So we'll journey our way through the book picking up key thoughts.
But first, some background...
---------------------------
They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. Acts18:19-21
Ephesus was a leading commercial city of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey), the capital of the province and the warden of the temple of Artemis (Diana).
Ephesus would become a missionary centre or base that Paul worked from. His letter to them contains no rebukes or reprimands and from church history we know that the Apostle John would have a fruitful ministry there.
It's useful to see how this church was started:
Paul was "passing through" when he went through Ephesus for the first time.
Although his first visit was really because he was passing through, it doesn't stop him from sharing his faith and making a difference. He has a ship to catch, but he goes to the synagogue and makes an impression of the Jewish Community.
This is Paul's nature: there's always time to talk about Jesus even when he's just passing through.
His words make an impression and people are hungry for more, but the ship is waiting and he has to say: "I'll be BACK - Deo Volente" (If God wills)
We know that Paul did come back later on and wonderful things happened.
But here's our lesson for today: what if Paul had been in too much of hurry? What if he hadn't taken time to plant some seeds? What if he said to himself "I'm pretty tired, I'm just passing through, I'll share my faith another time...?"
And after, doing a bit of a "hit and run," he kept his promise and came back. (More tomorrow...)
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
