In the latter portions of the letter to the Ephesians, the writer begins enumerating the ways and means of Christians who walk worthy of the calling (4:1). Although this letter doesn't focus on any particular problematic group or any disruptive practices that existed within that Christian community, the environment in which these believers lived was enough to cause concern. As a thriving city on the crossroads of the cultural superhighway of its day, Ephesus drew people from all over. It felt itself to be urbane and sophisticated. Its easy accessibility made it a center for various cultural and religious activities. The allure of these cosmopolitan traditions and the common acceptance of some of the wildest of the competing "mystery religions" put new Christian believers at risk.

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