LISTEN! to the Introduction on: SOUNDCLOUD!
Ephesians
Paul’s
Greatest Church Planting Success
20 December 2017
Archdale
church of Christ – Russ McCullough
Lesson
#2 – Introduction
1. Both
the author and the recipient are clearly S______________ in 1.1.
2. This
Letter to the Ephesians was actually the _______ letter of Paul as we know from
3.1 – 4. The referenced letter is lost
to history by the W_____ of the H__________ S______________.
3. The
city of Ephesus was likely the _______ largest city in the Roman Empire and had
an estimated population of _______________ or more based upon the
_______________ seat capacity theater.
4. Ephesus
was the capital of the Roman province of A___________.
5. Many
early manuscripts do not contain the name of “Ephesus,” and is a likely an
indication of the fact that the book, like others, was ENCYLICAL which literally
means: __________________________________________.
6. Our
English word “encyclical” was first used in ca. ___________ and originates from
both the Latin and Greek languages.
Latin: encyclicus. Greek: enkyklios. Both words mean the same: en
(in) + cyclicus / kyklios (circle).
Our common English usage means: “a letter written to each member of a
singular group by rotation one to another.”
7. We
know from history that it was common practice that once a letter was
R__________ to the congregation, it would be C__________ before the
A__________________ was sent to the next congregation. This constant “passing around” wore the original
A____________ out almost immediately.
8. By
the “encyclical method,” each congregation over time would have a L____________
of all the New Testament books.
9. This
“encyclical” model was adopted on the American Frontier by the practice of
C______________ R____________ P_________________.
10. This
was “standard operating procedure” in the 1st century church of
Christ as we see from Colossians 4.16 and also seen in Paul’s letters to
Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. It is most
clearly stated in the Book of R_____________ where the E____________ List is stated
precisely.
11. From
Acts 28 we know that Paul was imprisoned in Rome ca. 0060. From here in prison Paul wrote what have come
to be known as the P_________ E____________, one of which is Ephesians. We know this from 6.18 – 20.
12. The
first mention of the church of Christ in Ephesus was in Acts 18 while
A__________ and P_____________. There
they converted A____________. It is only
after this in Acts 19 that P ______ comes to the great city.
13. Ephesus
was a great S____________ on the C___________River. (Centuries later Ephesus was abandoned when
silt filled the harbor.) She was of
great economic prowess and competed with the great cities of R___________,
A_____________ of P___________, A_____________ , A___________ of S__________, C__________________and
C_______________for prominence in the ancient world.
14. Ephesus as renowned as a great religious
center and was home to the temple to the goddess A____________ or as the Romans
called here, D____________. This temple
was one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.
There was a booming tourist trade where S__________ artisans sold
S_______________ of the goddess for the gullible to take back home.
15. Paul met with such success in Ephesus that he
stayed here about ______ years. For the
first ______ months he preached at the J____________ S_______________. After being “asked to leave” he spoke daily
for 2 years at the L______________ Hall of T___________________.
16. The
letter to the Ephesians is a didactic book in New Testament genre. A didactic book is one centered in
D____________. “Didactic” means
“…designed or intended to T__________.” The
English form of this word was first used ca. 1658 and comes to us from the
Greek word didakticos which means “A_____ to T____________.”
17. After
Paul’s 3-year service, T______________ was sent by Paul for “perhaps a year and
a half” to deal with F_________ D_____________ being taught primarily by
H______________ and A________________
(I Timothy 1.3, 20) During Timothy’s
tenure the congregation was burdened with “F____________ and endless
G_______________.” (I Timothy 1.4)
18. The
Ephesians also wrestled with “forbidding of M______________ and
A________________ from certain F____________.” (I Timothy 4.3)
19. The
letter to the Ephesians has two distinct parts.
The first 3 chapters deal almost exclusively with D_____________ while
the last 3 deals almost exclusively with C________________ L____________.
20. These
issues came about as these former P______________ and worshippers of
A_________________ came into the faith and practice of Christianity.
21. In
the ongoing years the congregation O__________________ and became so
doctrinally rigid that 36 years later Christ Himself said in Revelation 2 that
they had “L__________ their F___________ L___________.”
22. Two
key doctrines covered by Paul in this letter are: 1) The M_____________ of the
church, and, 2) The B___________ of Jesus Christ. The book also has much to say about God’s
C________________.
Reference: MacArthur, John (The
MacArthur Bible Handbook, Thomas Nelson & Co)., 2003, pg. 399 - 402
ANSWER GRID:
1 1. Stated
2. 2nd,
Will of the Holy Spirit
3. 2nd,
250,000 / 25,000
4. Asia
5. “In
wheel”
6. 1656
7. Read,
Copied, Autograph, Autograph
8. Library
9. Circuit
Rider Preachers
10. Revelation,
Entire
11. Prison
Epistles
12. Aquilla
& Priscilla, Apollos, Paul
13. Seaport,
Cayster, Rome, Antioch, Pisidia, Alexandria, Antioch, Syria, Carthage, Corinth
14. Artimes,
Diana, Silver, Statuettes
15. Three,
Six, Jewish Synagogue, Lecture, Tyrannus
16. Doctrine,
Teaching, Apt, Teach
17. Timothy,
False Doctrine, Hymenaeus, Alexander, Fables, Geneologies
18. Marriage,
Abstinence, Foods
19. Doctrine,
Christian Living
20. Pagan,
Artimes
21. Overcompensated,
Lost, First Love
22. Mystery,
Blessings, Character
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