Ephesus was a large city with about 200,000 people. It was an important and beautiful place. The city had a huge outdoor theater that could hold around 20,000 people. It was also a resort city where Roman emperors visited. The city was built with white marble, making it very beautiful, and Paul even mentioned how impressive it was.
The Impact of the Gospel in Ephesus
Some might think the gospel (the message of Jesus) didn’t have much of an effect in Ephesus, but that’s not true at all. The gospel had a huge impact on the city. At the entrance to the harbor, four pillars were built, and each pillar had a cross symbol on it. These pillars were dedicated to the four gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Letter Writing in the Roman Empire.
Today, only one pillar remains, but it still shows the cross symbol. There are other signs that show the gospel’s strong influence, like pagan temples that were later changed into Christian churches.
The Ministry of Paul and John
After Paul and John shared the gospel, the city had a large Christian population. It seems that Paul had his greatest ministry in Ephesus. In the book of Acts, it says, “All who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10). Not everyone became a Christian, but everyone heard the message. This was probably the biggest movement in the history of the church Customized Private Turkey Tours.
