i don’t exactly know what to say about this great place, so i will just give you some excerts from my journal…..
the first thing that you see is the
theatre built in the 4th c. BC and expanded in 2 and 3 c. when we think of theatres we think of movies, comedies, drama, orchestras – the performance arts… but this one was different. it was expanded and an elevator added so that it could hold all of the animals and bring up the Christians for them to kill and eat. standing on the ground where men had shed their blood and died for their faith ~ well, it was overwhelming.
would i have dared to outrun the lion, would i have held my ground in peace knowing i’d soon be in the father’s arms, or would i be frozed in fear.
these men who once stood in this very place and could have denied their god, but because they didn’t i can stand here today ~ believing in the same god that they died for.
i’ve said that i’d be willing to be a martyr for christ ~ but would i really?
would i be ready to be a laughing stock for him?
to have people laugh and cheer on my death?
Lord I want that kind of strength, courage, dedication, and conviction in my faith…
just beyond the theatre was one of the
first churches…
and just a little farther was where they believe Paul was put in
prison. it is just a tiny little cave, with barely enough room to stand or lay down. we often think of it being a large open space, but the reality is that it wasn’t. the thought of anyone having to spend more than a few hours here sounds uncomfortable and inhumane.
we crossed the street to where the majority of the ancient city is. for me it wasn’t the pieces of basilicas (churches) or any of the other buildings that touched me… it was where men’s blood had been shed. Paul and Silas were flogged at the
commercial agora – basically the middle of town, out in the open. here these two men had stood, their pride being crushed. not only were they roman citizens, but more importantly they were sent by god… and now they were bent over infront of the whole town. they shed their blood so that others might believe… so that maybe one day others might also be called to go….
we drove a little ways down the road to a church built in honor of
Lydia. there is a
river there that they believe is where Lydia was converted and baptized by Paul – the first female Christian in Europe.
even with the word i wrote down that day, i can not express what my heart was saying. philippi was beautiful even in ruins. but the things that were rising in my heart and my spirit will be something i remember forever. i praise the lord for the work of the many mighty men who have gone before us, and pray that my time on this earth will make an impact for future generations of Christians as well…
