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CONNIE: Can getting kicked out of church be the best thing that ever happened to you? It just might have been in Ephesus. Join us today as we continue our study of the spiritual journey of the apostle Paul.

Giving God’s trumpet a Certain Sound for 75 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I’m Connie Jeffery,

LONNIE: and I’m Lonnie Melashenko, and let me say right up front that Paul didn’t really get kicked out of church in Ephesus. It was the synagogue that finally told him—after three months of discussions about Jesus—that his preaching just wasn’t needed there anymore. But in those days a synagogue was similar in many ways to what church is today.

CONNIE: In fact, didn’t Paul usually go to a synagogue to start his mission in cities wherever he went?

LONNIE: Typically that’s what he did, but he often got thrown out on his ear after only a few weeks, because of his insistence on talking about Jesus.

CONNIE: Well, I guess if you’re going to get thrown out of somewhere, talking about Jesus is about as worthy a reason as I can think of.

LONNIE: I’d have to agree with you on that. But being asked to leave was an ongoing problem for Paul. I think, though, that we need to be sensitive in how we portray what happened to him in the synagogues. We needn’t put any kind of anti-Semitic spin on this at all—it’s not that “those Jews” were rejecting Jesus or His messenger. Remember—in every instance where Paul was asked not to come back to the synagogue, there were some people who accepted and believed in Jesus and left the synagogue with Paul to form a church.

CONNIE: So, it wasn’t so much an issue of the synagogue rejecting the gospel, as simply a division that split the congregation right down the middle.

LONNIE: Much like what still happens in churches and other organizations today. A new teacher or pastor comes to town, and half the congregation loves him but the other half can’t stand him. It’s just human nature. And all too often it leads to problems for the church, but sometimes it actually turns out to be a blessing if it’s handled well and both groups—even if they split into two congregations—continues their outreach to the community.

CONNIE: The split in Ephesus actually turned out to be a blessing, didn’t it?

LONNIE: Not only in Ephesus, but in Corinth and other places as well, because the new congregation carried on an active witness for Jesus. We’ve been studying Paul’s spiritual growth through the various experiences that he encountered, and one of the things we talked about last week is what happened when Paul finally got to Corinth. The trip getting there had been an interesting one—with visits to a number of churches that had formed as a result of splits in the local synagogue—then on to new territory, where once again as soon as Paul came to town disputes and divisions arose among those who worshiped the Lord. And in several instances—Philippi, Thessalonica, Beroea, Paul had to hurry out of town when things got too hot.

But the fascinating thing about that is that it all was actually a part of God’s bigger plan. Because He had more territory for Paul to cover. Paul was an intrepid traveler and courageous witness, and God wasn’t quite ready for him to settle down in one place. So, often what might have seemed like a disaster in the short term turned out to be a blessing in the run?

But there are two cities that seem to have been especially important in God’s overall strategic plan for spreading the gospel: Corinth and Ephesus.

CONNIE: Well, in Corinth, the old pattern started to repeat itself, didn’t it—I mean as far as division in the synagogue and trouble for Paul.

LONNIE: Yes, it did. After a few weeks of preaching and teaching, the expected division arose, and Paul, along with the synagogue leader, moved next door to a believer’s house to continue their ministry. But you get the impression that those who didn’t join Paul may have become rather fierce and frightening in their opposition, and maybe Paul was beginning to consider leaving town. But then he had a vision. It’s described in Acts 18:9-10:
“One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people’ ” (NRSV).

Having received that assurance from God, Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half. At last God was encouraging him to slow down a bit and stay in one place for longer. Partly, no doubt, because Corinth, as a major port and transit point, was such a strategic city for spreading the gospel to the whole known world.

CONNIE: So, what you’re suggesting, essentially, is that the opposition Paul faced at Corinth wasn’t all that much different from what had run him out of a whole string of towns on his way there, but that those earlier experiences had just hurried Paul along on his way to the strategic crossroads at Corinth.

LONNIE: It seems likely—because there was so much opportunity there.

CONNIE: And then, later, when he gets to Ephesus, it’s much the same sort of thing.

LONNIE: That’s right, Connie. Once again, God has led Paul to a key city—one that was noted as a financial center, a trading center, but most of all as the spiritual center of a very prominent ancient religion—the worship of the “mother goddess” Artemis. Just as Corinth was a crossroads for shipping, Ephesus was a crossroads of faith. A place where the power of the gospel would meet full-strength pagan religion head on.

CONNIE: And getting back to the idea of Paul getting thrown out of the “church”—that all had a part to play—in a positive way—in the story, I guess.

LONNIE: It did—and I’ll have more to say about that in my message later today, but this gives a bit of background.

CONNIE: Thanks, Lonnie. Seeing Paul’s life as a growing experience with each part having a place in fulfilling his larger mission helps us see the big picture. And it can help us too, as we seek to understand the trials and blessings we experience each day.

“I Know Who Holds Tomorrow”, Emily Felts Jones, from Cmforted CD.

CONNIE: Amen! I suppose there must have been a lot of times in Paul’s life when he was tempted to wonder: What really is going on here—why does everything have to be so difficult! And yet it’s his attitude that’s expressed in the song that was brought to us by Emily Felts Jones—I Know Who Holds Tomorrow!

LONNIE: That’s right Connie, and I can’t help but think that it was because of the hard times that he went through that as he looked toward the future, Paul had no fears. He wrote to Timothy that he had fought the good fight, and he looked forward to the crown of righteousness that God would give him. He had been through many struggles, but he knew the reason why, and he knew he could trust God with his future.

CONNIE: Considering the number of difficult times that Paul went through, his ability to cling to his faith is nothing short of amazing.

LONNIE: It’s kind of like “Faith against the odds,” I suppose you could say, and that’s why we’ve selected a book by that title as our special offer for our listeners today.

CONNIE: This little book Faith Against the Odds tells the story of people who have stood up for God in trying circumstances, and it’s a very inspiring book. We’d like to send a copy to you—for free—just give us a call at 1-800-872-0055, and we’ll send it right on its way.

LONNIE: And Connie, you’ll be sharing our mailing address a bit later I know, because we always like it when people write in and tell us a little about themselves, or react to things they’ve heard on the broadcast.

CONNIE: That’s right—stay tuned and we’ll give the toll-free number again, along with our mailing address. But right now, let’s listen to Lonnie’s message, “What Really Happened in Ephesus?”

What Really Happened at Ephesus?

“I Shall Return!” the words of General Douglas MacArthur as he departed from the Philippines in the early days of World War II. Also—approximately—the words of Jesus recorded in John 14:3 “ ‘If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again’ ” (KJV).

And also the words of the apostle Paul in Ephesus, on his first visit there. Here’s how Luke tells the story in Acts 18:19-21

“When they reached Ephesus, . . . he . . . went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. When they asked him to stay longer, he declined; but on taking leave of them, he said, ‘I will return to you, if God wills’ ” (NRSV).

Paul must have seen something in Ephesus that piqued his interest and made him want to return. Because the next time he set out traveling for the Lord, Ephesus was his goal.

Ephesus would be the site of much growth in the apostle’s personal spiritual life, and in the effectiveness of his ministry. Even a spiritual giant like Paul was able to learn and grow each day in his walk with the Lord.

It needs to be that way with all of us. Because whenever we stop growing, we begin to shrink! Being a dynamic, active Christian, Paul constantly came up against new challenges that tested and tried his faith. But the trials made him a stronger witness for the Lord day by day.

Now, of course there’s no way to know the full details of everything that went on while Paul was at Ephesus, but what we do know is that his ministry there turned out to be one of the most effective outreaches in his missionary endeavors. (We know this partly as a result of the testimony of his opponents!) After Paul had been there for just over two years, the local idol makers were up in arms because they’d lost a lot of business. So many people were becoming Christians and abandoning their idols that it was creating an idol glut in the local markets, and a silversmith named Demetrius sparked a riot by accusing Paul of leading astray “ ‘large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia (Acts 19:26, NIV).

Historical records verify that a large church was founded in Ephesus and that other churches sprang up around the province.

The Ephesus mission got off to an intriguing start when Paul encountered a dozen disciples of John the Baptist. These men had apparently been baptized by John when they visited Palestine in the days before Jesus began His ministry. They seemed unaware that John had actually been sent by God to point people to Jesus. So Paul explained that “ ‘John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus’ ” (Acts 19:4, NKJV).

And when the men heard that, they were baptized in the name of Jesus, and when Paul laid his hands on them and prayed for them, they received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues and prophesied.

I imagine that must have made quite an impression in Ephesus. But there was more to come. Paul continued his ministry in the synagogue there for three months, and by that time it had become clear that people needed to make a decision. Either they would accept Paul’s proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah, or they would not. Those who refused to accept his preaching maintained control of the synagogue, and Paul became persona non grata there. And in one of the most significant moves in his whole missionary endeavor, he transferred his teaching ministry to a secular auditorium—a place called “the lecture hall of Tyrannus” (Acts 19:9, NRSV).

Could this be one of the keys to the tremendous spread of the gospel from Ephesus? I think so—if Paul had continued to preach only in the synagogue, people would have thought the Christian message was only for the Jews. But when he took the message out into the marketplace, others were attracted and listened.

Does this lay a challenge before Christians today? To somehow find a way to carry the gospel out into the wider world? To break through the walls of the church and proclaim the word of salvation where everyone can hear! It’s a challenge we take seriously here at Voice of Prophecy. It’s the reason we’re on the radio—to take the gospel to the whole world.

The Holy Spirit moved powerfully in Ephesus! Acts 19 tells us that “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that when the handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them” (Acts 19:11, 12, NRSV).

This is an amazing development—a highly unusual form of ministry for Paul. But extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary actions. Ephesus was an important city—a place that held the key to the evangelization of all of Asia. And God worked in mighty ways to hasten the spread of the gospel.

Not only was Ephesus a key commercial and political center for Asia, it was also the spiritual capital of the region. The central attraction of the city was the temple of the goddess Artemis—a huge edifice that ranked as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was the largest temple in all of the Greek world—four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens! Inside was a statue of Artemis that was said to have fallen from heaven. Inscribed on this statue were six words that were supposed to have magical powers.

Visitors to the temple could purchase books that held collections of magical words that were supposed to give them power over diseases, or power over their enemies. (Incidentally--this may be one of the reasons God worked so many miracles through Paul in Ephesus—to counteract the other magicians.) It was probably some of these books of magic words that were burned in a great bonfire by people who had renounced magic when they learned to trust in Jesus.

There was a real showdown of spiritual powers in the city during Paul’s stay there. Hearing of Paul’s success in healing people, seven Jewish brothers, sons of a priest named Sceva, tried invoking the name of Jesus over a demon-possessed man, as though the name itself were just another magical word. The evil spirit replied, “ ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’ ” (Acts 19:15, NRSV).

These men had not committed themselves to the power of Jesus—they just wanted to take His name for their own purposes. And the results proved a warning to any who might want to take the name of the Lord—literally—in vain.

“Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. When this became known to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, everyone was awestruck; and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised” (Acts 19:16-17, NRSV).

There was a massive confrontation going on here—between the powers of light and the powers of darkness, and Paul stayed at the center of this spiritual warfare, in Ephesus, for over two years. Teaching, preaching, and honing his missionary methods until the gospel had spread to all of Asia.

But it wasn’t just in Ephesus that a major battle was going on. While Paul was there, he received letters from the church he had founded in Corinth, informing him that things had changed drastically there. The church had run seriously amok in disputes over leadership, over the importance of morality, spiritual gifts, and a multitude of other issues. Paul sent at least two letters from Ephesus to the Corinthians, trying to get them straightened out—he may even have interrupted his ministry in Ephesus and made a quick trip across the Aegean to Corinth to try to solve some of the problems.

Despite all the conflict, things really went pretty well in Ephesus—almost too well, in fact. Because Paul’s success started to interfere with the local idol-making business, and that’s when Demetrius and the idol-makers’ union got involved and incited a mob to riot, shouting “ ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ ” Acts 19:28, NRSV).

Ephesus had a huge theater, capable of seating 24,000 people, and soon the mob carried some of the Christians to that venue to continue their accusations. Paul—being the courageous apostle that he was—wanted to go and preach to that unruly group, but his friends wouldn’t let him. Even some of the provincial rulers got involved in persuading him not to risk it—which is another evidence of how powerfully God was working in that city.

It wasn’t long after this incident that Paul decided it was time to move on and visit some of the churches in Macedonia and Greece. But the influence of what he had accomplished in Ephesus would live on.

It’s especially intriguing to consider the relationship between what Paul did at Ephesus and what the apostle John did there. Reliable Christian tradition reveals that when John left Jerusalem, he assumed a position of leadership in Paul’s Ephesian church. And in the book of Revelation—written by John—Ephesus is the first of seven churches to receive a letter from Jesus. The church is commended for its “toil and patient endurance,” but reminded to return to its first-love experience—the experience that had led to the spread of the gospel throughout the region.

And when you read the gospel that John wrote in Ephesus—the first thing that jumps out at you is that this is a totally different telling of the life of Jesus than you find in the other three gospels. It is a gospel written with Greek thinkers in mind—with its description of Jesus as the “Logos”—Word of God. Could it be that John’s Gospel is different because of what had happened during Paul’s ministry in Ephesus—as the gospel reached out and touched more and more Gentile lives?

It would be fascinating to know more about Paul’s time in Ephesus—and the lessons God taught him there. In 1 Corinthians he even alludes to a time when he “fought with wild beasts in Ephesus” (15:32). But we know nothing more about that particular incident.

What we do know is that Paul’s time in Ephesus was a time of spiritual growth and triumph, as the message he had been proclaiming touched and changed thousands of lives.

As far as we know, Paul never returned to Ephesus after he left. When he passed by on his way to Jerusalem later, he stopped at a nearby port and invited the church leaders to come and meet with him. His speech warning them about the troubles they would face in the future is recorded in Acts 20. Perhaps because of the difficulties he had faced with the Corinthian church during his time at Ephesus, he warned them, “ ‘that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves’ ” (Acts 20:17, 18, NKJV).

And as expected, deception and false doctrines eventually did lead some in Ephesus astray. But through it all, God continued to bless and lead. And Paul took the lessons he had learned there and used them in later years to hasten the spread of the gospel to all the world. And when you think about it, the fact that Christians are spread all across the wide world today is partly the result of “What Really Happened at Ephesus.” Thank God for the way He led there, and the way He continues to lead in the spread of the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people in preparation for the soon return of Jesus!

“Restore My Soul in the Valley”, Brothers in Song, from Think About His Love CD.