This one was intended to be a post on the Red Team site, but we’re locked out of that one at present. So, for the moment, the post resides here. -Ed.
As I’m sure you all know by now, our itinerary has changed. Due to ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, we have decided to reroute. So instead of retracing the steps of Jesus in Israel, we are retracing the steps of Paul across Greece and Turkey.
Our journey began a couple of days ago. We took overnight ferries from Split, Croatia, to Ancona, Italy, and then from there to Patra, Greece. The ferry to Patra was an interesting experience, as we ended up sleeping in our tents on the deck of the ship. We even had bible study out on the deck as the sun went down. How cool is that?
We arrived in Patra yesterday and spent the night there, and then journeyed by train to Corinth this morning. Of course, we paid a visit to the ancient city.
Ashley played the role of tour guide, since she visited Corinth two months ago. Her knowledge and passion for seeing the Scriptures come alive blessed us all.
We walked among the piles of ancient stones and fragmented columns, as the Acrocorinth – a huge mountain upon which the Temple of Aphrodite once stood – loomed over us. We tried to imagine what it must have looked like almost 2000 years ago when Paul walked these streets. As we strolled along the
agora, we pictured the shops that once lined each side of it, among them perhaps the tent-making shop of Aquila and Pricilla that Paul worked in during his year and a half in Corinth
(see 1 Cor 18).
We also saw the
bema, a tribunal building in which Paul may have faced the Jews who accused him of blasphemous teaching.
As we stood in the town square and read the Scriptures, we came across one special passage in which God gave Paul a word of encouragement:
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” — 1 Cor 18:8-9
God had many people in Corinth. They were our brothers and sisters. They walked these streets. And one day, we will get to meet them and hear their stories in heaven. What a blessing.
Lord, may we heed the word You spoke to Paul here in Corinth. Let us not be afraid, let us keep on speaking, let us never keep silent.
Now, on to Athens!
