Luke the beloved physician wrote how, “Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost”, and in chapter twenty and verse seventeen of the book of Acts Luke shared how Paul, “from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church” where we read:
And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
The verse begins, “And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, ...” Luke began with the words, “and from Miletus” which means “and apart from Miletus whose name means pure white fine wool and was a maritime city, now nearly 10 miles (16 km), from the coast of Caria or Ionia, near the mouth of the Maeander and 35 miles (55 km) from Ephesus. It was the mother of about eighty colonies, the the birth place of Thales, Anaximander, and other famous men” “he sent to Ephesus” or “Paul dispatched and assigned the following words to the maritime city of Asia Minor, capital of Ionia and under the Romans, of proconsular Asia, situated on the Icarian Sea between Smyrna and Miletus whose name means permitted”. Luke shared how “Paul” dispatched to the city of “Ephesus” the following words from “Miletus”.
The verse goes on to say, “... and called the elders of the church.” Luke continued with the words, “and called the elders” which means “and summoned and beckoned the senior in office or overseers” “of the church” or “belonging to the assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting”. Luke shared how “Paul” summoned the “leaders or overseers” of the assembly of Christians in the city of “Ephesus”.
When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we learn how “Paul” did not totally avoid being with the believers in “Ephesus”. He decided to send word to them to come to him, and we shall see how they met with him in our next verses. When a person yields themselves to Jesus Christ as their personal “Savior and Lord”, He forgives their sins and grants them everlasting life. They become a part of the family of God who are united to one another by their faith and trust in Jesus, and they care for one another even as “Paul” cared for the “Ephesians”. God loves everyone, and those who are wise hear His Holy Spirit's “call” to become a part of His assembly of believers.
Next time Luke shares what happened, “when they were come to him”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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