Introduction

The central location of Paul’s third missionary journey was Ephesus, where he stayed for about three years. The importance of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus in church history must not be overlooked. His work in Ephesus is described in a “sandwich structure”: (1) The episode of the twelve disciples (v 1-7). (2) Paul’s ministry in Ephesus itself (v 8-12). (3) The seven sons of Sceva (v 13-20). Here, Paul’s ministry in Ephesus itself begins.

Ministry in the synagogue

“And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, having discussions and persuading them about the kingdom of God.” (1) The Jews in Ephesus (the synagogue) were favorable toward Paul. The Jews in Ephesus, being part of an international city, were more tolerant than those in other cities. Even today, there is a difference between the Jews in Tel Aviv and those in Jerusalem, as the former are more tolerant regarding matters of faith, while the latter are stricter. (2) At the end of his second missionary journey, Paul had visited Ephesus (Acts 18:19-21). At that time, he promised, “I will return to you again if God wills” (Acts 18:21). This visit to Ephesus was the fulfillment of that promise. (3) Paul preached in the synagogue for three months. (a) He practiced his principle of “to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile” in his evangelism. (b) The Jews in Ephesus debated with Paul just as they had with Apollos. The central theme of Paul’s message was “the kingdom of God.” (c) This discussion lasted for three months. Being able to preach without persecution or trial for this long was Paul’s longest record of uninterrupted ministry. “But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people…” (1) Some of the Jews grew weary of the prolonged discussions. They became intellectually stubborn, looked down on the believers, and began to speak ill of them. (2) After three months of preaching in the synagogue, the Jews rejected the gospel. At that point, Paul turned his focus to evangelizing the Gentiles. (3) Even about 25 years after the birth of the church, Christianity was still referred to as “the Way” (ref. Acts 9:1-2). The central theme of Paul’s preaching was the kingdom of God. The “kingdom of God” refers to the Messianic Kingdom (the Millennial Kingdom). The reason the Jews struggled to embrace faith may have been their question: If Jesus is the Messiah, why has the Messianic Kingdom not yet been established? We know that the kingdom of God will be fulfilled on earth following the Messiah’s second coming. The anticipation of His return gives us the strength to overcome trials.