, we're going to see that Paul has been arrested and transferred to Rome, and he is going to stand trial before Caesar. Look with me in Acts chapter 28, verse 16.

It says, "When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with the soldier who guarded him." So Paul is on house arrest in Rome. And if you skip ahead to Acts 28, verses 30 through 31. It says, "Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house, and he welcomed all who visited him, proclaiming the kingdom of God, and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance."

So, what we know is that while Paul is in Rome, he's under house arrest and he's actually living in his own rented house under the guard of a soldier, but he is allowed to have visitors. And so he continues to proclaim the gospel while he's in prison, and it is during this two-year period of house arrest that he writes the letter to the Ephesians. So this would be approximately between the years of AD60 and AD62.

So if you think about the timeline that we talked about earlier, remember Paul was in Ephesus from about AD53 to AD56, and now he's writing this letter to the Ephesians approximately AD60 to AD62. So, about five to ten years after his time in Ephesus.

So there you have it, our context, our background, our introduction to the book of Ephesians. We've looked at what kind of book it is, who wrote it, and who it was written to. We've talked about when it was written and the cultural and life circumstances surrounding both the readers of the book as well as the author. And now, in the next video, we get to dive into our study of the book of Ephesians, this precious letter, a message of great value to the Ephesians and now to us. And friends, I'm so excited to study the book of Ephesians with you. I know that this time will be rich, it will be meaningful, and impactful to my life. And I pray and trust that it will be to yours as well.

To watch my previous video series on what the Bible teaches us about fear and anxiety. You can click this link here, and in the meantime, keep seeking Jesus. He is so worth knowing.