Each Monday including departure day,click back here                                               for something fresh I'm preparing for you. Each of                                               these readings is about one of the sies we'll visit.                                                 Each new article will appear below the earlier one.                                                 Don't miss any of them. See you very soon! -David


Read each of these with your trip Bible open and ready to mark  the passages  and your thoughts.  All but this opening one are about the Greece part of our trip. The first one is also the longest one.

First we see Paul's goal  -  his eye is on the capitol of the empire.   He just couldn't wait to take the

the gospel to Rome! But it didn't happen as he'd planned. Isn't that often God's way of leading us? 


# 1  “I Must Also See Rome” (Acts 19:21)

Rome, the ancient and modern is in the center part of the "boot" of Italy, near the western coast. The Tiber River flows through the city. Since the 1929 Lateran Pacts, Vatican City is a separate, sovereign nation (the world's smallest at 120 acres.)  It is completely surrounded by the city of Rome. Those taking our optional Rome Extension will visit Rome and Vatican City – including St. Peter’s Square, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica.


Likely  founded in 753 B.C., by the time of Paul, Rome had become a congested city of about four million people.  A keystone of it's economy was slavery - most slaves captured as the Army Legions conquered more territories. Probably more than half of the population of Rome was slaves. During the time of Christ, Rome was the seat of wealth and power, "Rome ruled the world."  The Roman highway network enabled movement of the Legions as well as international trade. The reality was that "all roads lead to Rome" and the accurate, stone mile-markers along the way, all marked the distances to the capital.


Christianity came early to the Empire and the Imperial city. Jews from all over the world were in Jerusalem for the festival of Pentecost when Peter preached the first Christian sermon - and the church of Jesus was born. On that day, the crowd of thousands comprised those who “were staying in Jerusalem - God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven…” including “visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism." (Acts 2:5,10-11).

In response to the message preached by Peter, "3,000" men were baptized into Christ that day. They certainly carried this good news of Christ back home to Rome. The church there was planted by them. Three decades later, the apostle Paul arrived.


Paul longed to preach the gospel in Rome personally. Through extraordinary circumstances, God and government did it.  Luke’s precise record of this harrowing voyage is the most detailed account of ancient sea navigation in all the annals of history.        Read Dr. Luke’s record. It's spot on (Acts 27:1-28:16.) [We hope for better sailing weather for our Mediterranean cruise]


Paul is escorted under military guard to Rome during the reign of infamous Emperor Nero. The last 2 verses of Acts describe his first “imprisonment” (Acts 28:30-31.) 30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.


Many believe that was when he wrote the “Prison Epistles” – inspired letters to the Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, slave-owner Philemon. Christian companions who encouraged him there were Physician/Author Dr. Luke, Aristarchus (Acts 27:2), Timothy (Philippians 1:1, Colossians 1:1), Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21), Epaphroditus (Philippians 4:18) and writer of the fourth gospel, missionary John Mark (Colossians 4:10).


Besides his house arrest and a temporary release, Paul was later re-confined, this time in a dungeon holding facility called Mammertine, just off the Forum. Among the famous monuments we’ll visit in Rome are the Coliseum, the Forum, pagan temple ruins, Capitoline Hill, the commemorative Arch depicting the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in A.D. 70 under Roman General Titus, and hopefully, Mammertine Prison itself. Others have been imprisoned for the faith as well, even in our day, but  as Paul wrote to his protégé Timothy, “This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained….Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of Truth.” He continued to affirm that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work….Preach the Word…” (2 Timothy 2:9,15; 3:16; 4:2.)

More than ever, the world needs to hear the clear teachings, and trust the solid promises of this life-changing Word of God!

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# 2 Taking The Gospel to Corinth

Greece is surrounded on 3 sides by water – the Aegean Sea on the east side, the Ionian Sea on the west.  Imagine if there was a narrowing of land a little over halfway down the country, almost dividing it in two – an  isthmus just 3½ miles wide between the two seas. Roman historian Strabo describes Corinth’s strategic location controlling that narrow strip of land. About 600 BC, Corinth built a paved road across the narrow connector by which cargoes and even small ships were hauled, avoiding the dangerous and time consuming 200-mile sea voyage sailing around the southern Cape Malea. Later, an amazing canal was dug to connect the seas. The strategic location made Corinth a very wealthy city.


Corinth became a bawdy seaport town where anything could be had for a price. Sailors looked for opportunities to visit Corinth! It had such an earned reputation of sinfulness, that if you wanted to insult someone's character, you simply said they were "living like a Corinthian!"  The opportunity for evangelism there drew Paul to Corinth like a magnet. Acts 18;1 "After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth."  He traveled 50 miles west and south (Acts 18:1-18). For us, it's a pleasant motorcoach ride along the Agean.  Corinth was surrounded by 6 miles of defensive walls protecting a population of 100-200,000. Except for Ephesus, Paul worked for Christ at Corinth longer than any other city we know of. He later wrote two inspired letters back to them. In 1 & 2 Corinthians he addressed problems in the Corinthian church and urged believers not to fall back into the sinful practices that characterized their town.


While at Corinth, Paul stayed with Aquila and Priscilla, Jewish tent makers from Rome (Acts 18:2-3). How did THEY happen to move there? According to historian Suetonius, Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 A.D., because "the Jews were in a state of constant tumult at the instigation of one Chrestus" (i.e., Christ).


By this time, the "best years" of Corinth were in their history books. The golden age of Corinth was really 500 years before Paul's mission there, but it was enjoying a kind of resurgence as a Roman city in the 1st century A.D. Every other year, the Isthmian Games, rivaling Athens' Olympics, were held there in honor of Poseidon, the "god" of the sea (remember, surrounded on three sides by ocean). Since he used athletic analogies to explain spiritual truths, it seems likely that Paul was there for at least one of these major events. Two friends of mine in different cities, own trophy shops. I haven't told either of them that the Isthmian Games victor's crown was not gold, silver or bronze. The "crown" was made of wilted celery! That explains Paul's reference to the "corruptible crown" given to athletes (1 Cor. 9:24-27) in sharp contrast to the "unfading crown" we receive in Christ! The resemblance of the ancient Corinthian lifestyle to our sin-saturated society today is striking. The inspired counsel and redeeming message of Jesus in the Corinthian letters is as current and applicable as if it had been written yesteday! 

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# 3 Athens – Birthplace of "Democracy"

First practiced  there from 5-4 BC, the word itself comes from two Greek words “demos” meaning people and  “kratos”  meaning power.  Democratic government was born in the culture and nation of Greece. Athens is also home to the Acropolis,  the Olympic Games  and unique treasures of poetry, art, drama, comedy, art, and a surprising Biblical History.  

Before Abraham's time,  Greece created a unique linguistic tool - the language in which the  New Testament  would later be written. In Athens we find Paul’s only fully-recorded sermon to a gentile audience.

        

Acts 17 captures his angst regarding their idolatry. He introduces them to the true "unknown god." When we’re at  Mars Hill, we’ll read that brief but exciting message – right where the Apostle Paul preached it! 


Assuming Paul arrived in Athens by ship, he would have landed at Piraeus, where we will be landing from our cruise. He would have gone north from the harbor and entered Athens by the ancient "Double Gate", where several highways converged. He walked through an extensive cemetery, noticing the graves of many distinguished Athenians.

Passing through the gates, walking on the “Sacred Way” Paul would have explored Athens the same as we will on our tour (without air-conditioned motorcoach!) In the marketplace,  wherever Paul turned, he saw statues to this god, temples to that god, and shrines to the other god. They were everywhere in the lower part of the city and he still hadn’t reached the higher Acropolis! Finally climbing Acropolis hill, he and pilgrims like us today, share the same amazement. On the western side of the Acropolis was the Temple of goddess Nike, called Wingless Victory (and tennis shoes). Paul would have looked back toward the bay, as we will. He would have walked around the most famous and beautiful of Greek temples, the Parthenon, and the Erechtheum on the northern edge of Acropolis hill. Finally, there was the amazing statue of the city-goddess Athena, in the heart of the Parthenon and the city.


It is said that there were more "gods" in Athens than men! Wherever Paul looked - gods of every size and rank, statues and altars in the courtyard of every home. Hiking through this forest of deities Paul discovered one altar (of at least  four) to the "unknown god." These altars to "unknown gods" guaranteed that no deity was omitted from worship, and throw a jealous fit!

Paul was appalled. “His spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols" (Acts 17:16). As a devout Jew, he knew God’s commands #1 & #2, "You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." (Exodus 20:3-4).

He first went into "the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers," then went into the marketplace (Acts 17:17-21). Certain "Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him" and brought him to the Areopagus, where the supreme court of Athens met. Sixteen well-worn marble steps lead to the summit from a plateau between the Acropolis and the Areopagus where Paul preached one of the most memorable sermons recorded in the Bible (Acts 17:22-31). There is no place like Athens! We'll step through history, Bibles in hand, in the "Footstpeps of Paul". 

 

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#4 Exciting Ephesus

Ephesus - the first letter of the seven dictated by Jesus to John on Patmos island, is intended for churches and Christians of all time. The lessons are timeless. So, what stands out to us here as we approach Ephesus?

1. Of course, we'll explore the ancient ruins. They are spectacular!

2. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (written AD 60-64), deals with the theme of unity. It seems the Jewish believers in Ephesus were inclined to be a bit 'uppity' toward their gentile brethren in the same church. Paul explains that there is “one new man…one body …one spirit…one Lord…one faith…one baptism…one God and Father of all…” He explains the unity of marriage, of family, of the church, even in the workplace. Paul urges Christians to walk in unity, in faith, in purity, in love, in the Holy Spirit.

3. By the time we get to this letter in Revelation 2 (30 years after the Epistle to these Ephesians was written), the message is a bit different. The Christians are still working hard. They are serious about doctrinal purity. But by this time, in Jesus’ evaluation, it has all boiled down to one thing.


That one thing is illustrated by, of all things, the seashore at Ephesus. The harbor actually moved away from the town. What? How? Over time, sediment from the Cayster river built up to gradually fill in the bay. This continuing silt problem pushed the water’s edge further away. Now it's about 5 miles away from it's original location at the edge of town! That shift pictured their spiritual condition. In these believers, moral silt had begun to build up. The Lord's church that began in "the 'thirties" in century 1, in just a few decades was slipping. By “the nineties” when John wrote Revelation, the church was marked by doctrinal division and personal strife. Unfortunately, it's what they were known for.

All the while, Ephesus remained the world headquarters of Diana worship. Also known as Artemis, Diana was the mythical goddess of hunting, fertility and harvest. Use your imagination here, “worshipping” Diana involved “celebrating” all that goes into harvesting bigger crops and producing more babies! Visually, she is represented in the ugly, multi-breasted, idol of unknown origin - representing fertility. It was a salacious society, a lustful religion, the height of immorality pervaded Ephesus.


Less than 60 years after the dynamtic launch of the church at Pentecost, the church had gotten "silted in." They became mired in self rather than encouraging others and glorifying God. The were pursuing sin rather than service. They were haughty instead of humble. These Christians were marred by pride rather than marked by humility. It boiled down to just one thing. Jesus pointed it out in Revelation 2:4, “You have left your first love." These Ephesian believers had fallen out of love with Him!  So, how does one rekindle this lost love? What solution does Jesus prescribe here? Two simple things: “Remember the height from which you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did at first.” Sounds easy doesn't it?:  "Remember" and "Repent". Easier said than done, but essential just the same. Think a moment. What/who is your first love. Is it Jesus the Christ? Ponder that as we view the ancient road to the harbor, that just stops at nowhere. The harbor had simply moved away from it's usefulness.

Our Takeaway?: On this trip, resolve to resist the silting. You just may grow in your love for Jesus all over again. 

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#5 Exiled on Patmos Island

The year was around AD 96. Roman legions and patrols enforced the empire's grip on its far-flung territories, including Asia Minor (Turkey) and the Holy Land (Israel). Over six decades prior, God had dramatically launched His church in Jerusalem. It was on the annual Jewish Festival Day of Pentecost, just seven weeks after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When Peter had preached the gospel the very first time that morning, thousands responded to the message of hope and help, embracing Jesus Christ as Lord. In over 70 stone purification pools near the temple steps, 3,000 Jewish men were baptized into Christ that day - plus the women and older, believing children.


As the new converts returned home, they took this good news of Jesus with them, beginning house churches that grew and flourished in their villages and cities. Strategic missionary tours carried the gospel further, into major cities, through Paul, Silas, Timothy, Barnabas, John and others. Paul had spent two years evangelizing in the bustling city of Ephesus. It is believed that John later served as the principal leader of the Ephesian church.


Because of his faithful preaching of the gospel, Rome exiled John to the desolate, rock island of Patmos! I really don't think John wanted to be there - isolated 24 miles west of the coast, 70 miles southwest of Ephesus and surrounded by water!  But God specializes in transforming bad situations into good outcomes. It was on Patmos that the Lord gave him a revelation to share with the people of his generation, and with believers of all succeeding times. Of course, you have that Revelation as the last book in your New Testament. A book of hope and promise, it begins with specific letters Jesus dictates to seven leading congregations on the circular mail route in Turkey. (We're visiting one of them - Ephesus). To conceal the prophetic meanings from Roman Empire authorities, Revelation was written in symbols - code language. Imagine God opening the doors of Heaven for John to see it all, right there on that rocky Alcatraz island.    

Consider times when God turned something "bad" into something "good" - for you or perhaps for those you love. How has He flipped your burdens into blessings? John's exile brings hope to all who read his inspired Book. It is referred to as the Apocolapse (meaning "hidden") and the Revelation (meaning "open and exposed".)  It is actually both.

Takeaway from Patmos? Revelation 1:1-3

     "The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show his servants what must soon take place. He signified it 

       through His angel to His servant John, who testifies to everything he saw, that is, the Word of God and the testimony of 

       Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it and take to

       heart what is written in it, because the time is near. "

    

#6 Ready to Go - An adventure for the books... 

Today we meet and depart for Greece! Wikipedia describe an adventure; "an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme sports." We're headed on an exciting activity. We get a taste of it as another leader meets with his group and departs for Greece. Read about it from a doctor who was totally-in with that group. At the point where a strange man pleaded "Come over and help us, their leader was "ready to go," to a whole different world. From Israel and Turkey the group is departing for Europe. None of them had ever been there before. Open your trip bible to Acts 16:1, or simply keep on reading here for a few minutes. They embark on a  historic sea voyage taking them to the shores of another continent entirely. Upon landing they finally find themselves in a town with no Jewish synagogue. Looking for someone with something in common they learn of about a group of women who hold a regular Bible study by the river. On Saturday they find themselves there, approaching these Jewish ladies at study. Among them is an influential woman, a success in her business, selling expensive purple cloth. She worshiped God. As she listened to these men explaian the gospel the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” She urged them and they agreed.

Things went on well for a time, but they soon found themselves...


Getting in Trouble With the Locals

One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”                                      

This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her. Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. "The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”

A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”

29The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

35The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”

But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!”

When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.

Their historic mission adventure continues from there, ours begins today. We follow similar routes bbheading south through the beautiful land of Greece. 

We'll see you at Jerome Church at 9:00 A.M. Be sure you have your passport and photo ID in hand before leaving your driveway! Wear your nametag and your smile! I've prayed for God to bless each of you!  Let the adventure commence!

                                                                                                                                        David