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Introduction to Ephesians
When I told people that the next thing we would be studying is Pauls letter to the Ephesians, the news was
always received with delight. This was true even if the person wasnt going to be in the class, to study it
with us. Why is that? Because this letter is a great favorite of everyone; perhaps their very favorite of
Pauls letters, that have been retained in Scripture.
So what is it about this letter that believers so love; that causes them such delight? Well, on the simplest
level, it is that this letter is filled to the brim with treasure. Treasure is awe-inspiring; treasure is dazzling;
treasure is desirable.
And what does Paul show about this treasure? That it belongs to believers each and every one of them.
Immeasurable treasure; riches upon riches.
And why do we have this treasure did we earn it? No. Is it a reward, for something we did? No. So
why do we have this treasure? Simply by virtue of the fact that we are in Christ.
Those who have believed into Jesus, who have received Him as their Lord, are baptized in the Holy Spirit,
into Christs Body (Acts 1:5, 1 Cor 12:13). Through simply placing our faith in Christ, we are now in Him
and the Father lavishes upon us every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3) the riches of His grace (Eph 1:7)
heavenly treasure.
And that remarkable fact causes us to look further and deeper. We see the Fathers plan, that He always
intended to give us this treasure; we see the Sons willingness take bodily form, and shed His blood, in
order that we might have this treasure; and we see the Spirits work in our hearts to enlighten us as to just
how rich in treasure we are, in Christ.
So why? Why did God give us all of this treasure? In a word, glory. This is His glorious plan, by which
He will obtain sons of glory. This is the riches of the glory of His inheritance among the saints (Eph 1:18)
those who are set-apart unto Him, through faith. And that glory permeates this entire letter of Pauls.
When you read it, you breathe heavenly air.
So having all delighted in reading Ephesians, now we will have the delight of studying it together. May
that bring glory to our Lord, as well.
In this letter, we will find that Paul writes several times over of mysteries. The mysteries that Paul shares
are things that were previously unknown, but are now being revealed to believers by the Spirit.
But there is another mystery, which Paul does not speak of, because it wasnt any mystery to him. But it is
a mystery to us. The mystery has to do with this very letter.
Pauls letter to the Ephesians is completely distinct from every other one of his letters that have been
retained in Scripture. I am not speaking of it being distinct in doctrine, but distinct in form, tone, and some
specific content. The unique properties of this letter, along with some clues in its content, provide
substantial evidence that this letter was not specifically written to the church in Ephesus at all.

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For one thing, there is evidence that the title of the letter To the Ephesians is not truly original. Titles
were generally given to letters only when they were to be included with others in a public collection, to
differentiate them. Pauls intent in writing this letter was not for publication, but for distribution to
believers, as we can see by the fact that Paul sent it to them by courier (Eph 6:21-22). Therefore it is
unlikely that this letter had any title, originally.
Also, the oldest manuscript of this letter that has been retained from about 200 AD in addition to two
other ancient and reliable manuscripts do not have the words at Ephesus in the first verse (in Ephesus
in the NKJV).
Furthermore, three renowned biblical scholars of the third and fourth centuries (Origen, Basil, and Jerome)
make it plain that the best manuscripts they had did not include the words at Ephesus. Overall, the
weight of documentary evidence indicates that the phrase at Ephesus is not part of the original wording
of the letter.
Now, if we were to consider this letter apart from its title, and apart from the very first verse of it, there is
actually nothing in the entire letter that specifically reflects the assembly in Ephesus. Nothing. Nor does
this letter reflect any assembly in particular, for that matter. This letter is not personal; that is to say, it is
not addressing particular persons, or a particular group of people; it is non-specific. It is a very general
letter.
And that is entirely different from every other letter of Pauls that we have in Scripture; they are all
personal letters, either to individuals, such as Timothy and Titus, or to assemblies, such as the
Thessalonians, or even to groups of assemblies, such as the Galatians. But even then, Pauls words are very
specific to his audience. This is not true in the letter before us now.
Another consideration is that Paul had personally ministered in Ephesus for about three years. Paul had
preached the gospel there, evangelizing the city; and he daily taught those who came to believe into Jesus.
It is likely that Paul was the one who appointed the elders in the church at Ephesus, as he had for other
assemblies which he founded (Acts 14:23). At the very least, it is clear that Paul had an intimate, personal
relationship with the elders of Ephesus, as is evidenced by his tearful farewell with them in Miletus (Acts
20:17-38).
If this letter was specifically written to the church in Ephesus, is it conceivable that Paul would not send
greetings to those he knew there? Yet there is not one personal greeting in this letter. That is unlike the
other letters we have of Paul, which are very personal, and include multiple greetings.
In all of Pauls letters except to the Galatians, Paul greets those he knew in each assembly, and he
forwarded the greetings of those who were with him as he was writing. We do not find this in the letter to
the Galatians because it is an urgent letter voicing Pauls dismay with them; but even then, we see that the
letter to the Galatians is very specific and personal to the situation there.
Pauls personal letters helped to maintain his connection and relationship with those he knew; his letters
spoke to them in Pauls absence. This enabled the Spirit to encourage, admonish, and continue to teach
through Paul. And although doctrine and encouragement abound in this letter to the Ephesians, you will
not find one personal situation mentioned.

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Nor does Paul write of any circumstance that went on during the time of his ministry in Ephesus,
something he unfailingly does in his other letters. There are no specifics whatsoever concerning people, or
current circumstances, or past history. Ephesians is unique in this way, also.
We will speak in a little while about the timing and the circumstances in which this letter was written.
Suffice it to say here that it was written by Paul from prison, and that the letter to the Colossians was
written at about the same time.
Now hold your place in Ephesians, and turn to Colossians chapter 1. Let me just read the prescript of this
letter to you.
[Colossians 1:1-2]
So in this letter, we find Timothys name in the prescript. But was Timothy mentioned in the prescript of
the letter to the Ephesians? look back. No, nor is his name anywhere else in the letter. Yet Colossians
and Ephesians were written at virtually the same time, and Timothy ministered along side of Paul in
Ephesus.
Whats even more curious is that apparently, neither Paul nor Timothy ministered in Colosse (Col 1:7, 2:1);
yet it is a personal, specific letter, bearing both their names. You can see that Paul was still writing personal
letters at this time; but Ephesians is not one of them. If this letter was specifically written to the Ephesians,
Paul would have been sure to mention Timothy.
Paul does mention one single individual in this letter: Tychicus. Tychicus was a Gentile believer from Asia
who accompanied Paul back to Jerusalem at the conclusion of his third missionary journey. He was part of
a delegation from the churches throughout Macedonia, Achaia and Asia that was bringing alms to the
impoverished church in Jerusalem along with Paul.
Turn to Acts chapter 20. Paul had taken a collection from the Gentile assemblies for the predominantly
Jewish church in Jerusalem. As he wrote to the Roman assembly, If the Gentiles have been partakers of
their [Jerusalems] spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things (Rm 15:27). In
verse 4, Luke lists the delegates that Paul traveled with.
[Acts 20:4]
So one delegate came from the city of Berea, in the Roman province of Macedonia. Two were from the
city of Thessalonica, north of Berea, in Macedonia. One was from the town of Derbe, in Galatia. Timothy
was from the town of Lystra, also in Galatia. Then we see two delegates from the Roman province of Asia,
Tychicus and Trophimus.
In this list, those who are paired up are from the same city, and those listed by themselves are the only ones
from the city listed. Tychicus and Trophimus are paired up; and in a later reference in Acts, we learn that
Trophimus was an Ephesian (Acts 21:29). So where can we reasonably assume Tychicus was from?
Ephesus, also. Keep that in mind.
Now, these delegates accompanied Paul as he was returning to Jerusalem; and on the way, Paul stopped at
Miletus, and sent for the elders from Ephesus. These Ephesian elders probably already knew Tychicus, but
even if they didnt, they certainly would have met him, a fellow Ephesian, at that time.

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Now turn to the end of Ephesians chapter 6. Lets look at what Paul writes about Tychicus in this letter.
[Ephesians 6:21-22]
We see that Tychicus acted as the courier for this letter of Pauls. Does it sound to you like the readers of
Pauls letter know Tychicus? No; it sounds like Paul is introducing Tychicus to them. If the readers of
Pauls letter were specifically the Ephesians, Paul would not be introducing Tychicus to them, and would
probably name him as one of their own (as he did for Onesimus with the Colossians, Col 4:9).
Finally, in the letter itself, Paul speaks of those to whom this letter was sent as if he has never met them.
Look at verse 15 of chapter 1. Paul writes of having heard of the readers faith, and having heard of their
love for all the saints. Surely he would not choose those words for the Ephesian believers, among whom he
had labored for 3 years.
Paul has heard of his readers faith and love. Now look in chapter 3, verse 2. In this case, Paul speaks of
his readers having heard of him if they had. The sense is that most of those reading the letter would only
have heard of Paul, if even that, and not have met him face-to-face.
It becomes more and more evident that this letter is not in the usual style of Pauls other letters to specific
assemblies; that this was not a personal letter to his friends and converts in the church in Ephesus. So the
question is, if this letter was not specifically written to the assembly in Ephesus, to whom was it written?
Well, we can certainly say it was not to any other specific assembly, citing most of the same evidence
against it being only to Ephesus. So if it is not to any specific assembly, what can that mean? It can only
mean that the letter was intended for a more general audience such as many different assemblies, which
all had the need of the same teaching, and the same exhortation.
This would explain the lack of personal greetings; the lack of specifics concerning circumstances and
people; the lack of a recounted history; and the lack of a specific exhortation. It would explain why Paul
would write of having only heard of their faith and their love; and why he was introducing Tychicus to
them, in his letter. Now lets see how that possibility fits with the time and circumstances under which this
letter was written.
It is clear from the letter itself (which well continue to refer to as Ephesians) that Paul wrote from
prison. Paul writes in Ephesians of being the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles (Eph 3:1); the
prisoner of the Lord (Eph 4:1); and an ambassador in chains (Eph 6:20).
Paul speaks of being a prisoner in four other letters: two directed to the assemblies in Colosse and Philippi,
and two directed to individuals: Philemon and Timothy (Pauls second letter to him). Now, the letters to
Ephesus, Colosse, Philippi and Philemon all contain statements that suggest the same imprisonment, at an
earlier date. They are sometimes referred to the prison epistles. The second letter to Timothy sounds like a
different incarceration, at a later date.
Paul was imprisoned three times. Two imprisonments occurred during the time frame of the record in Acts;
the last occurred after that record was complete. Luke records that Pauls first imprisonment was in
Herods praetorium, in Caesarea.

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From the account in Acts, we know that Paul had brought the alms up to Jerusalem for the church there, at
the conclusion of his third missionary trip. Rumors abounded concerning Paul in Jerusalem, and while
there, he was falsely accused by the unbelieving Jews of bringing a Gentile into the temple an offense that
carried the death sentence.
The uproar over the incident escalated into a riot among the Jews at the temple, and that riot generated a
response from the Roman garrison on the temple grounds. Paul proved to be too incendiary to be kept in
Jerusalem, and so he was transferred to Caesarea.
In Caesarea, Paul eventually stood trial twice before two successive provincial governors. The Jewish
rulers prosecuted Paul in both of the cases, but neither governor was willing to convict Paul, as there was
no evidence or witnesses against him. At the same time, neither governor would release Paul, as they
feared it would inflame the Jews. Finally, Paul appealed to Caesar, and was taken prisoner to Rome.
Now, Pauls imprisonment in Caesarea lasted two years. Seeing how the governors both feared generating
a reaction from the Jews, and how reactive the Jews were with Paul, you can be sure that the governors
kept Paul under tight wraps concerning any ministry.
Governments did not provide for prisoners in that day, so it was necessary for friends or family of those in
prison to care for them. This was allowed Paul, especially since the governor was hoping he might get a
bribe out of it, to release Paul (Acts 24:23, 26-27).
But the situation with the Jews made it unlikely that Paul continued his ministry while in Caesarea, through
letters. Also, Paul never had any sense that his release from Caesarea was imminent, as reflected in the
earlier set of prison letters (Phil 1:25-26, Philemon 22).
The book of Acts ends with Paul arriving in Rome, where his case would have been put upon the imperial
docket. Were just going to look quickly at that imprisonment his first in Rome. Turn to Acts chapter 28.
A centurion conducted Paul and the other prisoners to Rome. Aristarchus and Luke accompanied Paul
(we).
[Acts 28:16, 30-31]
v. 16 Now, the usual procedure with prisoners from the provinces was that they would be turned over to the
commander of the praetorian guard (the captain), who would keep the prisoners chained and guarded in
prison, until their case was heard.
But Paul was not treated in this manner. He was not put in the prison; he was allowed to stay on his own,
in his own rented house (v. 30). And he was just loosely chained at the wrist to one guard, as a precaution.
Why did Paul receive this special treatment? If you are familiar with the preceding account, you can
surmise that it would have been because of the centurion who delivered Paul to the commander.
Pauls God had saved the centurion, the sailors and all the prisoners from certain death in a terrible storm at
sea. The centurion had come to greatly respect Paul, and it could only have been the centurion who
arranged special treatment by his commendation of Paul to the commander.
v. 30-31 Paul was imprisoned another two years under house arrest; but other than having to stay in the
house chained to a guard, he had complete freedom. Paul was able to preach the gospel, which he did first
with the Jews in Rome, then with the Gentiles; and he also taught those who came to believe in the Lord.

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It is likely that the assembly in Rome sat under his teaching at this time, as well. And you can be sure that
Paul used his limited freedom to communicate with the assemblies that he had established in Europe and
Asia; he was, after all, the apostle to the Gentiles. Now his letters were just sent in place of him going in
person.
This is where Lukes record ends; but it is thought that after two years of imprisonment in Rome, Pauls
case came up before Nero. The rulers in Jerusalem wouldnt have dared to come to Rome and prosecute
the case before Nero, as they had already failed to convince two successive Roman governors in Caesarea
of Pauls guilt. The likelihood is that Pauls case, when it came up, was simply dismissed due to lack of
evidence.
Pauls first retained letter to Timothy and his letter to Titus appear to have been written shortly after Pauls
release from Rome. They contain details that cannot be placed within any of Pauls previous missionary
trips.
Pauls first imprisonment in Rome, around 60-62 AD, fits very well with the earlier set of prison letters
Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon and Philippians. Paul would have been free to receive communications
about the assemblies, and free to write letters to them.
In these letters, it is clear that Paul is expecting to be released. By the time of the final letter, to Philippi,
around 62 AD, Paul had preached the gospel to the praetorian guard (Phil 1:13), and even members of
Caesars household had become believers (Phil 4:32)!
It appears that Paul was free to minister only a short time before he was arrested once more and sent back
to Rome. By this time, Romes policy of tolerance toward Christ Ones had turned to active, vehement
persecution. Believers had been falsely accused by Nero of starting the fires that had consumed much of
the city.
Pauls second letter to Timothy suggests that he was confined to a prison this time (2 Tim 4:11), was
abandoned by many (2 Tim 1:15, 4:10, 11, 14, 16) and was expecting that he would soon meet his death (2
Tim 4:6), even as he looked beyond that to the bright prospect of meeting his Lord face to face (2 Tim 4:8).
Pauls strict confinement and isolation suggest that his letter ministry to the assemblies would have been
difficult to pursue, at best.
It is most likely, then, that Paul wrote Ephesians during his first Roman imprisonment. It was a unique
time in Pauls life. He had the freedom to minister from his house, but he could not leave it. He could not
travel; and he could not work at his trade.
This gave Paul something he rarely had: time. And it would seem that one thing he used that time for was
to think; to meditate on the deep things of God, in the Spirit. We find the fruit of that thinking in the letters
to the Ephesians and Colossians. Here we encounter the coalescence of deep thought on some of the great
doctrines about which Paul has written in his earlier letters.
I mention Colossians because it is the complementary letter, you might say, to Ephesians. If you are
familiar with both, you know that there are not two letters with more likenesses than these in the NT. Yet
there are distinct differences.
In Colossians, Paul is particularly intent on showing Christ as the Head of His Body, the true church. But
in Ephesians, Pauls emphasis is on the church, the Body that receives every spiritual blessing by virtue of
being in Christ.

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And Colossians is a personal letter; its not general, like Ephesians, but is instead typical in style and
content to Pauls other letters to the assemblies. Yet there are so many likenesses in thought and language
concerning both doctrine and exhortation that it is apparent that these letters were written at virtually the
same time.
In both letters, Tychicus is named as the courier (Eph 6:21-22, Col 4:7-9). Now, with Rome about 800
miles away from Ephesus, and 900 miles from Colosse, we must come to the conclusion that these letters,
written in close succession or even concurrently, were carried by Tychicus at the same time, certainly with
the letter to Philemon as well, as Philemon lived in Colosse.
The letter to the Philippians had a different carrier and was clearly sent later in the imprisonment, based on
Pauls comments about the household of Caesar.
We can see that the letter to the Ephesians, with its deep thoughts concerning heavenly matters, fits in very
well with the circumstances in which Paul penned it. Here was the prisoner of the Lord - confined, yet
breathing the air of the heavenlies; bound, yet recognizing his liberty in the Spirit; stripped of every
temporal benefit, but in full possession of the spiritual blessings that were his, in Christ.
And Paul recognized the great profit to him, and to every member of the Body of Christ, to think on these
realities that the Spirit had revealed to him; to have that mind on things; and so he shared it.
But it is most likely that Ephesians was actually written after Colossians. Where would the description of
the Body of Christ begin? With Christ; the Head. And thats where Colossians begins.
Pauls letter to the Colossians also suggests that Colossians was written first. Turn to Colossians chapter 1
again. Paul makes it clear in this letter that the Colossians and Laodiceans have never seen his face in the
flesh (Col 2:1); so from whom did these assemblies hear the gospel? Paul tells us in the beginning of the
letter.
[Colossians 1:3-8]
v. 3-4 Notice that Paul and Timothy heard of their faith; the sense is theyve never met them.
v. 5-8 So it was Epaphras who shared the gospel with the Colossians. We learn later that he was actually a
Colossian himself (Col 4:12); and that he was a Gentile (Col 4:10-11). Perhaps, as he is described as a
dear fellow servant, he heard the gospel from Paul in Ephesus, then brought it back home with him.
Now turn to the fourth chapter, where Paul closes his letter, which was delivered by Tychicus.
[Colossians 4:12-13] Laodicea and Hierapolis were cities in very close proximity to Colosse, in the Lycus
valley of Phrygia the eastern portion of the province of Asia. All three cities had heard the gospel
possibly from Epaphras and had assemblies of believers.
Notice that Epaphras is in Rome with Paul, and that he is not returning at this time. In his letter to
Philemon, also sent at this time, Paul calls Epaphras his fellow prisoner (Philemon 23), not literally
meaning that Epaphras was also imprisoned, but perhaps that he was ministering to Paul in his chains.
The question is, what would have caused Epaphras to make that 900 mile journey to Rome to see Paul?
Undoubtedly something very important, wouldnt you think?

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And this may be the key which ultimately unlocks the mystery of Ephesians. In verse 13, the better
manuscripts have the word concern where you see the word zeal in the KJV and NKJV.
Epaphras had a great concern for the Colossians why? If you are familiar with Pauls letter to the
Colossians, you could see that it was because they were being misled by some false teaching not unlike
the Galatians were, although the teaching was somewhat different. You can imagine what a concern that
would be to Epaphras, who had shared the truth of the gospel with them; it was just like what Paul went
through, with the Galatians.
This is very likely the reason why Epaphras went to see Paul; and that is borne out by Pauls mention of the
concern of Epaphras in the letter, as well as the fact that Epaphras is praying fervently for them, that they
will stand perfect and complete in all the will of God (v. 12). Some of those in the assembly in Colosse
did not have their standing in Christ.
So this letter to the Colossians was intended to warn them of the false thinking that they were taking in.
How do you refute false thinking? By speaking the truth. So by the Spirit, Paul laid out the truth
concerning Christ in all His preeminence as Redeemer, Deliverer, Creator, in whom dwells all the fullness
of God who is the Head of the Body, the church showing that only in Him can men be complete.
And possibly because of His thinking for the Colossians concerning Christ as the Head of the church, Paul
began to meditate further in the Spirit about that Body which is in Christ; what it means to be in Him.
Paul saw the value of sharing this generally, perhaps with many or all of the assemblies in Asia and the
letter we know as Ephesians came to be. Paul also added to this letter a practical exhortation very much
like what he penned to the Colossians, but adhering to the general tenor of Ephesians, making it suitable
for distribution from assembly to assembly.
This letter may have been sent as an encyclical a single letter that was carried by Tychicus from one
assembly to another, each time read to the believers there. Or Paul may have had multiple copies made for
Tychicus to distribute as Paul indicated. In either case, the general letter was either copied at Ephesus, or a
copy was given to them, which eventually became labeled as their own Ephesians.
But there is no question that this general letter was also intended for the churches 80 miles to the east, in
the Lycus valley Colosse, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. In fact, this may be the other letter that Paul is
referring to at the end of his letter to the Colossians. Look in chapter 4 again, down in verse 16.
[Colossian 4:16] So the two churches were to trade letters and read each others letters, also. It could very
well be that the letter that the Laodiceans possessed was Pauls general letter, that we call Ephesians.
Notice that the letter is not to Laodicea but from Laodicea; this suggests it was not addressed to them,
but would just be arriving in Colosse from Laodicea. You can see how Paul would want them to read both
of those letters, to complete their instruction.
Now, we dont know which specific assemblies Paul had in mind when he penned this general letter; but
we do know it was intended at least for Colosse, Laodicea and Hierapolis and likely for all the churches of
the Roman province of Asia, which would include those in the western portion of the province: Ephesus,
Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis and Philadelphia.
The book of Acts only records the gospels spread to Ephesus, but it gives a few details concerning the
province of Asia in general, that will provide us with an idea of the people of that day.

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Turn to Acts chapter 19. Paul initially stopped at Ephesus while returning on his second missionary
journey from Corinth back to Syria, in the company of Priscilla and Aquila, who had ministered with him
in Corinth.
As was Pauls custom, he entered the synagogue in Ephesus, and reasoned with the Jews there concerning
Jesus, but as he was determined to keep the feast in Jerusalem, he had to depart, indicating he would come
again, if God willed it. Paul left Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus, presumably to minister to any who
believed at that time (Acts 18:18-21).
Eventually, Paul returned to Ephesus on his third missionary journey. As was his custom, Paul began
preaching in the synagogue, but once some of the Jews who did not believe began to vehemently oppose
him there, he left the synagogue and turned to the Gentiles with his message. Paul continued to preach the
gospel and teach the new disciples in Ephesus on a daily basis.
[Acts 19:10] Paul stayed in Ephesus, but his message was carried by others, such as Epaphras, into the rest
of the province of Asia. We have the sense that the gospel thoroughly penetrated the whole province all
heard, both Jews and Gentiles.
Later, an unbelieving tradesman comments on the effect that the gospel was having. Skip down to verse
23. This is the episode of the riot in Ephesus.
[Acts 19:23-27]
v. 23 the Way was Lukes name for the disciples of Jesus.
v. 24-26 so the gospel was having a strong impact on idolatry. Where was this occurring? Throughout
almost all Asia.
v. 27 Now, Ephesus was an important political, educational and commercial center, but its greatest claim to
fame was its temple devoted to Diana, known as Artemis of the Ephesians. It drew pagan pilgrims from all
over the province of Asia, and was consequently a great source of income for the city. This made Ephesus
a center for occult religious practices, which were widespread in Asia.
Earlier in this chapter, Luke describes an episode with some itinerant Jewish exorcists who tried to use the
name of Jesus to cast out a demon and wound up being trounced by the demon.
When those in Ephesus witnessed the genuine power of Jesus, miraculously working through Paul, in
contrast to the powerless exorcists, many placed their faith in Jesus and burned their magical incantations.
The value of them was enormous 50,000 pieces of silver a testimony to the pervasive influence of
magic and the occult in Ephesus (Acts 19:11-19).
You may remember that the silversmiths rioted over the perceived threat that Paul and the gospel posed to
their economic welfare. And then the political arm of the city came into play, quelling the riot. But Paul
recognized that it would be impossible to continue his ministry in Ephesus at this time, and so left the city.
So what can we see of Asia, to which this general letter of Pauls was sent, as represented in that small
cross-section of Ephesus? Simply put, we see the political, economic and religious system of this world,
which is at enmity with the gospel of grace. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, I have fought with [wild]
beasts at Ephesus (1 Cor 15:32).

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10

But the believers in Asia had been delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of
the Son of Gods love (Col 1:13). Its the power of Light, to dispel darkness.
Pauls goal, particularly in this letter that we will be studying, is to enlighten those who have been thus
delivered from the power of darkness as to just how great a salvation they actually possess. They must
know their resources, in order to be able to use them; and it is in using them that the glory of God can be
seen.
Do you think that this general letter, received by those in Asia, was really specific in its content for only
those in Asia? Are the truths that Paul records in Ephesians more universal than that? Yes. They could
apply to any church in that day, couldnt they? Yes. How about in our day? In our day, as well.
So what I want you to realize is that this really isnt just a general letter from Paul to the churches in Asia.
This is a letter from the Holy Spirit to you. Well it turns out to be a personal letter, after all!
Thats another reason why everyone is so drawn to this letter; because they sense that it is very much
intended for them. A general letter, that is personal to you. And that casts some light on the first mystery
we encounter in the letter to the Ephesians.
Next week: Read the letter; focus on chapter 1.