SCRIPTURE READING
Eph 1: 1-2 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus,
and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
This month we will be focusing Foundations Devotional on the book of Ephesians. Paul
identifies himself as the author of this book and states that he is writing it to the Christians in
Ephesus. During his Gentile mission Paul spent more time in Ephesus than in any other city.
This was due in large part to the strategic importance of Ephesus as a base of operations
for spreading the gospel throughout Asia Minor. As the capital of the province of Asia during
Roman occupation, Ephesus enjoyed significant prosperity due to its strategic location, banking
and commerce. Ancient Ephesus was situated at the mouth of the Cayster River near modern
Selçuk on the western coast of Turkey. In the NT era Ephesus was one of the largest and most
important cities of the Roman Empire. The book of Ephesians deals with the problem of Jew-
Gentile disunity (Eph 2:11-22) as well as the issue of divine power and evil spirits. The letter also
gives evidence of a strong, if not predominantly, Gentile presence in the churches who needed
doctrinal instruction as well as ethical counsel. The theme of Ephesians is the church as a living
organism bought by the blood of Jesus, by His glorious grace. It is a key book for understanding
our personal relationship with Jesus, and how to live with our fellow Christians in a nurturing,
ministering relationship.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Ask the Lord to increase your ability to hear Him speak to you as you spend time reading the
Word.
2. Thank the Lord for the unity that we have at Southland through the Holy Spirit, ask for
continued alignment within church.
3. Pray that as you commit to spending the month of May studying the book of Ephesians, you
would grow in your personal relationship with Jesus and learn how to live within the body of
Christ in a nurturing, ministering way.
