People in Ephesus and the Message of God
People in Ephesus, where the Ephesians lived and where Artemis lived, did various ungodly things, such as worshiping gods and engaging in both unethical and immoral practices. God's primary purpose in sending Paul was to bring the gospel to the world's communities and preach about how Jesus Christ died so that they could be forgiven of their sins. Some of the locals converted to Christianity after Paul arrived (Gorman 44). Although this had its drawbacks, they were persecuted, scorned, abused, and discriminated against because of their beliefs. The drastic changes resulted in rioting against the expanding Christian population, forcing Paul to flee independently. The drastic changes sparked riots against the increasing Christian population, forcing Paul to run for his safety. Paul's main message from God was made in such a way to ensure that the people were strong in faith and exercised and lived according to the teachings that Jesus Christ had recommended. Paul also contemplated a situation where those who had converted to Christianity would lose their faith due to the many challenging experiences they went through in the city (Gorman 74). Therefore, Paul put forward content aimed to ensure that the Christians remained strong and were consistent in ensuring Christ body was pure and holy.
Purpose Analysis
The message of God to the Ephesians was delivered the letter to the Ephesians written by Paul regarding how God wanted to create a community where all the people would come to him and follow his ways. Through the letter, God expected the Ephesian people to first convert to Christianity and only engage in practices that were moral and in line with the standards and expectations of God (Gorman 76). Paul also expected that Christianity would not die and provided that it should be continued to the entire population and future generations. It was expected of the Ephesians to uphold the teachings and the path that Jesus Christ who died for their salvation followed including sustaining unity like the model depicted by his disciples. The letter to the Ephesians was pursued them to embrace the lifestyle of a Christian and that it was with this that he was going to bless them. By following the orders provided by God through Paul, there would come to existence a holy community.
Works Cited
Gorman, Michael J. Becoming the gospel: Paul, participation, and mission. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2015. Print.
