By David Faust
Visiting Ephesus was a highlight of my recent visit to Turkey (now spelled Türkiye). In New Testament times, Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia. At the height of its glory, the city had a population of about 250,000 and a seaport accessible to large ships. Today the site is a sprawling, fascinating collection of stone artifacts, but no one lives there anymore.
SPIRITUAL CHALLENGES AND OPEN DOORS
First-century Ephesus was a complicated place to plant a church. It was filled with idolatry, sexual immorality, and crime. Yet, God opened “a great door for effective work” there (1 Corinthians 16:8-9), so the apostle Paul spent more than two years in Ephesus (Acts 19:8-10; 20:31), conducting daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. The gospel spread rapidly and “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10). The seven churches mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3 may have been planted by missionaries trained in Ephesus who returned to preach in their hometowns.
Paul urged his young protégé, Timothy, “Stay there in Ephesus” (1 Timothy 1:3). Priscilla and Aquila lived in Ephesus for a while, too, and helped the eloquent speaker Apollos to know the Lord more adequately (Acts 18:24-26). Tradition says the apostle John wrote his Gospel and Epistles in Ephesus before dying there.
The city’s temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis was larger than a football field—425 feet long and 220 feet wide, with a roof supported by 127 tall stone pillars. Today, only the foundation and one stone column remain. (I noticed a stork had built a nest on top of the one remaining pillar.) First-century silversmiths made hefty profits by selling statues of Artemis, and they worried that the Christian faith would have a negative impact on their business. An angry mob dragged some of Paul’s companions into the theater and shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” for about two hours (Acts 19:28-34). The massive semicircular stone theater where that happened, which seated 25,000 people in biblical times, has been thoroughly excavated and restored.
A LOST PRIORITY
Our tour group spent several hours exploring the archaeological remains of Ephesus, but one site held special fascination for me. I scrambled to the top of the theater and sat by myself for a while in the highest row available. It was precarious to climb those weathered stone steps, but it was worth the trouble. Sitting there alone, I pictured the theater filled with boisterous, rioting crowds, and I thanked God for the historical reality of the Bible.
But a troubling thought crossed my mind. The Ephesian Christians had a lot going for them. Paul lived and served there for a while. So did Priscilla and Aquila, Timothy, John, and other noteworthy leaders. Paul personally encouraged and prayed for the church’s elders (Acts 20:17-38), and he penned a letter that closed with these words of blessing: “Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love” (Ephesians 6:24). Yet, a few decades later, the Lord warned the Ephesian church, “You have forsaken the love you had at first” (Revelation 2:4). Eventually the church’s “lampstand” was removed (v. 5), and the Ephesian church faded into the annals of history.
Many churches today are blessed with good teaching, skillful leaders, and comfortable buildings. But before I left my seat in that ancient theater, I prayed, “Lord, never let us lose our first love for you.”
Personal Challenge: On a piece of paper or in your personal journal, write a list of reasons you love the Lord. Say a prayer of praise and tell him why you love him. Ask the Lord to keep your love for him strong and vibrant for as long as you live.
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