Holy People in an Unholy City

Ephesus 1:1-2

MildredLongmore lived in our apartment before us. I know this because we still get hermail. I don’t open it though, because opening another person’s mail is a felonycrime, mailed theft, that incurs penalties up to five years in prison. Have youever done that?

Today, let’s do that. Let’s open another person’s mail from 2,000 years ago. It’s a letter called Ephesians and it says things that are very important for us to know today. But don’t worry, though it was not addressed to you by name, it was still intended for you to read - though reading it may get you into jail for another reason!

The Sender

The person whosent this letter was a man named Paul. The letter opens by saying, “Paul, anapostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God” (Eph 1:1).

The Two Namesof Paul

First, the namePaul is significant but not for the reason you may suppose. Paul had two names,but do you know why?

Many claim thatSaul was his name before he was a Christian, but his name changed to Paul whenhe followed Jesus. This explanation is popular but wrong.

1. Jesuscalled him “Saul, Saul” on the road to Damascus when he believed (Acts 9:4).
2. Ananiascalled him “Saul” after his conversion (Acts 9:17).
3. TheHoly Spirit called him “Saul” before his first missionary trip (Acts 13:2).
4. Infact, the Bible calls him “Saul” 11 times after his conversion.
5. TheBible only begins calling him “Paul” when he began missionary work (Acts13:13).

Saul and Paul were dual names for the same person. Saul was his Hebrew name and Paul his Greek one. When he lived near Jerusalem, he went by Saul, but when he expanded his ministry to non-Jewish people abroad, he went by Paul instead.

Paul identified himself with non-Jewish people, even though he was a Jew.

In this way, Paulidentified himself with non-Jewish people, even though he was a Jew. This showsthe humility and flexibility that comes from the gospel. Rather than brag abouthis ethnic identity, he identified himself with people from different ethnic backgrounds.

The Apostleshipof Paul

Second, Paulwas an “apostle of Jesus Christ,” which raises two questions. What is anapostle and how did he become one?

Apostle means “someone sent on a mission by someone else.” New Testament(NT) apostles were men sent out directly by the resurrected Jesus (Acts 1:22).

This happenedfor Paul when he traveled on a road from Jerusalem to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). Asa die-hard Pharisee who hated Christians, he was going to Damascus to harass andkill the Christians who lived there. But Jesus came to him and transformed hisheart from hatred to faith. What’s more, he gave him the mission of an apostle(Acts 9:15-16), which the letter to the Ephesians describes.

• Eph 4:11says that apostles were people Jesus gave to the church as a gift. They wouldequip believers like you and me to do the work of Christian ministry and would helpconstruct the body of Christ, the church, like a foreman helps erect a building.
• Eph2:20 explains how they would do this. They would lay the foundation for thechurch, much like a cement truck pours the footers for a building.
• Eph3:3 says that they would do this by sharing special knowledge with believerswhich God had revealed to them about his purpose and plan for the church today.

Apostles gave us special revelation from God that was necessary for the church’s formation and continued success. This is what Paul does in this letter. He gives special knowledge – revelation about God’s purpose and plans for the church today.

Apostles gave us special revelation from God that was necessary for the church’s formation and continued success.

He did this bythe “will of God,” which means that being an apostle was not his own idea or personalaspiration. It was God’s plan for his life.

When you studythis letter, you are reading special knowledge from God about his purpose andplan for your life and for the church today. It is the foundational truth thatJesus wants you to know, the knowledge you should build your life upon and thatwill prepare us as a church to better fulfill God’s plan.

The Recipients

The people whoreceived this letter are not mentioned by name. Instead, Paul identifies themby their geographic location and spiritual relation to God.

TheirGeographic Location

Theirgeographic location was Ephesus, “the mother city of Asia Minor” (modern-dayTurkey), the third-largest city in the Roman empire. It trailed only Rome, Italyand Alexandria, Egypt. Population estimates range from 200,000 to 250,000, whichequals 1,000-1,250 per NYC city block and is very close to the populationdensity of NYC today.

Ephesus resembles NYC in other important ways. It was a major hub for political, economic, and religious activity and was permeated by immoral, dishonest lifestyles.

Ephesus resembles NYC in other important ways. It was a major hub for political, economic, and religious activity and was permeated by immoral, dishonest lifestyles.

In particular,Ephesus stood out for its religious reputation as the center for Artemis (orDiana) worship. A massive and ornate temple to this goddess loomed over thecity and was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Residentsviewed her as their powerful protector. They held Olympic games in her honor,stamped her image on their coins, and did banking at her Temple. Peopletraveled from all over the world to worship this pagan deity.

Another religiousinfluence in this city was the magical arts. These dark arts permeated both Artemisworship and many smaller, secretive cults (or “mystery religions”) in the city.According to Luke (Acts 19:13-20), many people came out of this background tofollow Christ, burning their magic books valued at 50,000 days (192 weeks, 3.75years) income.

Their SpiritualRelation

Despite theirpagan, spiritistic background, Paul called his recipients saints. This worddescribes the recipients’ spiritual relation to God. Saint means “someonewho is holy and set apart for a special purpose.” They are not deceased spiritualsuperheroes as the Catholic church teaches. Instead, they are ordinarybelievers like you and me who’ve been given a special mission in our city.

The word faithfulhere may also be translated as “believing.” It refers to people who havebelieved in Jesus as God and Savior. It refers to people who had abandoned theirformer allegiance to Diana and spiritism and to the Roman emperor as a god, tofollow Jesus Christ as God and Savior instead. It refers to people who are “inChrist.”

“In Christ”

“In Christ” isimportant to this letter because it occurs 30 times. Like the vertebrae discs thatform the backbone of your body, this phrase forms the theological backbone ofthis letter. It describes a permanent, intimate relationship with Jesus. It describesour spiritual union with him that is the result of our salvation.

“Walk”

Now if thephrase “in Christ” is the theological backbone of this letter, and it is, then anotherkeyword is the practical focus of this letter – the word walk, which occurs8 times:

• “Youonce walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince ofthe power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience”(Eph 2:2).
• “Weare His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God preparedbeforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10).
• “Walkworthy of the calling with which you were called” (Eph 4:1).
• "Youshould no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility oftheir mind” (Eph 4:17).
• “Walkin love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us” (Eph 5:2).
• “Youwere once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children oflight” (Eph 5:8).
• “Walkcircumspectly, not as fools but as wise” (Eph 5:15).

To “walk” refersto the way you live – your approach to life, your lifestyle. There is a waythat the nonbelieving people in a bustling, pagan, metropolitan area like Ephesusor NYC live (or “walk”), but believers are to live (or “walk”) differently becausewe are saints. We are to live in a way that both relies upon and reflects our closerelationship with Christ.

IdentityFormation

Peter O’Brien says, “the main purpose of this letter is identity formation.’” It reveals who you really are in Christ and who we are together as a church. Do we live this way, or do we still reflect the values and fears of the unsaved population around us?

In other words, are you a Christian or a New Yorker? Which best describes you mindset and approach to life? Your values and identity?

In other words, are you a Christian or a New Yorker? Which best describes you mindset and approach to life? Your values and identity?

This letteropens our eyes to our true identity, revealing some astounding spiritual realities(Eph 1-3) and the personal practices that should follow (Eph 4-6).

In the firstthree chapters, we’ll discover rich theological truths about our true relationshipwith Jesus and with one another. Then, in the second three chapters, we’ll makethe connection between these theological truths about our relationship with Christto our everyday behavior as a church, as family members, and as people livingin a pagan city.

The Greeting

Let’s face it. It’s not easy living as saints in a pagan city that appeals to our fallen nature, plays up our personal fears, and pushes our past lifestyle upon us. That’s why we need the special knowledge this letter provides. Though it was written to Ephesus, it is also a letter intended for believers in any other city of the world.

Living as saints in a pagan city that appeals to our fallen nature, plays up our personal fears, and pushes our past lifestyle upon us. That’s why we need the special knowledge this letter provides.

That’s why wecan open this letter without committing a felony! That’s also why Paul openedthis letter with a request to God for grace and peace in the believer’s lives.This request was so important, in fact, that he opened many other NT lettersthe same way (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Phil 1:2; 2 Thess 1:2;Phlm 3).

Grace from God

Just as law isat the heart of Moses’ Old Testament (OT) theology and teaching, so graceis the heart of Paul’s NT theology and teaching (Tit 2:11; Rom 6:1, etc.). Infact, he uses the word 95 times in 13 letters, an average of 7.5 times apiece(12 times in Ephesians).

In secularusage, this word described the favor of the gods or the emperor towards people.For the believers in Ephesus, for instance, it would cause them to think about theprotection and prosperity they hoped to receive from Artemis (or Diana), the magicalarts, and the Roman emperor.

But forbelievers, grace means so much more. It describes the favor of the one, true,supreme God towards his special, chosen people. Why settle for the protectionand blessing of Diana when you could enjoy the grace of the one, true creator Godwho is supreme overall?

According to Paul, God’s grace is the source of our salvation (being placed into a relationship with Christ, Eph 2:8). It is also the source of our sanctification and service (the ongoing enablement to live the Christian life and serve in the church, Eph 4:7).

Paul desired for them to enter into both a greater awareness of and a more complete experience of all that God had given them “in Christ.”

By requesting God’s grace for the believers in Ephesus, Paul desired for them to enter into both a greater awareness of and a more complete experience of all that God had given them “in Christ.”

The City Slicker and the Chainsaw

Have you heardthe joke about the city slicker who moved to Pennsylvania? He walked into ahardware store and asked for a chain saw that would cut 6 trees in an hourbecause he had too many trees in his backyard. The customer service team memberrecommended a high-end, name-brand model and the city slicker bought it,excited about cutting down some trees.

The next day, the city slicker returned to thestore and slammed the chainsaw down on the counter in obvious frustration. “Thischainsaw is defective,” he said, “I couldn’t even cut down one tree today!”

The salesman lookedat the chainsaw to see what was wrong. He pushed a little button, placed hisfinger on the handle, then pulled another handle briskly. All at once, thechainsaw roared to life, causing the city slicker to jump back in stunnedsurprise. “What’s that noise?” he exclaimed. “That’s the engine, sir,” repliedthe salesman.

You see, the cityslicker had been hacking away at the trees with a quiet, motionless chainsaw,getting nowhere. He had no idea how to tap the potential of the chainsaw byactivating the gasoline engine.

Do you everfeel like this in your attempts to live the Christian life? Feel like your hackingaway at your purpose and your calling, getting nowhere but frustrated andconfused?

It’s hard to bea saint in a secular city. That’s why you need the special knowledge that thisletter called Ephesians provides from Christ. God’s grace is greater than youpresently understand, so prepare to be amazed and to discover how you can riseabove the spiritual challenges that city living throws your way.

Peace from God

In addition tograce, Paul also requests peace from God for the believers in Ephesus. Peacerefers to harmony, tranquility, and unity in your mind and spirit, and in yourrelationship both with God and other people. (He uses this word 7 times in thisletter.)

Does thisdescribe your life today? Unfortunately, turmoil, stress, and strifeare better descriptions of our minds, spirits, and relationships. Thankfully,this letter to the Ephesians gives you special insight from God that cantransform your turmoil into peace.

In secularusage, peace was commonly associated with the Pax Romana, or Roman peace,which was nothing more than a surface-level peace forged by military force andpolitical maneuvers. It didn’t bring genuine peace with God (or the gods), nordid it bring true peace between social groups and family relationships.

The peace ofGod though was real. Jesus announced this new peace before he died (John 14:27)and it was a key feature in the earliest preaching of the church (Acts 10:36).

This peace isthe result of being saved (justification, meaning “peace with God”, Rom 5:1)and is also the result of the Spirit’s ongoing work in our lives aftersalvation (the “fruit of the Spirit,” meaning peace with other people, esp. inthe church, Gal 5:22).

This worddescribes the way that Paul describes people from many diverse backgroundsbecoming joint, co-equal members in the church, the family of God, a majortopic in the first half of this letter. Peace also describes the kind of doctrinaland relational stability that the second half of this letter portrays.

Paul teaches that this peace comes directly from God the Father, but also from Jesus Christ whom he calls “the Lord.” To experience the grace and peace that God provides, you must submit yourself to Jesus as your supreme leader, your ‘lord’ (κύριος), not to the gods and not to political rulers who wish to be treated as gods. Paul stresses the lordship of Christ throughout this letter, referring to him as Lord 25 times.

To experience the grace and peace that God provides, you must submit yourself to Jesus as your supreme leader

This contrastedwith how the Roman Empire required all its citizens to patronize Caesar,requiring every citizen to burn incense to him and submit to him as a god. Christiansrefused to do this, claiming Jesus Christ as their supreme leader instead. As aresult, many of them suffered greatly as criminals and were even executed asmartyrs.

The Backstory

Paul did notwrite this letter as an outside, out-of-touch spiritual advisor. He wrote frompersonal, firsthand experience. He himself had submitted to Jesus Christ as hisLord on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:5-6). Years later, following Jesus broughthim to the city of Ephesus, which had very few believers at that time.

For three yearsPaul labored in that city with two results (Acts 19:1-41; 20:17-38, esp. 20:18-21).On the positive side, his teaching about Jesus as Lord spread to all kinds of peoplethroughout Asia Minor (Acts 19:10). On the negative side, he experiencedserious opposition from Jewish rabbis, local magicians, and the powerful unionfor craftsmen of Diana paraphernalia. The opposition was so dangerous that hehad to leave the city, leaving local pastors and small congregations throughoutthat city to fend for themselves.

In fact, hewrote this letter from prison in Rome, having been incarcerated for preachingthe gospel outside Ephesus. So, while you won’t go to jail for the felony ofreading this letter postmarked to the believers in Ephesus, you might go tojail for taking to heart the special knowledge that it imparts. That’s why youneed grace and peace from God.

What about You?

Have youbelieved on Jesus as your supreme leader, your Savior and your God? Or are youstill searching for blessing, prosperity, protection, and peace from one ormore of the many forms of religion and spirituality that this pagan cityoffers?

If you havebelieved in Jesus in this way, as Paul and the believers in Ephesus did, thenhow well do you understand your new relationship with Christ (“in Christ”) andhow is this relationship transforming your everyday mindset and lifestyle? Areyou truly living out your new identity as a Christian and enjoying the graceand peace that God provides?

As we beginthis new preaching series through Ephesians, I encourage you to do whatever youcan to participate regularly in our Sunday worship services, missing as fewSundays as possible so that we can discover together all the special knowledgethat Christ intends for us to discover and put into practice.

I alsoencourage you to read through the book of Ephesians this week, looking for andconsidering the following things:

• “In Christ”
• “Walk”
• “Grace”
• “Peace”

If you want to domore, you can also read about Paul’s 3-yr. ministry in Ephesus to get more ofthe backstory of this letter (Acts 19-20). If you do this, then look for waysthat the experience of Christians in Ephesus was similar to our experience inNew York City today.