Gospel at Ephesus
Introduction: Ephesus was a center of worship for the false goddess Diana, but the gospel of Christ broke through to many who became worshippers of the true and living God. Barnabas was the first man to travel with Paul when sent out by the church at Antioch, and Silas accompanied Paul on the second missionary journey; but neither is mentioned with Paul at Ephesus. The apostle Paul, Priscilla and Aquila, and Timothy were key leaders in establishing a good foundation for the Jewish and Gentile believers who resided at Ephesus.
NOTE: Scripture passages are from the 1901 American Standard Version.
A — The First Recorded Visit to Ephesus by Paul
Acts 18 “24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the scriptures. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spake and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, knowing only the baptism of John: 26 and he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more accurately.”
Comments: Priscilla and Aquila are the only two mentioned by name as those who went with Paul to Ephesus. Paul stayed for a brief time and discoursed with a receptive group at the synagogue, but then traveled to other churches. A Jew from Alexandria named Apollos arrived at Ephesus while Paul was away — very well learned in scripture and eloquent in his presentation of Jesus as the Christ, but only acquainted with the baptism of John. Priscilla and Aquila heard him and took him aside and expounded the way of God more accurately. When he went into Achaia he was very helpful to strengthen the faith of those who had believed through grace, publicly proving the unconverted Jews to be wrong as he showed by the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
B — Baptism into the Name of the Lord Jesus
Acts 19 “2 And he said unto them, Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye believed? And they said unto him, Nay, we did not so much as hear whether the Holy Spirit was given. 4 And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him that should come after him, that is, on Jesus. 5 And when they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”
Comments: The key point in the text directed by the Holy Spirit was to record the power of spiritual baptism and the way these twelve men were specially gifted to witness for the Lord at Ephesus. There is no explanation of why Paul questioned these men about the Holy Spirit, but the Lord had a special purpose for the result of their conversation.
C — When Paul Returned to the Synagogue He Spoke About the Kingdom of God
Acts 19 “8 And he entered into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, reasoning and persuading as to the things concerning the kingdom of God. 9 But when some were hardened and disobedient… he departed from them, and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 And this continued for the space of two years; so that all they that dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.”
Comments: Paul taught things pertaining to the kingdom of God with reason and persuasion in the synagogue until some there began to strongly oppose his message. He then separated the disciples and taught them about Christ Jesus at the school of Tyrannus for about two years. As a result, many Jews and Greeks in Asia heard the word of the Lord. God also worked special miracles through Paul, even to the point that handkerchiefs or aprons he had worn were taken to the sick and they were healed and evil spirits left them.
D — The Word of the Lord Grew Mightily and Prevailed
Acts 19 “15 And the evil spirit answered and said unto them, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye? 16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them… so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all… and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 19 And not a few of them that practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them… 20 So mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed.”
Comments: Seven sons of a chief priest named Sceva used Paul’s approach of commanding evil spirits in the name of Jesus, with a disastrous result. The evil spirit beat them violently so they fled from the house naked and bleeding. When word of this spread among all at Ephesus, there was great fear and the name of the Lord Jesus was highly exalted. This prompted a public showing as many who had believed freely confessed their evil deeds, and those who had practiced sorcery burned their scrolls in front of everyone. The word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
E — Demetrius the Silversmith Sparked a Public Uproar Against Paul
Acts 19 “26 And ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they are no gods, that are made with hands. 28 And when they heard this they were filled with wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.”
Comments: Demetrius the silversmith made silver shrines of Diana and brought together others who profited from the same trade. He charged that Paul had persuaded and turned away many people in Asia, saying that they are no gods that are made with hands — his first concern being for the lucrative trade that would be lost. He also asserted the temple of the great goddess Diana would become worthless. The crowd responded to his prompting and a great public disturbance raged for over two hours.
F — The Ephesus Town Clerk Was Able to Dismiss the Crowd
Acts 19 “37 For ye have brought hither these men, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If therefore Demetrius, and the craftsmen that are with him, have a matter against any man, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls: let them accuse one another. 40 For indeed we are in danger to be accused concerning this day’s riot, there being no cause for it. 41 And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.”
Comments: Since Ephesus was under Roman rule, the town clerk gained the attention of the crowd and reminded them of Ephesus’s undeniable status as keeper of the temple of the great Diana. He said the men they were accusing had neither robbed temples nor blasphemed their goddess, and that any legitimate grievance should be taken before the courts. Otherwise there was danger they would be accused concerning the riot. The authority of the Roman empire had been used of God for his own purpose in a very subtle manner.
G — Paul Spoke to Leaders from Ephesus on His Way to Jerusalem
Acts 20 “24 But I hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself, so that I may accomplish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. 28 Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood. 32 And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified.”
Comments: Paul sent for the elders of the church at Ephesus so he could talk with them at the seaport of Miletus, as he intentionally did not enter the city in his haste to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost. He reminded them of his manner of humility in serving the Lord, teaching publicly and in houses, testifying repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. He told them that since he had given them the whole counsel of God, no guilt for unfaithfulness could be laid on him. He then warned them to guard the assembly from those who would enter with a manner like wolves, and from some within the assembly who would deviate from the true gospel.
Reflections in Prayer
Lord, there are many blessings in reviewing the way your gospel reached into a center of idol worship with a temple and silver shrines made for the goddess Diana. There was a Jewish synagogue there which had suffered no apparent conflict from the pagans, but when the gospel of Christ Jesus began to be publicly spread, opposition rapidly developed from worshippers of false gods. The apostle Paul had started his preaching at the synagogue to those who had the scriptures that gave proof that Jesus is the Christ. Later, the effort of the exorcist Jews who tried to drive out a demon with dramatic results was used of you, Lord, to bring many people to consider the claims of Christ. Help me, Lord, to be prepared to share my faith, and to use the opportunities you present before me. I am thankful to you that you have recorded the experience of this church to help me be aware that it should not be surprising when local assemblies face attacks to sound doctrine from society and also from within the body of believers. All praise to my Lord and Savior Christ Jesus! Amen.
Published 19 March 2015