Westside church of Christ - Irving, Texas

The church of Christ at Ephesus

by Pat Farish

The first mention of Ephesus in the New Testament is in Acts 18:19. Paul reasoned there in the synagogue for a time before leaving to go to Caesarea. Then Apollos came to Ephesus and began to teach about Jesus - “though he knew only the baptism of John” (Acts 18:25). Priscilla and Aquila heard him, and “explained to him the way of God more accurately”. Subsequently he went to Achaia with the blessing of the brothers in Ephesus, and “powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus” (Acts 18:27-28).

Paul returned to Ephesus, and found some disciples there who had been baptized with John’s baptism. Pointing out the preparatory nature of John’s baptism, he told them that “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus”. Luke writes that “On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:4, 5). If this was not the establishment of the church in Ephesus, it was at least early in its history. The remainder of the chapter tells of Paul’s work in the synagogue for three months, and in the hall of Tyrannus for two more years; of the rout of the seven sons of Sceva, of the riot fomented by Demetrius the silversmith and the wise counsel of the town clerk in quelling the uproar.

There are some significant things about the church in Ephesus. First, is the information about their conversion. Sometime we may read a principle, but have difficulty making application of it. With the Ephesians we have the principle announced, and the application seen in the his- tory. The principle is expressed in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith …”. In this they were no different from every other member of a church of Christ, before or since. In the account of the conversion of the Ephesians, however, we read of the application of this principle in the history of their conversion. The Ephesians were the people who, having learned that they should believe on Jesus, responded by being baptized in the name of Jesus, Acts 19:4, 5. They were saved by grace through faith when they believed on Jesus and were baptized for the remission of their sins.

Another notable thing is, this young church was organized, as God intends for local churches of Christ to be. We know this because Luke writes that “from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him”, Acts 20:17. The plurality of elders in Ephesus is consistent with the pattern revealed in Acts 14:23, they “appointed elders for them in every church …”. Elders, also called “bishops” (overseers) and “pastors” (shepherds), are provided by God for leadership and direction in churches. It is in- tended by God that churches be organized; the process was to “put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town” (Titus 1:5). In times of general contempt for authority it pleases human wisdom to have no elders; but God’s will remains, “elders … in every church”.

The church of Christ in Ephesus was militant against error. That means that they had no tolerance for sin: “you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false … you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (Jesus, to the angel of the church in Ephesus, Revelation 2:2, 6). The task of striking a balance in our response to those who are evil (” … I hate every false way”, Psalm 119:104) as opposed to those who are merely ignorant and possibly receptive to truth, is demanding: but it must be undertaken. We dare not tolerate evil in the hope of effecting a conversion.

With its militant stance, and its works, toil and patient endurance, the church at Ephesus had nonetheless run aground in the area of enthusiasm: “you have abandoned the love you had at first” (Revelation 2:4). Zeal is essential. We are “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10); and Jesus’ people are to be “zealous of good works”, Titus 2:14. We must be doing the right things, not simply as a matter of duty performed but zealously, enthusiastically. The Ephesians started out that way; but then for some reason turned away from “the love (they) had at first”. What caused this? We are not told. It could have been any number of things, from rootlessness (Luke 8:13) to “the cares and riches and pleasures of life” (Luke 8:14). Whatever it was, it is a malady to which we are still susceptible. We must do the right things, abundantly; but we must also be joyously eager in the doing of those things.

The church of Christ at Ephesus, a church after the New Testament order.

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Abundant Life: October 2008