from which the gospel seems to have spread to the other cities of the province. Two of Paul’s later letters, Colossians and Philemon, are addressed to believers living outside Ephesus in the province of Asia. John’s letter was first sent to Ephesus and then advanced in a semicircle through the province from the north to the east. After Ephesus, these churches were located in Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. The question is raised as to why John wrote to these churches.