Hello, thank you for joining me today for Give Him 15.

The title of today's post is Fan the Flames.

2 Timothy 1, 6 and 7, I remind you, Paul speaking to Timothy,

to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God has not

given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and discipline.

Paul had assigned his spiritual son, Timothy, to lead the ecclesia, the church, in Ephesus.

Timothy was a young man at the time, 30-ish.

30-ish.

This assignment would have been difficult for anyone,

but to a young 30-year-old, it was very challenging. With a population of several hundred

thousand people, Ephesus was the capital of a Roman province in Asia and was considered the

fourth greatest city in the world, after Rome, Alexandria in Egypt, and Antioch of Syria.

Called the mother city of Asia, it was a significant center of trade with major roads connecting

Ephesus to all the other significant cities in Asia Minor.

Ephesus was known for its amphitheater, the largest in the world, designed to hold up to 50,000

spectators. It was also the location of the great temple of Artemis, also called Diana, built in 550 BC.

The temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Much of the Ephesian industry was related to this temple, generating millions of dollars by today's standards.

Craftsmen sold shrines and household images of the goddess that worshippers could take with them on journeys.

The Ephesians were very proud of their religious heritage.

Ephesus became Paul's headquarters for two years after he planted a church there.

A short time later, he assigned Timothy the responsibility of overseeing this ecclesia.

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