Wednesday | 26 August 2026

Public and house-to-house ministry

Paul spent three months proclaiming the gospel of God in the synagogue in Ephesus. In contrast to the ministry of Apollos, who reasoned from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ, the focus of Paul’s ministry was to proclaim the kingdom of God. Act 19:8. Paul proclaimed the gospel of sonship. Paul’s ministry had a polarising impact upon those who belonged to the synagogue. Some believed and became his disciples. However, there were others who hardened their heart and did not believe. When they began to publicly speak evil of the Way, Paul departed from them and took the disciples with him from the synagogue.

Paul then began to teach in the school of Tyrannus. Act 19:9. We know that he did this for two whole years. Act 19:10. It is likely that a believer named Tyrannus allowed Paul to use his school building. In the first case, the school building replaced the Jewish synagogue as the context for Paul’s public ministry. Paul taught daily in the school of Tyrannus, in the same way in which the apostles had taught daily in Solomon’s Portico. However, we know that Paul also taught from house to house. When he later called the Ephesian presbytery to Miletus, Paul reflected, ‘I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house.’ Act 20:20.

In addition to his public ministry, Paul may have used other classrooms in the school of Tyrannus for the discipleship of worthy houses. Of course, he would have also visited and stayed in many of the houses in the Ephesian region. Whether the actual teaching happened in the houses or in the school, Paul manifested a discipleship initiative toward worthy houses. We could liken Paul’s discipleship initiative toward the worthy houses in Ephesus as the calyx at the beginning of a new branch of the lampstand. He was looking for disciples from worthy houses who were able to join the fellowship of the presbytery in the region.