The New Testament is very aware that churches can end up with leaders who abuse their position. Paul reflects on this topic in our verses, as he gives his final speech to the elders from the church in Ephesus (Ac
Pulling down walls
‘It is finished’ said the Saviour as he closed his eyes in death (Jo 19:30). To reach the point at which a task is done can be precious to us, especially if it is on our conscience as a duty
Racing towards danger
It can be very helpful to pause and ask ourselves the question: “What matters most to me?”. Or to put it a different way: “What would I want to get right in my life, even if I got everything else
Social impact
There are points in history when a society is affected deeply by the Christians within it. That can be seen in this story of Paul’s gospel work in the city of Ephesus. Paul has spent a long time building up
Non-conformity
There’s a human trait which leads us to conform to what others expect of us. This social pressure can affect us individually and it can also affect whole groups: a herd-mentality can be created in a mob. A whole society,
Discipleship
Ephesus was a large city on the coast of Asia Minor (Turkey today). Paul previously visited it when heading home from Greece (Ac 18:19-21). Now he returns and stays for a long period, in order to establish a work which
John the Baptist, RIP
Jesus’ kingdom has been expanding, with people from across the Mediterranean world entering into it. Yet suddenly we meet a group who seem anachronistic – part of a much earlier stage in the story of Jesus. So why are they
Ticking clock
We live with ticking clocks in our minds, aware of time passing and of key life-events arriving. In his work, Paul was very conscious of a huge event the Lord had planned and which time was counting down towards. In