2. Ephesians is a letter to the people who had believed in Jesus and became a church in the city of Ephesus in Macedonia (modern day Turkey). This is the only one of the Apostle Paul’s New Testament letters to churches that didn’t have any “correction” or specific challenges for the believers refocus on.

3. Ephesians 1:1-2 FAITHFUL Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to God’s holy people in Ephesus, the FAITHFUL in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. FAITHFUL: True to one’s word, promises, vows, etc. Steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant. Reliable, trusted, or believed. Adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original. This was a great compliment to the believers!

4. The story of the beginning of the church in Ephesus: Acts 18:19-21 Acts 19:8-21 LONG Our journey with God is not just based on a dramatic event or a short time of serious commitment. It’s a LONG journey…

5. Jesus talked about this in The Parable of the Sower/Soils Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 This parable is about the long journey of our faith, not on the short term.

6. The story of the later years of the church in Ephesus: Revelation 2:1-5 These believers lost the focus for Jesus that they had at first. They were “busy with religious stuff,” but they had drifted from the first priority of loving Jesus. “Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2

7. Our accomplishments, failures, or circumstances of life can easily become our focus… These can become like the “rocks” or the “weeds/thorns” in the “soil” of our faith. They can cause us to “wither” or “choke” us and make us unfruitful because we forget our “first love.”

8. “In Christ” or “through Jesus” truths in Ephesians: We are blessed with every spiritual blessing (1:3) We are holy and blameless (1:4) We are adopted as God’s children (1:5-6) We are forgiven, our sins are taken away (1:7) We belong to God and have the Holy Spirit (1:13) We have been made alive (2:5) We are seated with Him in glory (2:6) We are God’s work of art, created to do good (2:10-11) We were far away, but have been brought near to God (2:13) We have access to God (2:18) We share in God’s blessings and promises (3:6) We can approach God with freedom and confidence (3:12) We have been given a special role to help others grow (4:11-12) We are members of Christ’s body, the Church (5:29-30)