Do you know who founded the church in Ephesus? learn everything here

Who founded the Ephesus Church? This church emerged as a ministry after the death of the only son of God. The sacrifice of Jesus began the preaching of the word by his disciples, who traveled to all places carrying his message. Here you will learn the story of the founder of the Church of Ephesus.

Who founded the church at Ephesus?

The apostle Paul of Tarsus is the founder of the church of Ephesus, however, his story is deeply interesting, since he was able to see the risen Jesus Christ and after the miracle he was converted to Christianity, Ephesus being a “lost” city of the word , he decides to create a ministry in it.

In order to clearly understand the history of the creation of the Church of Ephesus, it is important that we know the history of its founder, since Paul was not always an apostle or believer of the word of Jesus Christ, to know how and why he converted to Christianity is essential.

life of saul

So let’s start by telling you about the life of Saul of Tarsus. Saul was born in Tarsus in the year 5. Tarsus was a city that was located in Cilicia, a region on the southern coast of Asia Minor, what we know today as Turkey. It is important to point out that Tarsus was for its time one of the cities with further cultural development of the region. Saul of Tarsus was a Hebrew descendant of the tribe of Benjamin.

Saul was the son of a wealthy family, he was one of the beneficiaries of having Roman citizenship. He was an educated and cultured young man who was fluent in the Greek language, read easily and also, as was the custom of the time, he had a manual trade.

As for his religion, he was educated by Jewish rabbis and he boasted of being a Pharisee, he never got to know Jesus or his doctrine when he lived in Jerusalem, but he was very clear that those who called themselves Nazareans were different from the that he was.

Based on his rejection of the Nazareans, he fueled his difference to the point of becoming a leader who encouraged the Jews to go against those who identified with that doctrine. Saul was a faithful devotee of the Jewish law and this daily fed his hatred towards Jesus Christ and everything that had to do with him or with his early church.

But what was it that generated in Saul that hatred towards everyone who professed the word of Jesus Christ? It was the fact that Jesus Christ was recognized as the Savior and this went totally against what his rabbis had taught him and cast for land all the value that the law of the Jews could have.

They were difficult times where the leaders were dealing with different situations, Pilate had been dismissed, Vitellius organized troops to maintain Herod’s power, since a rebellion had begun against him, with this political situation, the Priests had a certain independence in the decision making.

Saul proposes to start a campaign to destroy everything that goes against the current of orthodox Jewish law, including of course ending the lives of those who profess the word of Jesus Christ and this total madness was supported by the priests. This is how Saul becomes an exterminator of Nazirites.

The campaign of persecution of the Nazareans begins, so they begin to flee to other cities, by virtue of which Saul requests licenses that allow them to persecute them in those cities that had become a refuge for the Nazareans who had left Jerusalem.

Damascus was one of those cities, so Saul of Tarsus prepares a campaign to go to the city of Damascus. Not everyone agreed with this campaign that Saul had started and Gamaliel, one of his teachers, was one of those who was against it. (See Also: Prayer to the Holy Spirit before reading the bible )

Even with the words of Gamaliel, Saul of Tarsus left for Damascus, however, doubts arose along the way as to whether or not he was doing the right thing. However, in the cities that he found on his way, he persecuted and killed the Christians. He gave orders to burn them alive, he was cruel and bloodthirsty.

One day on the way to Damascus, he found himself face to face with Jesus already resurrected, Jesus knocked him down from his horse and asked why he was persecuting him? To all these men who accompanied Saul only heard the voice, but Saul could see the bright light that blinded him.

In his ignominy, Saul asked him who he was and Jesus Christ replied that he was the one he was persecuting. The men couldn’t do anything because they couldn’t see who was speaking and then Saul was blinded. He was taken to damascus where he stayed 3 days and 3 nights, without eating, without drinking and blind.

Then by divine mandate Jesus Christ sent Ananias to the city of Damascus, to look for Saul of Tarsus and restore his sight. Still failing to understand divine mercy, Ananias complied with his request. It was then that Saul of Tarsus converted to Christianity and became the apostle Saint Paul. You can find the story in the Book of Acts.

Let’s know about Ephesus

Ephesus was a city in Asia Minor that was located near the coast of the Aegean Sea, today 8 km from the Aegean Sea there are various archaeological excavations that are known as the Ruins of the City of Ephesus in Turkey. It is important to always try to make the link between the time in which the history of the Holy Scriptures originates and the current or contemporary time, in this way we ratify that they are not myths or legends, but true stories.

We are talking then that Ephesus was located on the Mediterranean coast, in front of Greece. It was a highly developed city, showing a lot of ostentatiousness as it was an important port and focal point for many cities that flocked to it, such as Pergamon, Smyrna and many others.

The city of Ephesus was very strategically located and was the western border of the East-West market. It was the most important seaport in the Mediterranean Sea for products from Rome, Greece, Italy as the largest producers. It is said that it was a city that lit up at night with thousands of oil lamps, which for the time was something extremely unusual.

In the Book of Acts, specifically in chapter 19, it talks about the initiation, growth and development of the Church of Ephesus.

Converted to Christianity

Converted to Christianity Saul of Tarsus, was baptized as Paul, as we know the apostle Saint Paul is known in Christianity as the apostle who most preached and socialized the words and teachings of the Lord.

Paul then begins his apostolic career. Ephesus was a city whose inhabitants were far from the purpose of the Lord. When Paul arrives in Ephesus he begins to ask its inhabitants if they have received the Holy Spirit, he always gets the same answer: What is the Holy Spirit?

Paul realizes that these people present themselves as Christians because they have received the baptism of Saint John the Baptist, but from his own experience he is aware that first they must believe, then they are baptized and then the Holy Spirit descends on them.

He begins his apostolic work and reveals the Gospel of Jesus and what his process is, so that after the Holy Spirit descends they can praise God with his word, in this way Paul begins the Church of Ephesus.

In this way Paul begins his path of preaching, however, there was a lot of resistance from the Jews and although Paul visited the Jewish synagogues, the advances were not as desired. This is how Paul talks with Tyrant who had a school and rents him a space to have a place where he could do his preaching and attract people to that room, in this way then Paul starts the church of Ephesus, no longer as a cell but as a ministry.

However, the people were still reluctant and tired of hearing the word of Jesus, so God intervenes and gives Paul the gift of performing miracles, truly incredible, to strengthen in people the existence of God and his teaching through the word of Jesus Christ, his only son. The wonderful miracles that Paul could perform even caused those who called themselves exorcists to take their spell books and burn them before him to show his repentance.

Paul dedicated three years to the city of Ephesus to strengthen the church, there were many, thousands who converted to Christianity. His experience and experience in Ephesus allowed him to write one of the Books that is an important part of the Holy Scriptures of the Bible, such as Corinthians 1 and 2.

For the time the letters began with the detail of who wrote and concluded for whom it was written, this allows us to identify in the letters that it is about the history of Paul and how this apostle was also closely linked to the Corinthian city where he founded a church . (See also: The 10 commandments that Christians and evangelicals fulfill ).

Corinth was a city with a large population and rapid development, in Corinthians there were businesses, sports centers. Corinthians was a city of little morals, the people were libertine, drunk, without doctrine, disobedient, in short, it was a city that needed guidance.

In his letter Paul presents himself as an apostle by the will of God. In the Book of Corinthians 2, which is also a letter from Paul, the word of God for the creation of the church in Corinth is shown through him. Paul strengthens in his writing the healing of the Corinthians in Jesus.

We can see how a single man managed to multiply by thousands the Christians in the city of Ephesus, after his preaching and his constant service to bring the word of God, from a humble treatment, he became famous for becoming the center of piety religious. From the city of Ephesus the diffusion of Christianity was carried out, with the arrival of Saint Paul. It was no longer known as an amoral city.

The apostle Saint Paul not only founded the church in Ephesus, but also established several churches in Corinth and more than thirteen in other parts of the region. It is not by chance that he is recognized as one of the apostles who preached the most, his work continues thousands of years after his death.

How to start a Church?

We live in a world where evangelization cannot be stopped, because by not taking the word of God to every corner of the world, we will always be surrounded by injustice, corruption and all the evils that make societies sad.

We must follow the example of Saint Paul, he understood and gave himself to his mission, we must look for believers and convert them into churches, in Acts 14:21-23 he tells us how the disciples were sought and evangelized, they were taught to strengthen your faith. They brought elders to the churches to continue the work they had started.

Churches are the joy of the Lord, where there is a church there will be praise and worship, that is why we must stay on the path of Paul. Christ’s work was to show us how to be a church, for her he gave his life.

The mission of a church is to multiply the disciples by thousands, the churches cannot mistake their objective. If the church of Ephesus had not deviated from its objective, today it would remain active as in the days of the apostle Saint Paul.

This is the first enemy of the church to lose its true objective, to multiply disciples, which is why it is also so important to multiply leaders who support us in serving and creating churches.

The apostles had an arduous task that they fulfilled despite the persecution to which they were subjected, they remained firm in their mission, they traveled to other territories, with difficulties of all kinds. Today we may be being persecuted by apathy, by indifference, by comfort, they are our Romans and we cannot allow it.

It is necessary to stop giving excuses for not forming a church, there are communities that need the presence of the word of God, we have disciples in them and we cannot abandon them. Poverty, violence are present and it is our duty as Christians to carry the word of God in generosity, solidarity, honesty.

The way to be able to help change, bring protection to the most vulnerable and make evil run away, is to be that swarm of wasps that founds a church in those communities that need us and achieve their transformation. Churches are necessary to create much-needed change in society, it is our mission.

How to start?

Identify disciples who can help you start your church. Pray fervently, ask our Lord Jesus Christ for guidance and do not fear. You must be patient, remember all the tribulations suffered by our apostles and recognize that today is much easier, we just have to focus on the goal and not lose the mission.

You must recognize the Holy Spirit, it is he who carries out the work through the word, you will know that you are ready when you feel the gift of the word, you will see how they will begin to listen to you and will add up, slowly but also without pause, do not lose your breath, you are his tool let the Holy Spirit use you.

Remember to pray for the people who accompany you, pray and thank those who are about to join that church, pray out loud so that those who do not know the gospel will listen to you. Let yourself be filled with the Holy Spirit and continue to pray for the needy, for the sick, pray for all sinners who seek redemption.

Do not forget what the mission of the church is, you must be a model and learn every day how to be a better pastor. You must review your actions daily, you must prove to yourself that your verb is your action. Teach your disciples to be leaders, remember you must multiply disciples, therefore, you have to be very attentive to the capabilities and Christian maturity of those who accompany you. You must then plan very well the time you will invest in teaching.

Accompany the implantation of new churches, identify how you can support them so that their church is also strengthened like yours. Remember your beginnings and offer your help since you are of benefit to your community, to society rejoice in contributing so that other churches are also.

We can follow in the footsteps of the apostle Saint Paul, let’s multiply disciples, let’s change realities, let’s be a positive impact on society, the Glory of God expands and grows through the new churches.

Your own house is your church, the word of God must always be present in your home, your neighbors are your disciples, that is the beginning of evangelization, but there are also other ways to evangelize, for example some evangelists go to congregations and does not have a church. Others have the gift of writing and through articles they publish in magazines or on the internet they also carry the word of God. (See also: Psalm 91 a prayer for protection and mental and physical healing )

But it should be very clear that there is a big difference in creating your own church and serving God. Regardless of the way we evangelize, we must be very aware that we are an instrument of God and that we must first allow God to change us, in order to carry his word to others.