October 6, 2025
Don’t Lose Your First Love
This is the first in a series of weekly articles based on Christ’s letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. This week's church is Ephesus.
Articles for tag: Ephesus
November 13, 2023
November 19 | Ephesus
Some cities are so significant that just saying their names gets a reader’s or hearer’s attention. In the ancient world, this was true with Ephesus, a city with a population that rivaled Rome and Thessalonica. Paul visited Ephesus as the end of his second missionary journey . . .
November 13, 2023
November 19: Application (‘What I Learned in an Ancient Theater’)
The temple in Ephesus was dedicated to the goddess Artemis. It 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. . . .
November 13, 2023
November 19 | Discovery
These Discovery Questions are for use with this week’s Lookout Bible Lesson, “Ephesus” (Acts 19:8-10, 23-41), by Mark Scott.
June 5, 2023
June 11 | Application (‘Accept No Substitutes for God’)
Pagans aren’t the only ones who worship idols. God’s covenant people sometimes make the same mistake. . . .
September 14, 2020
Lesson for Sept. 20, 2020: Pray (1 Timothy 2:1-8)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the September 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ COMPANION RESOURCES “Does It Really Help to ‘Send Thoughts and Prayers’?” by David Faust (Lesson Application) Discovery Questions for Sept. 20, 2020 ________ Lesson Aim: Pray for everyone to be saved through faith in Christ Jesus. ________ By Mark Scott Last week’s lesson was entitled “Fight,” and we do that in many ways. We
A WARNING FROM EPHESUS . . . And Jesus’ Solution for When a Church Loses Its First Love
By Tyler McKenzie The Ephesian church was a first-century megachurch that had everything, and then, by all historical accounts, lost everything. Ephesus was the sort of city Paul liked to target: a hub of culture and a place of notoriety. He knew if he could plant the gospel in Ephesian “soil,” it would spread. Ephesus was a major commercial center—three trade highways ran through it—it was a port town, and it was tourist hub. One of the seven wonders of the world, the temple to the goddess Artemis, was located there. Some estimate the city’s population at a quarter-million people—massive
November 10, 2017
Elders Champion MissionsÂ
By David Roadcup  An effective elder-shepherd team connects to the missions initiative of the congregation. Elders should be the greatest proponents for mission service in the body of Christ. By following Jesus” marching orders, we can facilitate and support the missions outreach of our churches in the most effective way possible. Good elder teams are involved in missions!  In Acts 20:17-38, Paul, who is on his way to Jerusalem, arrives by ship at Miletus and calls for the Ephesian church elders to join him there. (Paul had planted and nurtured the Ephesian church.) When the elders arrive, Paul involves them
August 4, 2014
Lesson for August 10, 2014: Forgiveness and Restoration (2 Corinthians 1:23″“2:17)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the August 3 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone Paul”s first letter to the Corinthian church contained many things that were difficult for the people to hear and to heed. One issue involved a man who had a sexual relationship with his father”s wife (1 Corinthians 5:1). The apostle directed the church to separate from him (5:2, 11-13). The purpose for this exercise of church discipline was to save the
May 6, 2007
Demas Has Forsaken Me
A reflection on Demas’s desertion, Paul’s final imprisonment, and the quiet pull of “the world.” Learn why setting heart and mind on things above is essential—and how John Mark’s story offers hope.
