In the Footsteps of Paul e x p e r i e n c e the J o u r n e y that C h a n g e d the W o r l d
ken duncan
Th e n S au l arose f r o m t h e g r o u n d , a n d w h e n h i s e y e s w e r e opened h e s aw n o o n e . B u t t h e y led him b y t h e h a n d a n d b roug h t h i m i n t o Da m a s c u s . A n d h e wa s t h r e e d a y s wi thout si ght, a n d n e i t h e r a t e n o r d r a n k . —
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In the Footsteps of Paul
Ac t s
9 : 8 – 9
Paul’s blindness
meant that he had to depend on his traveling companions, and
later on a certain disciple named Ananias. In darkness and dependency, God showed him his frailty. Through blindness he came to see everything—himself, the world, God—more clearly than ever before. St r a igh t St r e et, Bousr a. Most likely Paul came through Bousra on his way to Damascus.
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P a u l : Th e Mi s s i o n o f a M a n N o n e o f t h e s e t h i n g s move me;
nor do I count my life dear to myself,
s o t h a t I m a y fi n i s h th e r a c e w i t h j o y,
a n d t h e mini str y w h i c h I received
from the Lord Jesus,
t o testify t o t h e gospel o f t h e g r a c e o f G o d .
—
Ac t s
2 0 : 2 4
S e l e u c i a B e a c h , Tu r k e y .
S o , b e i n g sent out b y t h e Holy Spirit,
they went down to Seleucia,
and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
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In the Footsteps of Paul
—
Ac t s
13 : 4
Throughout the rest of his life, Paul held unswervingly to the task he received from God. But as we watch him start out on this first journey, we wonder if he felt fearful or unsure of what was to come, and we wonder if he realized that these were the first of some ten thousand dangerous miles he would travel before the mission was complete. We know, however, that he finished strong. And we know that God was with him.
A ncient Roman roads, A ntioch. Paul and Peter would have walked these roads.
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Bu t w h e n t h e y de pa rt e d f rom P e rga, t h e y ca m e to A n t ioc h i n P i si di a, a n d w e n t i n to t h e sy nag ogu e on t h e Sa bbat h day a n d s a t d o w n . A n d a f t e r t h e r e a d i n g o f t h e L aw a n d t h e Prophets, t h e ru l e r s of t h e sy nag ogu e se n t to t h e m, say i ng, “ M e n a n d b r e t h r e n , i f y o u h av e a n y w o r d o f e xhor tati on f o r t h e p e o p l e , say on .” Th e n Pau l s t o o d u p, a n d m o t i o n i n g w i t h h i s h a n d , s a i d , “ M e n o f I s r a e l , a n d y o u w h o f e a r G o d , li sten.”
—
The prolific evangelist Billy Graham writes,
Ac t s
13 : 14 – 16
“Sometimes I’m asked to list the most important steps in
preparing for an evangelistic mission, and my reply is always the same: prayer... prayer ... and more prayer.” Traveling to unfamiliar places and speaking to crowds of strangers could knock the best of us down a few rungs on the confidence ladder. We can only guess that the secret to Paul’s boldness came from his firm belief that God was with him, and from ample time spent praying before each mission.
By tradition it is believed that this is the house in Perga w h e r e Pau l p r e ac h e d . Here it is being used by a shepherd to house his sheep.
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From there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God
for the work which they had completed.
N o w w h e n t h e y h a d c o m e a n d g a t h e r e d t h e c h u r c h together,
t h e y reported a l l t h a t G o d h a d done w i t h t h e m ,
a n d t h at H e h a d opened t h e door o f fa i t h t o t h e G e n t i l e s . So t h ey stay e d t h e r e a long t i m e w i t h t h e disci ple s.
It was done.
—
Ac t s
14 : 2 6 – 2 8
They had made a circle and returned to Antioch, their starting point. Paul’s first journey was
complete, and after battling difficulties expected and unexpected and dodging ill winds on the sea, the missionaries returned to their home church. They resolved a few disputes over how to incorporate the Gentiles into this new faith, and they taught and, perhaps, gathered strength from the Antiochian disciples. But before long, they would be heading out again to visit the cities where they had preached. New adventures were to come.
K izk a lesi, Corycus Castle w ith M aidens Castle in th e background. This arch was an ancient sea door to the castle. Paul would have sailed past this area, which was known for piracy. Paul’s journey of the day had to contend with piracy as well as weather issues.
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Pa r t h e n o n f r o m P h i lopa ppou H i ll , At h e ns.
S o t h o s e w h o c o n d u c t e d Pa u l b r o u g h t h i m t o A t h e n s ; a n d receiving
a command f o r S i l a s a n d T i m o t h y t o c o m e t o h i m w i t h a l l s p e e d ,
t h e y d e p a r te d . N o w w h i l e P a u l w a i t e d f o r t h e m a t A t h e n s , h i s s p i r i t wa s provoked w i t h i n h i m w h e n h e s aw t h a t t h e c i t y wa s
g i v e n o v e r t o i d o l s . T h e r e f o r e h e reasoned i n t h e s y n a g o g u e w i t h
th e Jews a n d w ith th e Genti le worsh i pers, a n d i n th e m a r k etplace
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da i ly w i t h t hose w ho h a ppe n e d to be t h e r e . In the Footsteps of Paul
—
Ac t s
17 : 14 – 17
When the first disciples
were sent off
by Jesus into the wider world to announce that he was Israel’s Messiah and hence the world’s true Lord, they knew that their message would make little or no sense to most of their hearers . . . . And yet the early Christians discovered that telling this story carried a power which they regularly associated with the Spirit, but which they often referred to simply as “the word.” . . . In other words, when you announce the good news that the risen Jesus is Lord, that very word is the word of God, a carrier or agent of God’s Spirit.
— N . T. W r i g h t
Pa r t h e n o n o n t h e A c r o p o l i s , A t h e n s .
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A f t e r t h e s e t h i n g s Pa u l departed f r o m A t h e n s
and went to Corinth.
—
Ac t s
18 : 1
The Temple of Apollo, built in the fourth century BC,
stands as a reminder of the ancient city’s
devotion to the Hellenistic pantheon, a cornucopia of Greek gods. These temples played a vital role in the daily life of Corinth’s citizens—here is where they not only worshiped, but also socialized and did business. Paul would write two letters to the Corinthians, and judging by the letters’ cajoling and confrontational tone, Corinth may have been the congregation he had the most trouble with. There were issues of speaking in tongues and of meat sacrificed to idols, snags that probably had much to do with the cultural milieu of Corinth. We’ve seen, however, that the early Christian church flourished in the face of difficulty. While he was in Corinth to evangelize, God spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9–10). Even when the going was tough, Paul and the other early church leaders would meet with success, and they would keep going.
Te m p l e of A p ol l o, ancient Corinth. Paul preached in this city.
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A n d h e found a c e r t a i n J e w n a m e d A q u i l a , b o r n i n P o n t u s ,
w ho h a d r ece n t ly com e f rom Ita ly w it h h is w i f e P r isci lla ( b e c au s e C l au d i u s h a d commanded a l l t h e J e w s
t o depart f r o m R o m e ) ; a n d h e c a m e t o t h e m .
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In the Footsteps of Paul
—
Ac t s
18 : 2
The meeting between Paul and Priscilla and Aquila
had to have
been a great day in Paul’s life. He was able to work and stay with them and enjoy their companionship, and they became an invaluable help to him in strengthening the Th i s i s t h e c av e overlooking Corinth t h at t r a di t ion says Pau l l i v e d i n . He also baptized people in a pool filled from a water source within the same cave. Due to the hostile response from the people of Corinth, the Christians would have looked for safety in these caves. The person pictured here is a young shepherd who showed the cave usually known only to locals.
churches. He went on to write in Romans 16:3–4, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.” Not too long after their meeting, Timothy and Silas joined Paul from Macedonia, and at that point, Luke tells us, “Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 18:5). Like all of us, Paul needed good friends to encourage him and enable his work. And also like all of us, Paul could depend on God to send just the right people at just the right time.
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Th e n e x t day w e ca m e to M i l e t us. F o r Pau l h a d decided t o s a i l pa s t E p h e s u s ,
s o t h at h e wou l d n o t h av e t o s p e n d t i m e i n A s i a ;
f o r h e wa s hurrying t o b e a t J e r u s a l e m ,
i f p o s s i b l e , o n t h e D a y o f Pentecost.
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In the Footsteps of Paul
—
Ac t s
2 0 : 15 – 16
One of the reasons Paul was eager to get to Jerusalem
was that
he wanted to deliver a gift of money he had been collecting over the course of this third missionary journey. The Jerusalem community may have been especially hard hit by famines in the area, and through his letters to the churches, Paul had gathered a donation. Even as it became apparent that Jerusalem would be a dangerous place for T h e S a c r e d Wa y a n d Ionic stoa at M i l e t u s , Tu r k e y .
Paul, he was determined to deliver the gift.
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Th e y r a i s e d t h e i r voices a n d s a i d ,
“Away w i t h s u c h a f e l l o w f r o m t h e e a r t h ,
f o r h e i s n o t f i t t o live! ”
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In the Footsteps of Paul
—
Ac t s
2 2 : 2 2
As Paul stood in Roman chains,
attempting to defend himself against
the charges of his countrymen, the crowd grew ever more unruly. The commander was unsure of what to do. Paul was a Roman citizen, so he couldn’t whip him. He sat him down with the chief priests to try to determine the exact root of the skirmish, but that only ended in more attempted violence against Paul. The Jewish leaders then offered to meet with Paul again—but that was soon revealed to be merely a ploy to get to Paul so that they could kill him. So the commander gathered troops, and sent Paul under guard to Caesarea to be dealt Sunset over Jerusalem.
with by the governor.
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A n d w h e n i t wa s de c i de d t h at w e s h ou l d s a i l t o Ita ly,
t h e y delivered Pau l a n d s o m e o t h e r prisoners t o o n e
na m e d Ju li us, a ce n t u r ion of t h e Augusta n R egi m e n t. . . .
A n d t h e n e xt day w e la n de d at Si don.
A n d J u l i u s t r e a t e d Pa u l kindly a n d g av e h i m
li ber t y t o g o t o h i s fri ends a n d r e c e i v e c a r e .
—
Ac t s
2 7 : 1,
3
Here at Sidon Paul’s officer let him off the ship to meet with other Christians
so that
they could give him “care,” which presumably means food. At this point, he’d served only a few of what would be several years in prison. Thankfully, God would provide respites like this one, opportunities to receive the loving care of fellow believers.
Coming into the Sidon harbor, Lebanon.
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A n d it came to pass a f t e r t h r e e d a y s
t h a t Pau l c a l l e d t h e leaders
of the Jews together.
—
Ac t s
2 8 : 17
Paul’s last recorded speech in Acts is his discourse with the Roman Jews.
Maybe he was
hoping to gain their favor before he went before Caesar, or maybe he wanted to make amends. Certainly, though, he wanted to preach the gospel. More than anything, he wanted to see his fellow Jews embrace God’s salvation through Christ. The results were the same as most any other time he preached: some were convinced, others argued. But Paul stayed true to his mission, speaking the word of God, whatever the outcome.
Th e Sta di u m of Dom i t i a n a t Pa l a t i n o H i l l . Paul would have seen this area.
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