After spending three years in Ephesus, Paul had a personal connection with the Ephesian disciples. He lived a transparent open life with them and had great affection for them. During his three years there he made many disciples. Their relationship was so important that they walked 50 miles (at least three days) to visit him for a few hours.
There are many modern formulas for discipleship. Some involve heavy-handed authoritarian oversight of new converts, while others focus on simply numbers of personal commitments to Christ. These programs often set aside time in the week for ‘disciple-making activities’ that will bring people into the church in a focused, systematic manner. Building the Kingdom becomes a ‘program’ that if we put in our time, and follow the formula, that will bring great numbers into our local churches.
It was a city where the main product was sex, and anything was allowed. Men and women had no boundaries when it came to sexual preference, or gender fluidity. Morality was subject to the situation at hand. Abortion was a common practice and often encouraged by the intellectual elite. Infanticide was encouraged for deformed, unwanted, or wrong sex children.
Does this sound like many cities in North America, Europe, and Asia in the 21st Century?
Welcome to Ancient Corinth!
Now Paul found himself waiting for the others in Athens, the philosophical center of the ancient world. Athens is dominated by the Acropolis, with the principal building, the Parthenon, visible from all parts of the city. Just to the northwest is the Areopagus, (Mars Hill), a small hill attached to the northwest side of the Acropolis, where the leading philosophers and city leaders often meet for discussions. As one trained in logic and rhetoric, Paul knew the various philosophical schools, and their teachings. He was also well acquainted with Greek literature.
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