In Heavenly Places: An Exploration of Ephesians
Sep 26, 2026 · 50 min · 13 segments
In Session 3 of *In Heavenly Places*, Jeffrey Rosario explores the inheritance promised to God’s people. Rather than an escape from this world, Paul points toward renewed creation, restored human…
Jeffrey RosarioHost
Now, when I first began reading scripture, I imagined This is a letter to the church of Ephesus.
And when I think of the church of Ephesus, I think of a building, a building in the Roman world with the stones, right? I picture a building and a crowd of people and they're singing hymns and there's a preacher.
I want you to realize with me that when you are studying the letter to the church at Ephesus, It wasn't a big fancy building made out of stone out on the center of town, right? We are thinking about probably a small collection of two or three house churches with like 15 people in them.
Are you following me? And the makeup of the church at Ephesus was probably more bondservants than freed.
Why do I say this? Because when you put that in context and then you read the grandiose language that Paul uses when he's addressing these groups of believers, it sounds that much more crazy.
Because for Paul to make the claims that he makes about them as a community of believers, you would have imagined them looking at each other when they first had that letter read to them by whoever was the person who...
scroll, right? It was an actual physical thing that somebody for the first time in the history of Christianity got up in front of some group and read those words for the first time.
Have you ever thought about that? These words have been read and reread for so many generations.
So we're talking about a specific group of people in a specific part of the world at a specific time.
And Paul opens Ephesians 1 with this massive, grandiose message And in that message, he offers a prayer.
And there's a concern in the heart of Paul because he says that he's heard about them, their reputation, right? It was Paul who was preaching in Ephesus.
Ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better.
Now, when I first began reading scripture, I imagined This is a letter to the church of Ephesus.
And when I think of the church of Ephesus, I think of a building, a building in the Roman world with the stones, right? I picture a building and a crowd of people and they're singing hymns and there's a preacher.
I want you to realize with me that when you are studying the letter to the church at Ephesus, It wasn't a big fancy building made out of stone out on the center of town, right? We are thinking about probably a small collection of two or three house churches with like 15 people in them.
Are you following me? And the makeup of the church at Ephesus was probably more bondservants than freed.
Why do I say this? Because when you put that in context and then you read the grandiose language that Paul uses when he's addressing these groups of believers, it sounds that much more crazy.
Because for Paul to make the claims that he makes about them as a community of believers, you would have imagined them looking at each other when they first had that letter read to them by whoever was the person who...
scroll, right? It was an actual physical thing that somebody for the first time in the history of Christianity got up in front of some group and read those words for the first time.
Have you ever thought about that? These words have been read and reread for so many generations.
So we're talking about a specific group of people in a specific part of the world at a specific time.
And Paul opens Ephesians 1 with this massive, grandiose message And in that message, he offers a prayer.
And there's a concern in the heart of Paul because he says that he's heard about them, their reputation, right? It was Paul who was preaching in Ephesus.
Ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better.
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