IMMERSED IN EPHESIANSW H I L E PA U L W A S L I V I N G A N D W O R K I N G I N E P H E S U S ,he sent his co- orkers out to start churches across the Roman province of Asia.wEpaphras planted churches in Colosse, Laodicea, and Hierapolis, butPaul was arrested in Jerusalem shortly after leaving Ephesus to deliveran offering for the poor. Paul was eventually brought to Rome and imprisoned while awaiting trial. By the time he heard about the situationin Colosse, he had been away from the province of Asia for at leastthree years.Paul realized that by now other churches also needed advice, encouragement, and correction from him. (He likely got information aboutmany of them from people who came to visit and help him in Rome.)So Paul gave his co-workers Tychicus and Onesimus a letter to read tothese churches in addition to delivering his letters to the Colossiansand to Philemon.Today this letter is known as “Ephesians,” even though the earliest andbest copies of the letter are addressed to “God’s holy people,” not“God’s holy people in Ephesus.” (As is the case for all of Paul’s letters,we no longer have the original.)Paul is apparently writing to people he has not met personally because he tells the recipients that he has only “heard of their strong faithin the Lord Jesus.” By contrast, when he writes to the Corinthians, herefers to “what I told you about Christ,” and he reminds the Thessalonians of how “we brought you the Good News.” In addition, the lackof specific personal greetings at the end also indicates that Ephesianswas written for a more general audience.Because this is a more general letter, Paul doesn’t begin by explaining his connection to the recipients as he does in other letters. Instead,he writes a longer-than-usual opening thanksgiving, delivering a bigpicture description of everything God has accomplished through Christ.The Good News is the revelation of how God has brought hislong-term plan to fulfillment. God is one, and he intends to unify allthings under the authority of Christ. Paul’s prayer is for the believers’understanding—that they would know the great scope of God’s work215
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