It was built in the 10th century B.C. on the site of the former Arzawan capital by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era it was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League. The city flourished after it came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 B.C.
According to estimates, Ephesus had a population of 33,600 to 56,000 people in the Roman period, making it the third largest city of Roman Asia Minor after Sardis and Alexandria Troas.
From year to year, depending on the ebb and flow of the global economy, several people vie for the title: The Richest Person in the World.
These people, multi-billionaires, have more money than they can spend, for the earnings and interest on their fortunes exceed all possible expenditure. Yet, the richest person on earth is only one heartbeat away from losing everything.
If you want to know who is really the richest on earth, read the book of Ephesians. This Pauline letter catalogues the endless wealth and wondrous riches of God’s people.
Ephesians tells us about the riches of God’s grace, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, His rich mercy, and of our unsearchable riches in Christ.
Ephesians divides into two parts. The first three chapters stress doctrinal truths, and the last three explain how we should live because of those truths.
In other words, chapters 1-3 explains why we’re rich; and chapters 4-6 describe how rich people live, the lifestyle of those who are spiritually wealthy. This includes appreciating the value and unity of His body, the Church.
Because Paul intended Ephesians to circulate among neighboring churches, everything in the book applies to Christians in any place or time, including you and me. From the first words of Ephesians, Paul details the spiritual blessings of every Christian.
The entire epistle records the blessings we have in heavenly places, and the incredible difference those blessings make in our lives each day.
Key Thought:
The riches of God’s grace provide an eternal inheritance for His children, an endless wealth of blessings, compelling them to live a life worthy of the calling they have received.
Key Verses:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph 2:8-9).
Key Action:
Lord, may I walk in love and be filled with the Spirit so that my life will be a shining testament to You.