Last class!
Remember: Adventure projects officially due today, but can be accepted as late as Tues. midnight (email)
I will be in our classroom Tues from 12:15-4 on Tuesday (teaching starting at 1. You may drop off assignments there.
We had a great time with Rabbi Adam's take on Acts and Jew-Gentile
What did you think of the rabbi's take on dietary laws?
On Gentile unity?
On salvatiion?
Much of what he said on Acts 10 and 15 is found in his book by clicking here
(Chapter 4, see pages 32-38)
Here's a video of Paul Hiiebert talking about the Worldview/Excluded Middle grid:
If you can't see clips embedded below (they can take awhile to appear), click here for Excluded Middle, (here for Kingdom, and here for mission)
We took our field trip to make another of Paul Hiebert's grid (see this )of Fresno come alive.
And in the the downtown grid, we had some great adventures:
Michael, our amazing tour guide of the tallest building between LA and San Fran...and you'll notice he's a U2 Fan..I told him I saw U2 on that tour! (:
Michael is the full-tiime caretaker of the building, and lives in a tent among the homeless of downtown Fresno. Anyway.. the building is commonly known by it;s original name of Security Bank, as the sign at top still says that. Until recently, it was called Fresno Pacific Towers (very confusing as no connection to Fresno Pacific University). It's now called the Pacific Southwest Biuilding, or 1060 Fultonhttp://www.1060fulton.com/index.html?n=1&id=1
We added some more elements to our structural diagram of Acts
____Many have seen that the Asencion of Jesus forms a chiastic centerpoint of Luke-Acts (as one volume),
and the frame is geographic progression towards (Luke) and away from (Acts) Jerusalem.
What is so central about the asencion and Jerusalem?
_____It appears that both halves of the book feature a chiastic form: The first half features/frames Saul's call; the second half frames Saul (now Paul) preaching at Mars Hill Aeropagus in Athens. Why are these two stories so key to the narrative and theme of Acts?
____One might also suggest the Jerusalem Council decision at Antioch is central.
If so, what is so central about it (Is it the "elbow": of the whole book, as today's article suggests>)
See below
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Ascension as center of Luke/Acts
This structure is directly to the purpose of Luke’s two volume work, as Miesner has pointed out:
The symboìic efïect is to show that the redemptive events of Jesus' ministry progressively moved toward the capital of the Jews to whom salvation was first offered, while in the book of Acts the opposite direction of movement takes place. As the Jews repeatedîy repudiate the good news, it is carried to the capital of the Gentßes.” LINK
This next section of Acts deals with the going forward of the Good News from Antioch and also follows a chiastic pattern covering the twofold ministry of Paul, with two missions from Antioch sandwiching the Gathering at Jerusalem of the Apostles and elders in order to decide the terms on which Gentiles can become Christians, thus emphasising the freedom of the Gentiles from the Law of Moses. It analyses as follows:
a Paul and Barnabas are sent forth from Antioch (12.25-13.3).
b Ministry in Cyprus results in their being brought before the pro-consul Sergius Paulus who believes their word (13.4-13).
c Ministry in Pisidian Antioch results in a major speech to the Jews with its consequences, including a description of those who desire to hear him again (13.14-52).
d Successful ministry in Iconium results in the crowd being stirred up and their having to flee (14.1-6).
e A remarkable healing in Lystra results in false worship which is rejected and the crowds being stirred up by the Jews. Paul is stoned and flees the city (14.7-21).
f Ministry in Derbe is followed by a round trip confirming the churches and return to Antioch (14.21b-28).
g The Gathering in Jerusalem of the Apostles and elders of Jerusalem and the Antiochene representatives resulting in acknowledgement that the Gentiles are not to be bound by the Law or required to be circumcised because God had established the everlasting house of David (15).
f Paul and Silas (and Barnabas and Mark) leave Antioch to go on a round trip confirming the churches (15.36-16.5).
e A remarkable healing in Philippi results in true worship which is accepted (the Philippian jailer and his household) and in Paul’s stripes being washed by a Roman jailer. The authorities declare them innocent and they leave the city (16.6-40).
d Successful ministries in Thessalonica and Berea result in the crowds being stirred up and their having to flee (17.1-14).
c Ministry in Athens results in a major speech to the Gentiles with its consequences including a description of those who desire to hear him again (17.15-34).
b Ministry in Corinth results in their being brought before the pro-consul Gallio who dismisses the suggestion that their actions are illegal (18.1-17).
a Paul returns to Antioch (18.18-22).
We note here from ‘c’ and parallel the movement from Jew to Gentile in the proclamation of the word. Athens is no doubt partly chosen because although small, its reputation was worldwide.
http://www.angelfire.com/planet/lifetruth/acts7.html
LINK
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PAUL AT AEROPAGUS/MARS HILL AS CENTRAL:
Donald R. Meisner argued that the structure of the record of Paul's missionary journeys in Acts 12:25-21:16 is chiastic.724
Chiasm is "a stylistic literary figure which consists of a series of two or more elements (words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or longer sections) followed by a presentation of corresponding elements in reverse order."725
Writers use this device to highlight the central elements in the structure and or to clarify the meaning of paired elements. The central section of the 12:25-21:16 chiasm, as Meisner saw it, is Paul's sermon in 17:16-34.
"The chiastic structure of the missionary journeys narrative suggests that, of all the places on the itinerary, Athens is the most significant intermediate point as the gospel moves to the end of the earth. . . .
"The Areopagus speech . . . is the only sermon reported by Luke which is preached to Gentiles by the apostle to the Gentiles' (except for the brief Lystra sermon [14:15-17]). . . . Now that Paul had preached the word in the spiritual capital of the Greek world, he turned his face toward the imperial capital of the Greco-Roman world. It is only after the Athens climax that Luke noted Paul's expression of his necessity to go to Rome, which he stated both at Ephesus (19:21), and at Jerusalem (23:11)."726
To the Philippian jailer Paul preached Christ as the personal savior of individuals. To the Jews in Thessalonica he presented Him as the promised Messiah. To the intellectual Gentiles in Athens he proclaimed Him as the proven judge of all humankind appointed by the one true God. LINK
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We had good discussion r: helpful or provocative parts of the Stott textbook.
I highlighted this explosive sentence:
"Although no fixed ministerial order is laid down in the New Testament, some form of pastoral oversight (episkope), doubtless adapted to local needs, is regarded as indispensable to the welfare of the church. We notice that is was both local and plural -- local in that the elders were chosen from within the congregation, not imposed from without, and plural in that the
familiar modern pattern of 'one pastor one church'
was
simply unknown.
Instead, there was a pastoral team, which is likely to have included (depending on the size of the church) full-time and part- time ministers, paid and voluntary workers, presbyters, deacons and deaconesses. Their qualifications Paul laid down in writing later (1 Tim. 3; Tit. 1). These were mostly matters of moral integrity, but loyalty to the apostles' teaching and a gift for teaching it were also essential (Tit. 1:9; 1 Tim. 3:2). Thus the shepherds would tend Christ's sheep by feeding them, in other words care for them by teaching them."
-John R.W. Stott, "The Message of Acts Today," p.236-
emphasis mine
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We enjoyed some great discussion around these ttwo charts. Issues of what is the normative conversion process, and the elements/components of conversion ensued.
Red chart:
See discussion of Acts 19 by Stott. This strange encounter with the Ephesians raises questions like
Whose discioles were they? Were they believers?
Then we asked question like: Is the R>F>B>HS a normative expected formula for conversion in every day? Can these elements happen ":out of order"? Can one element be missing?
Of course, the whole Mennonite emphasis ("Anabaptism" =Re-baptism) came into the discussion.
Is it ever legitimate/normative for infants (pre-believers) to be baptized (see the Phillipian jailor in Acts, who was encouraged to be baptized, "you and your household". Is it normative to receive a filling or baptism of the Holy Spirit later (even years later) than conversion? .etc
Blue chart:
Are we saved by Grace? Grace and Faith? Faith? Faith and Works? Works? Another combination? All of the above? Fuzzy set? What if you had to only pick one? Can you find Scriptures for each??
Ephesians 2: 8-10 SAVED by grace/faith...which has nothing to do with works
James 3: 16 JUSTIFIED by works and not by faith alone
Is this a contradiction? Fuzzy set? Drop down box?etc
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_-KINGDOM
>>How does the Kingdom "come" from the "future"?:
Many Jews of Jesus' day (and actually, the Greeks) thought of the Kingdom of God as largely a future identity/reality/location.
So when Jesus, in Matthew 4:17 announces that he, as King, is ALREADY bringing in the Kingdom,
this not only subverted expectations, but sounded crazy....and like he was claiming to bring the future into the present.
The Jews talked often about "this age" (earth/now) and "the age to come." (heaven/future).
"Age to come" was used in a way that it was virtually synonymous with "The Kingdom."
Scripture suggests that:
The "age to come" (the Kingdom) has in large part already come (from the future/heaven) into "this age" (in the present/on the earth
by means of the earthy ministry of Jesus: King of the Kingdom.
Thus, Hebrews 6:4-8 offers that disciples ("tamidim") of Jesus have "already (in this age) tasted the powers of the age to come."
In Jesus, in large part, the age to come has come. The Future has visited the present,
"The presence of the Kingdom of God was seen as
God’s dynamic reign invading the present age without (completely)
transforming it into the age to come ” (George Eldon Ladd, p.149,The Presence of the Future.)
We looked at this in detail last time, but we noted Ephesians 2:6: "We
have been raised up (resurrected) with Christ into the heavenly realms,"
which suggests that the resurrection births the church.
We noted how important it is to see church as a
community/group/set...and not just through me as an individual. Mark
Baker (last class) talks in his book on the atonment about how hard it
is to subvert individualism with an individuallstic gospel ("Jesus died
for ME..)/
The letters of Paul to the Romans, Ephesians, etc. are to a church; a
body. Thus what we read in English as "you" singular, is in the Greek
"you" plural. We re-read verses that in English sound singular but are
in fact plural. Better yet, singular plural.
Ephesians:\
2:8-10: IT IS BY GRACE THAT YOU (PLURAL) HAVE BEEN SAVED, BY YOUR (CORPORATE) FAITH..
3;16 THAT GOD MAY STRENGTHEN YOU WITH MIGHT IN YOUR (singular plural) INNER BEING"
6:10-20: TAKE UP YOUR (ONE COMMON, CORPORATE) SHIELD OF FAITH..
Finishing NT Wright Videos in class today:
MODULE D:
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Two intriguing parts of the above video:
1)Wright suggest that Luke goes out of his way to compare Jesus (in Luke) and Paul (Acts).
We see Paul as being like Jesus: trials, passed around jurisdictions. And we almost expect Paul to be killed in Rome to make the parallel complete. He suggests that instead we get Paul's shipwreck as the parallel to Jesus' death. Why?
2)Wright offers some "historical world insight" into the famous passage where Jesus suggests he is like a mother hen, wanted to gather up chicks and protect them.
This was often protection from a fire.
Lessons about suffering and "shipwrecks" on life?
In light of Acts 27:20 ("When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved."), I made the comment,
"Until you've gotten to the point where you have given up all hope of being saved;\ you can't be saved.
Discuss?
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DISCUSSION OF TODAY"S (WEEK 5) READING RESPONSE ARTICLE
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Here is Christian's response to teh Week 5:
Theory than olractice"
set tehgory
We noted that often there is no "The" in the Greek: Not "The Holy Spirit," but "Holy Spirit."
Hmmm, does this make him seem more of a person than a generic influence or an "It" (as in King James)
Have five people fill in the blank, "In our day, The Holy Spirit is poured out on___________."
What "boinded set" did they answer with?: Christians? Note this text message from Acts 2:
"The Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh." Hmmm, implications?
Re-read the article, and ask, can a "church" be composed of believers and non-believers?
Re-look at the first half of Acts as a bounded set (Jerusalem church) and the second half as centered se+ (Antioch church). Is it inevitable that in the process from bounded to centered one must pass through a time of fuzzy set (the elbow of Acts, ch 10-14, as the article calls it?
Finally. we put together this puzzle/map of Fresno. There are several reasons why. We;ll discuss them Tuesday as (after we meet in the classroom for half hour), we actually take a filed trip to...well, I bet you can guess).
See my Mars Hill Church photo essay here We discussed Paul's speech at Mars Hill as a classic example of inductive/incarnational evangelism.
How did Paul treat the religious/cultural/philosophical assumptions of his listeners
We also brought in Titus 1: 12 and ! Corinthians 15;33 as examples of well Paul was versed in, and incorporated "secular" and "pagan" poets/writers of the day...and in the process even made their provocative quotes part of Scripture:
Before we move onto today's theme of cities,
here's a structural diagram of Acts we have used,
and you can add to (In fact, you might make such a diagram and its explanation your Adventure project)>. How would you kabel and explain it?
This is a timeline of Acts, without the chapter/verse references, so you can focus on flow, pattern and placement (why does a certain theme happen where /when it does; especially in which half of the book.
Top line: the three Pentecosts: Jewish, Samaritan, Gentile 4th?=Ephesians (Acts 19)
2nd line: 1:8 as geographic outline of book: Jerusalem>Judea and Samaria>ends of the earth
3rd line: Inclusio of "Kingdom" as its mentioned at beginning and end of book
Pastor Pedro was apparently pleased to be asked by the city government of Huancayo, Peru, to bless the city’s water supply. As a regional representative of his Costa Rica-based, non-denominational but well-connected network of churches; and a local radio minister, this was an opportunity that came within the scope of his vocation. So he ventured up to the top of the Andes to the lake which is
Huancayo’s water source, and invoked a blessing . Surely, the city leaders thought, that can only help the city’s long-troubled water problems: many citizens contract typhoid and other diseases triggered by the sometimes inexplicably contaminated water.
So why did the health of the water supply take a turn for the worse after Pedro ’s blessing? I neglected to mention that Pedro is a witch; his network of churches Satanic. Oops! That “blessing” was in essence a curse. And with the number of residents of Huancayo increasingly threatened by, even killed, by contaminated water..including the entire family of our own Grace-Covenant sponsored Pastor Olvidio Zavallos!..you would think the government would have the sense and sensibility to at least ask a clergy member of the Christian persuasion for help. But such is the syncretism and confusion of life and government in Latin America; where priests and witch doctors often stand side-by-side serving communion in cathedrals.
Our ten-day team; prophetically-gifted Pastors Jeff and Brenda Hurst of Bloomington, Illinois and myself were scheduled to arrive in Peru at..get this.. midnight on Halloween. I am not one to see signs from God everywhere, or demons behind every bush...but perhaps that timing was a sign of the significant spiritual warfare to come (as was the fifteen hours I spent on what was to have been a six and a half hour flight from Houston, complicated by a bizarre sudden lightning storm, and the temporary closing of the Lima international airport, which forced us to fly to Cusco!) We immediately made sure the specialized North American childrens vitamins sent with us from our church , Third Day Fellowship of Fresno, were taxied to Pastor Olvidio’s two precious little girls, and found that indeed God used them; the children were almost immediately better!
But our approach to reversing the curse over the city’s water, and seeing that the afflicted were healed, was not limited to vitamins. The problem is multiplex: for example, much of the poisoning of the water comes from the government outsourcing water purification to corrupt companies, and perhaps due to the church world’s slowness to repentance. (Some evil spiritual principalities are embedded in gubernatorial principalities and parishes). So we and our resident GC missionaries Ken and Cathie Metz (members of Third Day, I am proud to add!) prayed and
approached the water problem in a holistic way…talking with/praying with government representatives, offering deep prayer and good vitamins…
…And launching a direct assault on the forces of darkness that Witch Pedro unleashed at the fountainhead of the water supply. Yes, to our awe, our Sovereign God had calendared our trip to coincide with a previously scheduled Saturday trip by several pastors and intercessors up to the snow-capped mountains of 16,000 feet where, at the lake and the dam from which flow drinking water down to Huancayo where
Pedro has been known to hide in a cave, perhaps continuing to “bless“ the water.. Lingering in praise, engaging intercession, anointing the water with oil sent down with the Hursts, we felt honored and humbled to be used by God in such front-lines warfare on
Photo: Cathie Metz, Pastor Jesús, my cold self, Brenda Hurst, and Jeff Hurst, ridiculously high atop the Andes, at a prayer meeting at Lake Huaytapallana, the water supply for Huancayo. behalf of a city God loves. But even the seasoned intercessors were surprised to encounter two freshly constructed satanic altars (which Jeff Hurst emotionally and forcefully smashed, under Ken‘s leading). Upon that sacred smashing, two avalanches occurred near Pedro’s cave. ..even as one intercessor prayed Isaiah 2:10: “ Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord!” I was stunned enough to only capture the last moments of the last blast of avalanche on video (watch the whole prayer meeting right here; the avalanche is found at the 7:15 mark)
But it is footage I will treasure forever, for it chillingly invokes Revelation 8 where the incensed prayers of the saints directly resulted in lightning and quakes hurled down onto the earth. God’s powerful and immediate answer to prayer was unveiled to us in a tangible and dramatic way. It seemed as if a window of heaven had opened as an amen and answer to our passionate prayers.
On the way home, Ken narrated and summarized our for a possible "Transformations" type video (see the above clip at 8:17ff). And to top off our day, and because what is a trip like this without the car breaking down in the middle of nowhere (!)...that's what the car chose to do. This was also captured on the video below; you'll see that we met (in a classic moment) some lonely llamas and (in a chilling horror-movie moment) the (remains of) the last person to break down in this remote spot! Also, note that once we get the car running, we met an amazing sherdess(ette) ...and the closing scene (in which the name of our new driver is revealed) is....well. watch it!
We returned home the next day to (of course) find Pastor Olvidio’s family some better. But halfway through the worship service that morning, after a timely teaching on persevering prayer by Jeff, we found that Olvidio astor had been so humble that he had not even told his congregation about the family’s typhoid (Our congregation in California had prayed our hearts out for the situation the week before, unaware that the affected congregation had not even officially the news). But he graciously allowed Ken to announce the diagnosis to the hushed flock: “How many of you have been blessed by this family ?” (All hands went up). How many know they all have typhoid..which can kill?” (Only one hand).. The congregation as one body dropped to its kneesas we lavished love and prayer on the four servants of Christ; all within earshot of some men stumbling out of the brothel across the street. Another window of heaven had opened.
Oh, the actual events of that last paragraph? On video right here:
The Hursts and I offered individual prayer for hundreds of Peruvians, as we ministered night after night in
church after church…including one multi-church gathering of Ketchuans (indigenous peoples with their own language) who were interested in spiritual connection with Grace Covenant. In this service, Ken witnessed something he had not seen in all his years; a paralytic he was praying over literally rise up and walk!
Healings were flowing in each venue..including the outdoor worship outreach that we just happened onto, which allowed both Jeff and I to speak and sparkplug the gathered believers seeking to make a difference and dent in their beautiful but beleaguered city.
On many nights a sheet would be set up on the wall of a storefront church and the startling story of God visiting the Innuit people of Arctic Canada, as told on the Transformations II video, was projected. Each showing was followed by us praying one by one over the Huancayoans the impartation to participate in a similar revival and transformation in their city.
I cannot express what favor the Metzes have found with the government leaders. From the weekly prayer meeting Ken has with the mayor (which the day we were there also included a beer vendor who just happened to be in the lobby, was moved as we prayed over him as well!) to the Christian presidential candidate that Ken was humbled to pray over at a prominent public meting. Not to mention, God-ordained encounters with elected leaders right in the streets, where we “accidentally” ran into them and they received our prayers and prophecies with tears and wide-eyed thanksgiving. Huancayo is hungry for help, as their suicide capital ofPeruis becoming the abundant life epicenter of the nation.
Thanks in large part to the Metzes apostolic authority, and pastoral encouragement, there is critical mass for sustained revival and awakening. Through a freshly united and ignited Central Peru Pastor’s Fraternity, the Lord is stirring his saints. Our team was also present for the installation of the new officers of the fraternity (no small event and celebration in Latin America!); and to our amazement we were asked to lay hands on and commission the new leaders. The international scope of the impartation was not lost on us, as the heart cries of these pastors mingled with ours.
The Metzes have established Amor Transforamador as a vehicle and wineskin for unifying churches and ministries, reaching Huancayo for Christ, and planting securing a beachhead for the imminent and inevitable national revival. Foremost among these ministries are: Amor Eterno, coordinated by GC Pastor Justo, who though living in heatless veritable cave with a leaking roof, offer huge hope and healing to those recovering from addictions; congregations alive and afire such as Freddie (who survived a terrorrist’s gun to his face) and Hilda Sunnamanu‘s church; Fernando and Suzie’s Christian children’s camp, Pastor Pedro Torres’s Casa de Oracion Sion where we prayed over several young people who were called to ministry in the marketplace, some even saying “yes” to becoming pastors after I preached on catching God’s timing, and as they prayed selflessly with us.
And just days after we left for the States, history was made. The Metzes and the Amor Transformador team managed to fill the local soccer stadium with thousands of
young people in an unprecedented worship/out reach event that will ripple the River of Revival into the future.
I can’t wait to return to Huancayo next time. Yet I must couch and context this plan on two contingencies: first, that it is God’s will (James 4:13); and secondly that some of you reading (yes, you!) come with me! And maybe even have a drink of what will then be pure local water. For the Living Water of Jesus Christ is already available and being poured out there, as you have been hearing. It is kairos time for the literal water to follow and flow. “We have won the battle in the air,“ Ken Metz has said of
the amazing work already accomplished over Huancayo. “Now it’s time to win it on the land.” Some of you are likely destined to land on that land with me next trip. It will be an adventure never forget, and it will be a few years farther along in its amazing God-curve towards true transformation that can only be explained as an act of God.
As we will soon look at the city of Antioch, and it's huge role in Acts, let's look at some contemporary cities
that have in some sense experienced city transformation. In Transformations 1 (we watched in class) Look for 1)common factors 2)Connections to Acts
One option for Adventure project: Do the same (but detail, 5-7 pp) for Transformations 2
TRANSFORMATIONS 1:
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TRANSFORMATIONS 2:
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Finally, we looked at a city about to be prominent in our reading of Acts: Ephesus.
The port city of Ephesus, located on what is now the western coast of Turkey, was the crown jewel of Asia Minor. It had the population of nearly 250,000 people and was home to more than twenty pagan temples. Artistic beauty, cultural learning, erotic pagan worship, world trade, criminal activity, and sorcery flourished amidst great wealth. As residents of one of the most sophisticated cities of the Roman Empire, the Ephesians enjoyed such luxuries as running water, indoor toilets, fountains, gardens surrounded by magnificent columns, colonnaded streets paved with marble, gymnasiums and baths, a library, and a theater that could seat an estimated twenty-five thousand people.
At the heart of the city's life and economy was the worship of Artemis, the ancient fertility goddess. The temple dedicated to Artemis was 450 feet long, 220 feet wide, had more than 120 columns sixty feet high and was one of the seven wonders of the entire world.
Because Artemis was considered to be so powerful and protective of her temple, people from all over the world deposited money there, which in turn was loaned out at a high rate of interest. Thus the Ephesians became extremely wealthy and naturally were very protective of the goddess who had made them successful, powerful, and rich.
It took passionate commitment and courage for the early Christians to stand up for their beliefs in their culture, and in the face of serious persecution. But the Christians of Ephesus publicly spoke out for Jesus and lived for him in a loving way. They endured great hardships for Jesus and never became weary of living for him.
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THE MARK OF THE BEAST
Ephesus, The Crown Jewel of Asia
At the beginning of God's message to the Christians living in the prominent city of Ephesus, the apostle John offered words of praise: "I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance, You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary" (Rev. 2:2-3). These words are remarkable when one considers how challenging it must have been for the early Christians to live and minister in Ephesus. The ruins of this city enable us to better understand the faith of the early Christians who lived there, and help us discover what gave them the strength to testify of Christ so diligently in such an unlikely place.
The port city of Ephesus, located on what is now the western coast of Turkey, was the crown jewel of Asia Minor. It had the population of nearly 250,000 people and was home to more than twenty pagan temples. Artistic beauty, cultural learning, erotic pagan worship, world trade, criminal activity, and sorcery flourished amidst great wealth. As residents of one of the most sophisticated cities of the Roman Empire, the Ephesians enjoyed such luxuries as running water, indoor toilets, fountains, gardens surrounded by magnificent columns, colonnaded streets paved with marble, gymnasiums and baths, a library, and a theater that could seat an estimated twenty-five thousand people.
Artemis of the Ephesians
At the heart of the city's life and economy was the worship of Artemis, the ancient fertility goddess. The temple dedicated to Artemis was 450 feet long, 220 feet wide, had more than 120 columns sixty feet high and was one of the seven wonders of the entire world.
Because Artemis was considered to be so powerful and protective of her temple, people from all over the world deposited money there, which in turn was loaned out at a high rate of interest. Thus the Ephesians became extremely wealthy and naturally were very protective of the goddess who had made them successful, powerful, and rich.
Paul Begins to Teach
Into this city, at the end of his second missionary journey (and also during his third journey), came the apostle Paul. At first he went to the local synagogue, and using the Torah, the prophets, and the life of Jesus the Messiah, he began to teach the Ephesians about the kingdom of God and how they were supposed to live. After several months, he went to the lecture hall of Tyrannus, where every day for two years he spoke the good news of Jesus (Acts 19:9-10). Amazingly, "all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord." Most likely, Paul didn't undermine or put down the pagan Ephesians and their beliefs. Rather, he simply and unashamedly spoke God's powerful truth and allowed its implications to impact people.
The Implications of God's Truth
Of course, the implications of Paul's teaching were huge. The Ephesians realized that if what Paul and other Christians shared was indeed the truth, then Artemis and the other gods of Ephesus were worthless and the city's entire belief system, economy, and lifestyle could collapse. As a result, Paul and other Christians in Ephesus began to face intense opposition. Unless they bore the "mark" of pagan beliefs by living out those beliefs in daily life, Christians were viewed as second-class citizens. They were hated and severely persecuted.
The people's fervor to defend their gods is evident in the accusations of an idol maker named Demetrius, who spread a rumor that Paul believed "that manmade gods were no gods at all" (Acts 19:26). In response, a huge crowd of Artemis worshipers rushed into the theater and chanted, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" for about two hours. Finally, fearing the Roman soldiers response to a riot, the people calmed down and Paul escaped with his life.
Audio: It's All A Fraud
Clearly the implications of the truth Paul had spoken so lovingly, so clearly, and so fearlessly had become offensive to unbelievers. Yet the gospel message continued to spread widely as a result of the Christians' bold persistence.
Who is Lord and God?
According to tradition, the apostle John also came to Ephesus in approximately AD 70. At that time, John was writing or would soon write the book of Revelation, which includes the message to the church at Ephesus mentioned earlier. By this time, the Roman Emperor Domitian had the upper hand in attracting the religious loyalties of the Ephesians.
Demanding that people worship him as a god, Domitian insisted on being called "Lord" and "God" by everyone, including his wife. The Ephesians built huge structures dedicated to Domitian, including a prominent temple designed to be the world center of Domitian worship. One of its features was a twenty-seven-foot-tall statue of Domitian. Anyone approaching the city by sea or by land could see the temple and its statue and know that the Ephesians as a whole believed Domitian to be king of the gods. Along the city streets, altars reminded the people of Domitian's lordship and their allegiance to him. Once a year, the people had to say publicly in front of the altar, "Caesar is Lord." Anyone who didn't recognize Domitian?s lordship, including no doubt the early Christians who acknowledged the lordship of God alone, was subject to death.
A legacy of Christian Love
It took passionate commitment and courage for the early Christians to stand up for their beliefs in the face of this "mark of the beast." Despite serious persecution, which included the denial to conduct business in the markets and obtain water from public fountains, the Christians of Ephesus publicly spoke out for Jesus and lived for him in a loving way. They endured great hardships for Jesus and never became weary of living for him.
Where did they get the courage and passion to proclaim the gospel in Ephesus? One reason they could work tirelessly for Christ is because of the mutual love and support they demonstrated to one another. When John wrote, "You have forsaken your first love" (Rev. 2:4), he was really challenging them to love each other with the love they first had for each other,the love of Jesus. In order to live consistently and publicly for Jesus, they needed to believe in him and care about each other.
The Pollio Fountain, located in Domitian's Square, was built to remind the Ephesians that the Emperor Domitian was their lord of lords, king of kings, and provider of life. In a similar way, the loving community of Christians was (and still is) to stand in the midst of culture and point people towards God, the true Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and source of life.
A paving stone was unearthed by archaeologists into which symbols of the early church the fish symbol and a cross, had been carved. Somewhere in Ephesus, a person, family, or perhaps an entire community of believers wanted passerby to know, in quiet and unobtrusive way, that Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, Savior, was Lord of Lords and King of Kings. How will we testify to our world that Jesus is our Lord or Lords and King of Kings?
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Pedro has been known to hide in a cave, perhaps continuing to “bless“ the water.. Lingering in praise, engaging intercession, anointing the water with oil sent down with the Hursts, we felt honored and humbled to be used by God in such front-lines warfare on
The port city of Ephesus, located on what is now the western coast of Turkey, was the crown jewel of Asia Minor. It had the population of nearly 250,000 people and was home to more than twenty pagan temples. Artistic beauty, cultural learning, erotic pagan worship, world trade, criminal activity, and sorcery flourished amidst great wealth. As residents of one of the most sophisticated cities of the Roman Empire, the Ephesians enjoyed such luxuries as running water, indoor toilets, fountains, gardens surrounded by magnificent columns, colonnaded streets paved with marble, gymnasiums and baths, a library, and a theater that could seat an estimated twenty-five thousand people.
