Paul’s salutation to the Ephesian church

These letters in the Bible have been given to the churches. If we counted the letter to the Hebrews, then the letters of Paul make up more than a third of the New Testament. 10 of Paul’s letters were written to churches and three written to two young pastors. Every sinner who is saved is called to be part of a local church. So when Paul writes to churches, it is for believers like us. These letters written to specific churches were circulated among other churches. In that sense, this letter is as applicable to us as they were to those churches in the first century. We too in South City can read and learn what God wants us to know.
The introduction is as inspired as the rest of the book.  |||||
HOW PAUL DEFINES HIMSELF
Who he is (Paul): Paul simply says “Paul” not Rev Paul or Dr Paul. Till he was converted, he was known as Saul. Why did the name change? We do not really know. Maybe he had both names and he took on Paul when he went as a missionary to the gentiles. We do not know, but we know that Saul, a hater of Christ and His church, became Paul, a lover of Christ and His kingdom. Paul became a new man with a new mission. His meeting with Jesus on the Damascus road changed him. He became a new creation in Christ. Everyone must have an encounter with that same Jesus, because there is salvation in no other name.
What he is (an apostle of Christ Jesus): An apostle is a special messenger of Jesus. Paul was not one of the 12 apostles, but he was a special messenger to the gentile world.
“Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.  For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1Cor 15:8-9)”
“ But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. (Acts 26:16-18)”
Why he is what he is (by the will of God): It was all of God from beginning to end. This man was transformed by the grace of God to become a messenger to the gentiles. This was not Paul’s decision. It was God who decided. Prior to his conversion was a biased, bigoted Jew, with no time for the gentiles and even less for the Lord Jesus. It is clear that God had called him and changed him. Is this calling of God only for apostles and pastors and missionaries? If you are a child of God, you have the calling of God on your life. What is your calling as a Christian? When He calls us and saves us, He leaves us in this world for a purpose. We can ask the question like this: ‘In what way has God called me to serve Him?’ Jesus bids us shine . . . like a little candle burning in the night . . .  you in your small corner and I in mine.  |||||
HOW PAUL DESCRIBES THE RECIPIENTS OF HIS LETTER
He described them as ‘the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus.’ They lived in Ephesus, the sinful metropolis, filled with idolatry and witchcraft. Apostle Paul did not pick out the easy places. He went where God sent him, often to difficult places. In this difficult city, a New Testament church was planted. Isn’t it wonderful that God plants His churches in places like this.
To the saints. The word saints is beautiful and suggests that there was something special about these people. They were not made saints by the church after they died. From the Bible, we know that God makes us saints. Christians are saints. The word means: God’s holy, set-apart people. In the wicked city of Ephesus, there was a holy people set apart by God. In Auckland, in South City, there is a holy set-apart people, us. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Pet 2: 9-10). God has bought this people at the cost of the blood of His Son. |||||
WHAT PAUL DESIRES FOR THEM
Paul desires this for them—Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wants them to have the Grace of God and the Peace from God. Paul knows that the saints are saved by grace and that through the Lord Jesus they make peace with God. All Christians have already experienced grace and peace. Why then is Paul desiring for Grace and Peace for the Ephesian believers? He wants them to experience grace and peace in every situation in life. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7). We don’t have to be worrying about the things that happen around us. Instead, we can pray with thanksgiving and tell our requests to God, who will give us a peace that the world cannot understand. So, we can go to sleep at night, knowing that all is well with your soul and that He will take care of us. Even when their hands and ankles were chained, Paul and Silas were singing. Their hearts were filled with peace. Just after the killing of James, Peter was in prison, fast asleep! This is the peace that Paul is talking about. We have peace with God, but we can also experience the peace from God. It is wonderful to know that peace in the midst of a storm. Only the people of God can know it. That is why the Bible tells us that it surpasses all understanding. The grace of God saved us, and the grace of God daily sustains us. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:16).