Introduction to Ephesians

 The book of Ephesians is a letter written by Paul to the church at Ephesus, which would have consisted of both Jewish and Gentile believers. Ephesus was a port city along the Aegean Sea in what is now present day Turkey. Paul wrote the book of Ephesians from a Roman prison cell somewhere between A.D. 60-62. 

In the introduction of his letter, Paul calls the church in Ephesus, faithful followers of Christ. He declares that they are God’s holy people. His letter is written to encourage them to hold fast to what they know to be true. 

In the book of Revelation, the church in Ephesus is the first of seven churches that John is told to write to. In this letter, Jesus commends the church for its hard work and patient endurance. He sees how they have patiently suffered for Him without quitting. However, Jesus has one complaint against them, they have lost their first love. They have lost their love for Him (Revelation 2:1-7). They have served Him, and suffered for Him but they have lost their love. Service for God does not equal love for Him. He is more concerned that we love Him rather than simply serve Him.

The church of Ephesus lost sight of what Paul encouraged them to remember. His letter begins by reminding the church of who they are in Christ and the spiritual blessings that they have in Him. Then, he transitions to telling them how to live in light of their sonship. It is easy to lose our first love. It is easy to let the distractions of this world or the demands of daily life pull our gaze away from what is really important. It is easy to get caught up in serving Him yet fail to love Him with our whole heart. My hope is that as we break this letter down into small portions of study, we will be reminded of who we are in Christ. I pray that as we realize who we are in Him and the blessings that He has bestowed upon us, we will know how to live in the fullness of His Spirit.