Ephesus, A City of Christian Influence

ACTS 19:1, 8-10, 18-20

PAUL’S visit to Ephesus followed that of Apollos. Apollos was a talented orator and doubtless also a good teacher, and zealous for making known the Gospel of Christ. However, it was not until he came in contact with Aquila and Priscilla at Ephesus that he learned important truths pertaining to the Holy Spirit and baptism. It is not surprising therefore that when Paul contacted the believers in Ephesus, who apparently had been converted under the ministry of Apollos, he should discover that they had not heard about the Holy Spirit nor about being baptized into Christ.—Acts 19:2-7

Paul was glad to build upon the good work started by Apollos, and did so, but did not content himself merely with serving these babes in Christ, for he went into the synagogue and proclaimed the Gospel there also. He kept up this service for three months, “disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.” Merely to dispute over the meaning of God’s Word is unprofitable, and the apostle admonishes that the “servant of the Lord must not strive.” (II Tim. 2:24) But in the case of Paul’s disputing in the synagogue at Ephesus, he was able to persuade some with respect to the truth. We should be ready always to present the truth, and to stand for it boldly, especially when there is an opportunity to help others see its beauty; but argument merely for argument’s sake should be avoided.

Paul carried on his work in the synagogue until the opposition became so pronounced that nothing more could be gained; then he withdrew and took them who had accepted the message with him. He then carried on his ministry “in the school of one Tyrannus.” The account doesn’t say so, but it may be assumed that Tyrannus was one of the converts resulting from Paul’s preaching in the synagogue, or else one who had been reached through the labors of Apollos. In any event, the apostle seems to have been made very welcome at this “school,” and he remained in this one place for two years.

The school of Tyrannus must have been a large one, and well recognized for the record is that during the two years Paul made it his headquarters “all they which dwelt in Asia heard the Word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.” In other words, pupils were coming to this school from all over the country, and each one who attended had the Gospel witnessed to him. We do not know, of course, just what the arrangement may have been, but possibly Tyrannus arranged for Paul’s lessons in the Gospel to be a regular part of the school’s curriculum for those two years.

The providences of the Lord in connection with the spread of his truth in every part of the age have been wonderful, and his people never need to be concerned over his ability to overrule their experiences in a manner to accomplish his will. If we see one door close, we should have faith to believe that the Lord can open another one, and that he will do so in his own due time and way. In order that his work might be accomplished, the Lord knows how to have the right people in the right place at the right time! Tyrannus is a good case in point.

The witness work that was carried on at the school in Ephesus bore much fruit. The Word of God grew “mightily” and “prevailed,” the account informs us. Genuine conversions were made as evidenced by the fact that many of the believers brought their “books” together, and burned them publicly. Having learned that the superstitions presented in their books of learning were false and dishonoring to God, they did not wish them to get into the hands of others to mislead them into ways of unrighteousness. Books which were burned in that ancient time were not easily replaced, and so something was thereby accomplished in the way of helping to prevent the spread of error.

EPHESIANS 4:25-32

Paul was faithful to his trust as an apostle and bishop, or overseer, of the church, for not only did he spend much time and strength as an evangelist in creating new interest in the truth, but he also labored to strengthen the believers and to build them up in the most holy faith. He could not revisit the brethren in every place as often as he would have desired, so he supplemented his personal ministry with letters—letters which served well the interests of the various congregations in the Early Church and have also, in the Lord’s providence, proved a rich blessing to the brethren throughout the entire age.

One of these letters was to the church at Ephesus. In this church, as this letter shows, there were both Jews and Greeks. The circumstances under which they were brought together by the truth were apparently rather turbulent. In the case of some, their previous standards of righteousness were probably very low. They would, therefore, have much to overcome as they met together, and much to endure from one another as a result of their differing backgrounds of experience and teaching.

When we get this picture of the church at Ephesus, Paul’s instructions take on a more lively meaning. “Wherefore, put away lying.” Their pagan books were full of lies, and they had put these away by burning them. But the ideas which came from them were not so easily destroyed. And possibly some of these brethren had previously thought it no wrong to pervert the truth in their dealings with others. Perhaps their previous “religious” viewpoints encouraged this sort of thing. But now it was different. They had come under a new code of conduct, and they were to make every effort to adhere to it.

There is such a thing as “righteous indignation,” and it was this that Paul referred to as being angry and yet not sinning. “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath,” he wrote. If there is just cause for being angry with a brother, there is still no occasion for harboring ill will against him. We should hate the wrong we see in others, but love them, and endeavor, particularly by example, to help them see and practice the better way. If we allow ourselves to hate a brother and hold a grudge, it is what Paul refers to as giving place to the devil.

“Let him that stole steal no more.” There seems no way to understand this except literally, which indicates what we have already suggested; namely, that previous to accepting the truth some of these brethren had very low moral standards by which to live. “And such were some of you,” Paul wrote to the Corinthian church. (I Cor. 6:7-11) In the selection of those who are to live and reign with Christ, it has evidently been the Lord’s will to choose some from all walks of life—from the morally corrupt to those who, by nature and environment, are comparatively noble characters. But even the best of them have needed the blood of Christ for their cleansing, and the worst of them have not been beyond the power of God’s grace to lift them up and refine them as gold for use in his kingdom.

How much all of us need the admonition of verse 29! How much sweeter and more spiritually profitable would be our fellowship if we endeavored to speak only those things which are good and edifying, the things which are sure to “minister grace unto the hearers.” It is a high standard, and the more difficult to attain for the reason that the tongue is such a difficult member to train and restrain. The best method of striving for this standard, however, is to keep our hearts filled with the Lord’s spirit of love, and that will automatically prevent the tongue from indulging in evil communications.

To grieve the Holy Spirit is to go contrary to the will of God as revealed to us by the Spirit through the Word. This could be possible in connection with any phase of the Lord’s will. When we settle in our minds just what the Lord’s will is, then we should steadfastly and zealously pursue that course. To hold back or to temporize would be to grieve the Holy Spirit.

In the last two verses of the chapter we have the contrasting picture of hatred and kindness. We are to put away “all bitterness, and wrath and anger,” and instead are to be “kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another.” And by adhering to this standard we are but copying the example set before us by the. Lord, for through Christ, he has forgiven us. He has forgiven us because he loves us. God’s heart is tender toward all his fallen human creatures, and it was this that caused him to send his Son to be man’s Redeemer.

What a revelation of divine grace and love the truth must have been to those who came into the church at Ephesus, particularly the Gentile believers! The task of bringing themselves into line with the truth and its righteous requirements was no easy one. But the brethren at Ephesus were faithful, and the Lord’s blessing was with them.

QUESTIONS

In what way did Paul build upon the work of Apollos at Ephesus?

Did Paul restrict his ministry to the brethren who had already accepted the truth?

How long did Paul minister the truth in Ephesus, and where were his headquarters?

What is the difference between righteous indignation and bitterness?

What is the best way to control the tongue?

In what way can a Christian grieve the Holy Spirit?

| Home Page | Table of Contents |