Here are some questions about Ephesians and the apostle Paul that we have frequently encountered.  To ask your own question, click here.

Can you list the blessings in Ephesians?

Did Paul experience or perform any miracles?

Why didn’t the slaves in the first century revolt?

What happened to Ephesus after the first century?

Can You List the Blessings in Ephesians?

In her book, What the Bible Is All About, Henrietta Mears lists the blessings available to the believer in and through Christ:

• We are in Christ Jesus (1:1)
• We are blessed in Christ (1:3)
• We are chosen in Christ (1:4)
• We are adopted by Christ (1:5)
• We belong to Jesus (1:6)
• Jesus has purchases our freedom and forgiven us (1:7)
• God has revealed His will to us in Jesus (1:9)
• Everything is centered in Christ (1:10)
• We have an inheritance from God in Christ (1:11)
• We are glorified in Christ (1:12,13)
• We have the Holy Spirit because of Christ (1:13)
• We have faith in Christ (1:15)
• We have wisdom in Christ (1:17)
• We have hope in Christ (1:18)
• We have power in Christ (1:19,20)
• We have been raised from the dead because of Christ (2:5,6)
• We have been created in Christ (2:10)
• We have been brought hear to God because of Christ (2:13)
• We are growing in Christ (2:21)
• We are joined together because of Christ (2:13)
• We can share in the promises of God because of Christ (3:6)
• The wisdom of God is manifested in Christ (3:10-11)
• We have boldness and access to the Father through Christ (3:12)

Did Paul Experience or Perform Any Miracles?

In the book, Meredith’s Big Book of Bible Lists there are eleven miracles associated with Paul:

1. Paul had a miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9).

2. Paul’s was healed of blindness (Acts 9:10-18).

3. Elymas the sorcerer was blinded for a period of time at Paul’s command (Acts 9:10-18).

4. A crippled man at Lystra was healed by Paul (Acts 14:8-10).

5. Paul cast a demon out of a girl in Philippi (Acts 16:16-18).

6. Paul and Silas were delivered from prison by a divine earthquake (Acts 16:25-33).

7. The Holy Spirit was imparted at Ephesus by the laying on of Paul’s hands (Acts 19:1-7).

8. Healings and exorcisms took place through the handkerchiefs and cloths that had touched Paul’s skin (Acts 19:11,12).

9. Eutychus was raised from the dead at Troas after he fell from a third-story window (Acts 20:9,10). Eutychus had fallen asleep while Paul was preaching.

10. Paul was unaffected after being bitten by a poisonous snake (Acts 28:3-6).

11. Publius’ father and others were healed through Paul’s ministry (Acts 28:8,9).

Why Didn’t Slaves in the First Century Revolt?

If there were more than 6 million slaves in the first century world, why didn’t they band together and revolt? Dr. Clint Arnold lists several reasons:

• Roman-era slavery was a non-racial institution.  There were slaves of all races.
• Most slaves could expect to be freed by the time they reached 30 years of age.
• The work of slaves was not limited to hard labor.  Slaves worked in a variety of different occupations, including household management, teaching, business and industry. Many slaves even owned property.
• The living and working conditions of slaves were often better than those of free laborers. This led many free laborers to sell themselves into slavery as a way to improve themselves economically.

By no means did this justify the slavery system in ancient Rome. Regardless of the conditions that sometimes made slavery an attractive option, it still involved one human being owning another, depriving the slave of freedom and dignity. 

What Happened to Ephesus After the First Century?

According to Encarta, here’s a brief history of Ephesus beginning with the church established by Paul in the first century.

“Ephesus was the site of the third general council of the Christian church, which condemned the Nestorian heresy, in 431.

Having been destroyed by the Goths in 262, Ephesus, although rebuilt, never regained its former splendor. Under the Byzantine Empire it declined, and its harbor silted up; it was abandoned in the 14th century.

Excavations at Ephesus, begun in 1863, have uncovered temples to Artemis, public buildings, works of the Greek sculptors Phidias and Polyclitus, and a portrait of Alexander the Great.”

Visitors to Ephesus today will find one of the finest examples of a city from the first century. In addition to impressive columns, walls, and roads, excavations uncovered a 24,000-seat theater.