The Seven Churches of Revelation Pt. 5 by Chris White

Agora in Ephesus where St. Paul worked and preached

The Apostle Paul planted the church in Ephesus during this third missionary journey and according to Acts this was the longest he ever ministered in one place.  Paul supported himself in this period by tentmaking.  This was a practical trade which enabled him to have a means of support most anywhere the Lord directed him.  But even tentmaking provided Paul with a platform for ministry.  Paul would have done his tentmaking work in the Ephesian Agora (a marketplace with stalls or a bazaar), one of the largest in Asia, but he would preach there too.  This was a natural opening in the culture.  Philosophers would speak in the marketplaces and then would be available to meet personally or in private classes with people who were interested in learning more.  Public life largely ended in Ephesus around noon much of the year because of the heat and so Paul would have shut down his shop and went to the hall of Tyrannus to lecture and teach.  Like much of the Mediterranean world, noon to 4pm was more or less what we might call “siesta”.  This is why Paul had access to this meeting hall.  It would have been vacant during these off hours and probably available for a cheap rent.  I think this speaks volumes about Paul’s ability to hold an audience since both he and his hearers would be doing this during the hottest part of the day.  It also would indicate that not every church in the first century was necessarily a “house church” for here is a young church in a rented facility meeting almost daily.  Not far from the agora (market) is the main street of Ephesus.  On this grand marble street was a relief panel carved in granite showing Roman soldiers in full battle array and in a defensive stance.  This very well could have been Paul’s muse as he wrote Ephesians 6 which speaks of taking up the “full armor of God.”  Before we leave Ephesus and move on to Smyrna we should note that the church of Ephesus remained quite strong for several more centuries.  Apparently they listened to the Lord’s counsel and acted upon it.  The church and the city went into decline around the 500’s AD and eventually it was abandoned altogether around 1300 AD because its harbor had completely filled in with silt and was no longer useful as a seaport.

With you on the journey,

 Chris