Day 08 - Ephesus, Ephesus Museum, Evening Cruise on the Aegean

To a person, we agree that we’ve been blessed with a truly high quality of leadership. Teaching leader, Pastor Kent, has connected Scripture to places we visit, illuminated never before considered perspectives, and taken deep dives into why Paul and John chose particular words to write and the difference it makes for our consideration of God’s inspired Word. Put simply, he wants the very best for us because we’re family and that’s what families do. Good leaders know their subjects, exhibit passion about sharing what they know and come alongside those they lead in love.

Local tour leader Ozan does the same with his areas of expertise. He connects us from place to place with knowledge about when to arrive and meal choices available and so much more, all to introduce us to the very best of this country of his. He knows people and knows how his system works. He exemplifies a way of leading we’ve likely not seen before on tours . . . a #1 guide gets table #1; go light on the coffee and water at breakfast because we’ll be walking for four hours without a toilet available—I’ll tell you when you can drink again; no one assures me the gondolas will be running only for us to find out they are not. And, as with Kent, he wants for us our very best because we’re family. Good leaders know their subjects, exhibit passion about using what they know, and come alongside those they lead in love.

Thanks you both, Kent and Ozan!

Teaching moments:

Outside the terrace houses, the lesson (in the midst of Ephesus visitor chaos and noise) laid bare the evil of newborn children either accepted or rejected by their Roman fathers, a true life and death decision, in stark contrast to the words of Paul in Ephesians 1:3-5.
 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will..."

2)  with the theater in our line of sight as Kent suggested Paul may well have been up against “the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil”. In Ephesus, we heard the story of Demetrius and the crowd mentality that thirsted for Paul’s very blood. Indeed, we’re called to stand against such as well. But remember that our armor is for defensive purposes, that God defeats the enemy, and that our task is to stand our ground and be faithful in all things.We both recalled and reflected on Ephesians 6:10-17, then later, in our end-of-day gathering, heard these words recited:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

3) Finally, let us not forget that once great cities and once great nations/empires are transient. A great city of a quarter million people was, over time, literally covered over by centuries of silt and dirt and debris. It was forgotten and, for a time, impossible to find. Its great Temple of Artemis and Artemis herself seem just relics of another age, although pagan religions will always persist in one form or another.

And let us remember that the gospel of Jesus Christ did radiate outward from Ephesus. 

God used the city’s greatness to bring people to the great harbors and great roads of humankind, there to make himself known in surpassing greatness (Ephesians 1:19) compared to the routine disappearances of the world’s once great and mighty. 

Our day drew close to its end with a short but delightful evening cruise on the Aegean Sea, accompanied by Ozan’s own personal playlist and a few playing the parts of Rose and Jack of Titanic fame.

Paul