August 03, 2026 | Be Connected
Problems in Ephesus
Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:1-7(NIV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2 To Timothy my true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
Devotional
So far in this year-long study, we have examined the Gospel of John, sections of the book of Acts that show the movement of Christianity from Jerusalem to places like Ephesus, and the book of Ephesians. Now we remain in the city of Ephesus as we look at two letters written to Timothy when he was a leader in the Church there.
Ephesus was the capital city of the Roman province of Asia. It was on the coast of the Aegean sea in Asia Minor (modern-day western Turkey). It was a large, modern city with multiple shrines to Roman emperors and monuments to Greek gods and goddesses. It had paved streets, bathhouses, modern water and sewage systems, luxurious housing for the wealthy, and a massive theater that held 24,000 spectators.
Paul had spent three years in Ephesus, leading many Ephesians to Christ and leading many other Ephesians to riot against him. For Christianity to flourish there it would take much encouragement and leadership. A few years after Paul left Ephesus he wrote the book of Ephesians, and then, a few years after that, he wrote this letter to Timothy as a leader in the Ephesian church.
Things had to be tough on this young leader. That is why Paul had to urge Timothy to “stay there in Ephesus.” Quite often, when the going gets tough, the tough get going… out of town! Timothy was encouraged to stay put so that he could confront the pagan practices being continued by the Ephesian people, even after they had accepted Christ.
In our world today, what are some of the culturally accepted, but theologically troublesome norms that are tolerated, accepted, or even practiced by Christians? To put it more bluntly, if Paul were writing a letter to your pastor today, what would he challenge your leader to confront and correct in your church? What would he confront in you?
Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to give you a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.
