The journey: Corinth to Ephesus.

Now, Acts 18:12 to 19:41 is our transition from the Church in Corinth to the Ephesus Church. This transition is one epic transition that’s all about men… and one woman—well, a goddess—whose claim to fame was that she “fell from heaven” with breasts so wonderful that the whole city bowed to her. You can already tell this story is going to be epic.

After 18 months in Corinth, Paul has to say goodbye to that fellowship, go THROUGH Ephesus, then later go TO Ephesus. But before he even packs his bags, one man is beaten up, another one is shaved(it wasn't November?), and a couple tag along with a needle and thread in hand. In his first passing through Ephesus, Paul does nothing much; he simply promises to come back if God wills it.

God willed it!👏👏👏👏

But before Paul returns, one of our educated brothers checks into Ephesus and becomes a renowned teacher. His name is Apollos—eloquent, sharp, on fire—but he only knew the gospel up to John the baptizer. That meant he talked about baptism in water but never about the Holy Spirit. He preached Jesus the Messiah but didn’t know the Spirit’s power. Yet he was so good at what he knew that when he left, the brethren gave him letters of recommendation for other fellowships.

Then Paul comes back… and finds a Church that is established but not empowered. They know doctrine, but they lack dynamis. They believe in Jesus, but the goddess of the region is more heard of than the power of God. So Paul camps there for two years and demonstrates the supremacy of Christ. Miracles break out—extraordinary ones—and suddenly some brothers start copying what he’s doing. Once again, men are beaten up and left naked. 😂 The whole city goes into uproar. Some people confessing, others complaining, and many don’t even know why they’re in the crowd!

It is total chaos. Businessmen are angry, Alex isn’t given a hearing, Paul is held back, and the drama is so loud that nobody can move on until everyone sits down. So God uses a city clerk—yes, a clerk—to calm the crowd so that Paul’s voice can eventually be heard.

And when you finish witnessing that chaos, that heat, that spiritual collision… then you go and read Ephesians. Suddenly you understand why Paul speaks the way he does.

Because after passing through the madness of Ephesus, he writes about:

– the heavenly realms,

– powers and principalities,

– the full armor of God,

– the mystery of Christ,

– the unity of the Spirit,

– Christ the head over all things,

– and a bold, unshakable spiritual identity.

He didn’t write Ephesians from a classroom mentality. He wrote it from a battlefield banter.

Go read Ephesians after checking that transition.