The Scribe by Francine Rivers

The final book of Francine Rivers' Sons of Encouragement series, The Scribe, is probably my favorite.

The Scribe follows a person we really don't know that much about: Silas. The book itself follows his view of Paul's ministry from mid-end of Acts, and to me, it is fascinating. 

I loved the storytelling of this novella, as short as it is. My favorite part is her suggestion of Silas' possible other appearances in the Bible: as the rich young ruler who challenged Jesus, one of the two men walking the road to Emmaus after Jesus' crucifixion... maybe even the writer of Hebrews. Who knows? We don't... but God does. It'll be fun to figure out one day. As it is, it was fun to consider that possibility through this Biblical fiction.

If you love Francine Rivers, or anything having to do with the early church, this is a great read! Click here to find it on Amazon!

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians: What happened to the Ephesian Church?

This is the final post in the series on Tony Merida's Exalting Jesus in Ephesians. I hope the explanation for the context of the book of Ephesians gives all of us greater perspectives on what Paul is saying in this powerful letter.

Before I go, there is one more thing I'd like to share that Merida pointed out on page 17:

• As stated before, Paul was in Ephesus for 3 years, from AD 50-52. It was his longest stay in one place on a missionary journey.
• He wrote Ephesians in AD 62 from Rome, about 7-8 years after he left.
• And in AD 90ish, when John wrote the book of Revelation, Ephesus is mentioned as one of the 7 churches: the one that lost its first love. 

"What is interesting about the church in Ephesus is that even though it had an amazing history, the final mention in Revelation 2:1-7 about this great church is that they 'abandoned the love [they] had at first. Think about it: Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos, Paul, Timothy, and later, John, ministered to this church. What a heritage! Yet about 40 years after the first generation of believers, they had lost their love.... They had a cold orthodoxy. We must ask ourselves: Is our service to Jesus mechanical? Do we love Him, or are we just using Him for our own ambitions?" (page 17). 

What happened to the church in Ephesus? Could that happen in our own lives and churches?

That's it for our study on the context of Ephesians! Go buy this book! Also, if you love historical fiction, check out Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion series. Book 2 is set in Ephesus... and you even catch glimpses of John!

Exalting Christ in Ephesians: The Church of Ephesus

Now that we've explored the context of the letter of Ephesians and the cultural context of Ephesus, we're going to look at bit at the local Church, as described in Exalting Jesus in Ephesians by Tony Merida.

It's not an exaggeration to say that the church of Ephesus was birthed under opposition. It would be hard to read about the culture of the day and not think that. The church was made up of some Jewish believers that were in Ephesus before Paul ever went there (Acts 18:24-27), but it was mostly Gentile. "The Ephesian churches were perhaps made up of about 30-40 people, meeting in homes. Since they hadn't seen Paul in about 7-8 years, "They needed instruction. There may have been a lack fo unity amount the pre-Paul converts and those who came later, as well as division between the Jewish and Gentile groups....[It is no wonder, then, that] Ephesians mentions union with Christ and being 'in Christ' more than any other letter, about 36 times" (page 13).

The author concludes his description of Ephesus by stating something I think is especially important in 2019: "Remember, may of us still live in a culture filled with idolatry, superstition and the occult, demonic activity, public sexual immorality, materialism, a love for education devoid of God, and the worship of political leaders. Remember, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is powerful enough to break through these forces and bring people to saving faith in Jesus Christ" (page 12).

How can understanding the cultural and historical contexts for the book of Ephesians give us greater insight into the Truth it proclaims? 

*for a fictional representation of the Church of Ephesus in the late first century, check out Francine Rivers' 2nd book in the Mark of the Lion series, A Voice in the Darkness.

Exalting Christ in Ephesians: Cultural Context of Ephesians

Now that we've explored the context of the letter of Ephesians, in this post we're going to look at the cultural context of Ephesus, as described in Exalting Christ in Ephesians by Tony Merida.

Ephesus, which sits in modern-day Western Turkey, was a busy port city on a river that connected to the Aegean Sea. "It was the 4th or 5th largest city in the world at that time... its massive amphitheater held about 25,000 people. The city hosted athletic events similar to the Olympics. It was at the junction of 4 major roads in Asia minor, which several villages surrounding it. It was the gateway of Asia that became the gateway of the Gospel, as Paul's ministry in the city reached out to 'all... of Asia' (Acts 19:10)" (pages 8-9).

(photo from Kudadasi.biz)

This was an important city, and it was full of spiritual warfare.

First, the city was known for different forms of paganism. The more sophisticated example of this is those who pursued the Greek idea of true enlightenment, "which involved rising to high levels of mysterious knowledge. This knowledge was obtained not just by learning but my experience, though erotic and ascetic practices.... The culture was steeped in materialism, sensuality, and perverted idolatrous practices" (page 9). (For a fictional portrayal of this, An Echo in the Darkness, book 2 in Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion series, shows the time and culture of Ephesus in the late first century.

Second, it was home to the Roman emperor cult, where the emperor himself was worshipped as a god. For example, Caesar Augustus was called "Savior", so the author points out that this led to a "Gospel conflict": "Coins, statues, temples, and other items proclaimed the gospel of Augustus, but the church was proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus.... When Christians were saying, 'Jesus is Lord,' they were saying that Caesar was not" (page 9).

(example from here)

Third, Ephesus was also the headquarters for the cult of the Roman goddess Diana (Greek: Artemis), whose temple was gigantic and beautiful (4x as large as the Parthenon in Athens!), and located a mile from the ancient amphitheater. Funny... the author points out that while the remains of the amphitheater still stands, only small portions of pillars remain from what was once called one of the 'Seven Wonders of the World'. (God was definitely saying something clearly there!). "Paul's Ephesian ministry threatened the commerce of those who made silver models of Diana (Acts 19:23-41).... Ephesus seems to have been obsessed with demons, magic, and idolatry, particularly the worship of Diana" (page 10).

(photo from Ephesus.us)

Fourth, in Acts 19:11-24, Paul talks about pretty intense demonic oppression to the spiritual awakening that was going on. "These Christians were turning 'the world upside down' in Ephesus" (page 11)!

Fifth, there was opposition from the silversmiths. As previously stated, the silversmiths in the cities made graven images of Diana that weren't being purchased anymore. The Gospel literally disrupted the socioeconomic system, which highlights the materialistic and superstitious nature of the culture. As a result, they dragged Paul and his companions into the amphitheater where they were all but killed (Acts 19:25-41), because in the words of Demetrius in verses 25-27, "Not only did [the silversmiths] run a risk of [their] businesses being destroyed, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis might be despised and her magnificence come into the verge of ruin" (page 12). 

Sixth (and finally), there were the Jews (mentioned in Acts 20:19), who plotted as well! In fact, after two months teaching at the synagogue, Paul ended up moving to teaching in a lecture hall where Gentiles were able to hear it!

Okay, next week will be our final post of this series exploring the context of the book of Ephesians. We're going to look at the Church itself.

Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers

I can't talk about ancient Rome without talking about my favorite historical fiction series: The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers.

This series not only entertains but also comes with powerful lessons of forgiveness, grace, and faith. There is so much to learn and enjoy from each aspect of the story, but for me, the character of Hadassah is one of the most incredible (and challenging) I've ever read. The reader finds themselves immersed first in Roman-ravaged Judea, then finally in Rome, Ephesus, and even Germania. Honestly, while the 3rd book contains a lot of references for the first 2 books and repeating characters, it can almost stand alone. I often just re-read books 1 and 2 because they are my favorites. 

From the roar of the games to the wilds of Germania, you'll go on the most incredible adventure and hopefully be encouraged in your faith as well. This series, (or at least books 1-2), are a "must read" to me.

Click here to find it on Amazon!