The document summarizes Paul's second and third mission trips to Ephesus according to Acts 18-19. It discusses how Paul left disciples in Ephesus during his second trip and returned later, staying to teach for around 3 years. During his third trip, Paul found some disciples in Ephesus who had only received John's baptism of repentance, so he baptized them in the name of Jesus and taught boldly in the synagogue for 3 months before withdrawing to the school of Tyrannus due to hardening opposition.

1. Paul’s Second Mission Trip Acts 18:19-21 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, but took leave of them, saying, "I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing." And he sailed from Ephesus. Ephesus was a seaport city located in the of Asia. The city was not just a seaport, but was connected by major highways.

2. Paul’s Third Mission Trip He stays with the Ephesian believers for about 3 years. Acts 219:8,10

3. Acts 19:1-6 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism." Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.“ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

4. Acts 19:8-9 And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.

5. Authorship Written A.D. 60 from Rome while Paul was in prison / house arrest. As he was writing this letter, perhaps he was thinking that this was going to be his last form of communication with them.

6. Historical purpose was to strengthen and encourage not only the Ephesian church, but the sounding churches. Like wise, this letter is not just for them, but it transcends down through the ages to us right now.

7. Theological Significance Paul does not write this letter to give correction, or address a problem, like he does in his other epistles. Author Raymond Brown says, “Among the Pauline writings, only Romans could match Ephesians as a candidate for exercising the most influence on Christian thought and Spirituality.” (An Introduction to the New Testament, 620)

8. Themes: Christology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology, and Eschatology

9. Author H. Chadwick says, “The theme of the church (Ecclesiology) is an important subject in Ephesians, and according to some it is the primary motif of the letter.” (Die Absicht des Epheserbriefes’, 146)

10. God’s inheritance (1:11); Christ’s body (1:22-23); God’s masterpiece (2:10); one new person (2:15); household of God (2:19); habitation of God (2:21-22); joint body - Jews and Gentiles (3:6); bride of Christ (5:23-32); God’s warriors (6:11-18).

11. The exaltation of Christ (1:1 - 2:22) Paul’s Greeting (1:1-2) They were faithful in the midst of false teaching (4:14)

12. One of the ways to study the scriptures is to look for recurrence. Christ (46) Jesus (20) Lord (23) God (31) God the Father (8) With only 6 chapters in this book, this recurrence is significant.

13. “But what is God’s master plan? Simply this: that God may glorify himself by uniting all things in Christ. ‘God’s plan is to unite and reconcile all things in Christ so that men [and women] can again serve their maker.’” Howard A. Snyder, The Community of the King, Revised. (InterVarsity Press, 2004). Bernard Zylstra, quoted in perspective, newsletterof the Association for the Advancement of Christian Scholarship.

14. Faithful is clearly connected to being in Christ. It might even be said to be faithful is to be in Christ and to be in Christ is to be faithful.