For this website,
I have used the book of Ephesians as the focus. The Bible has two major parts –
the Old and New Testaments. Ephesians is found in the New Testament. It is a
smaller book with only six chapters. As we prepare to study Ephesians, let’s
use the four elements that I outline in the Bible Study Guide. First,
let’s look at the context of Ephesians. This book was written in 1st
century AD in a time ruled by the Roman Empire. The city of Ephesus in the
ancient world was known for its link to the supernatural, which is why it fits
perfectly into our Bible study being decorated by the Twilight series. This book of the Bible was written by Paul, who
introduces himself in Ephesians 1:1-2. Paul was a man just like us. He
struggled with the same problems as we do, and he experienced just as many
failures as he did successes in his life. Paul also wrote many letters within
his lifetime. Some of those letters are contained in the Bible. In fact, Paul’s
writings make up much of the New Testament.
In the
first century, the city of Ephesus was quite a draw for that culture. First, it
was located at a major trading point between Europe and Asia. If you look on a
current map, you will see that Ephesus is located in modern-day Turkey. Its
close proximity to the water and to other major ports resulted in much traffic
within Ephesus. Imagine all the sailors and other workers involved in the
shipping trade. These people would frequent Ephesus on their long voyages. In
the first century, Ephesus was the second largest city in the world, only
outranked by Rome.2 In addition to its metropolitan nature, Ephesus
was popular for religious reasons. Ephesus held one of the seven wonders of the
world, the temple of the great goddess Artemis. She was one of many goddesses
within Roman mythology, the national religion of the Roman Empire. Ephesians
prayed to Artemis for supernatural help with fertility, healing of female
diseases and hunting. As a result, the city of Ephesus became a center of
supernatural practices like witchcraft, palm reading and sorcery. The people
hoped for a supernatural breakthrough in their ordinary human lives, much like
Bella Swan does in the Twilight
series.
The book
of Ephesians has several consistent themes. These are the ones that we will use
in this study – love, identity, truth and power. I am a cheesy romantic, so let
me give you a cheesy way to remember these themes. Bella and Edward must
confront the truth that the power of their love has changed their identities
forever. See, I told you it was cheesy, but we had to get back to the Twilight series, right? The book of
Ephesians will give us the truth about God and show how the power of His love
changes us forever. This message in Ephesians follows the continuity of the
message in the Bible – God acts and we are changed. The author Paul really
directs much of his attention to our changed identity that leads to a changed
existence called “in Christ.” If you have a Bible, then take the time to read
the entire book of Ephesians and underline every use of “in Christ.” This is a
popular phrase for our author, and he uses it to show how God’s adoption of us
brings us into an even greater existence “in Christ.” Lastly, God communicates
so much love and grace in the book of Ephesians. He also directs us to live in
healthy relationships and as people who display humility, integrity, grace and
respect in our actions.