I’d like to issue an invitation to you to study Paul’s letter to the Ephesians with me. Instead of only reading through the verses, we will chart what they tell us, state the main message that God revealed to us as we read this today, and doodle–take an idea into our heads and relay it through visuals. I’ll also add some geographical, cultural, and historical tidbits from time to time.
On Mondays I’ll share the verses and the charts. On Tuesdays I’ll share my answers. I hope we can learn together this way. I look forward to your comments and responses.
HISTORICAL TIDBITS.
- Paul wrote a letter to “God’s holy people: in Ephesus, a commercial port city in Asian Minor (present-day Turkey). Located at the mouth of a river near the Aegean sea, the most direct sea and land route, considered the “Gateway to Asia. This large population center served as the capital of the Roman province of Asia in Paul’s day. It was also a center of pagan worship, home to the temple of Greek Goddess Artemis (Roman: Diana). As you can imagine, an active retail area developed to service those on pilgrimage. A large community of Jews also made Ephesus home and built a synagogue in the city.
- Many believe that this letter from Paul was a circular one, also intended to be passed on to other churches. Paul may have written it from a Rome about the same time he wrote to the church in Colossus, and his letter was probably circulated in the surrounding province of Roman-controlled Asia.
I, Paul, am under God’s plan as an apostle, a special agent of Christ Jesus, writing to you faithful believers in Ephesus. I greet you with the grace and peace poured into our lives by God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:1-2, MSG
Take a few minutes to chart the material contained in these first verses and any historical info you think is important.
Using the “contact us” message at the bottom of this blog, you can fill in the table with your answers, comment on the study, and interact with me about this blog.
| Topics | Paul | Ephesians |
|---|---|---|
| Credentials | ||
| Relationships | ||
| Message |
What is the main thing that you learned from these verses? Choose an option below.
- Write it out in words.
Taking the information in and repeating it in your own words will help you digest and remember what God is speaking to you today. - Draw a picture to show God’s message to you in these verses.
This is not an exercise in fine art, but a doodle that will help you cement God’s words into your head. Sharing it with another and telling your “why” for the design is another helpful memory tool. - Do both words and doodles.
Don’t make this hard. It could be one word that stood out or a full sentence or two. Don’t worry about grammar or spelling.
And stick figures are fine. If you’d rather include a picture you found or copied, use that. Make sure you could explain why you chose this picture for these verses.
Check in on Tuesday for my answers. Share yours with me by commenting below and filling in the table below and adding your theme sentence in “message.” You can also send an email to ksevenhousewwv@gmail.com to show me your Bible Doodle. [If you know of a way to allow you to add this to a WordPress form, let me know!]
Kathleen S Evenhouse 