Paul's Greece Mission Graphics

Thessaloniki, Berea, Athens & Corinth

 

Via Egnatia

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Philippi

After Paul was escorted out of Philippi, he and Silas continued on the Via Egnatia toward Thessalonica.

Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

 ² As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. ³ He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” ⁴ Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women. Acts 17:1-4

 Photos of Thessaloniki

 

 

 

How did Paul and Silas make disciples in Thessalonica?

He describes seven of their methods in his letter to this congregation.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

 ¹ You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure. ² You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition.

 They proclaimed the Gospel boldly, even though there was opposition.

 

³ So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery.
⁴ For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. ⁵ Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money! ⁶ As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else.

 They didn’t deceive or manipulate the people in Thessalonica. They trusted God to build the Kingdom.

They weren’t looking for praise or approval but pointed the disciples to Christ.

⁷ As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children. ⁸ We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.

They showed genuine love to the Thessalonians and developed intimate relationships.

⁹ Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you.

 They were diligent and hard working.

 

¹⁰ You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers. ¹¹ And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. ¹² We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

They modeled the Christian life to their friends.

They encouraged and exhorted them to live a life pleasing to God.

 

Wall Print Photos

 

Michael, Rokas, and Steven doing the Wall Prints at the Rio Coco Cafe

 

Berea

That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men. Acts 17:10-12

 

The Monument at Berea

Paul teaching the noble minded Bereans

The Jews of Berea were diligent and searched the Scriptures to see if what Paul was telling them was indeed true. As a result, their faith in Jesus was based on Biblical Truth, rather than just convincing preaching. These Bereans set an example for all of us to follow when we hear of things spoken of in the Bible.

• We must do our own research! We must read it for ourselves.
• We must understand the historical, cultural, political, and often geographical context of a passage to get its accurate meaning and true application to our own lives.

Peter Stoner (June 16, 1888 – March 21, 1980) was the Chairman of the Department of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena College and chairman of the science division at Westmont College in Santa Barbara. He studied the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah, and calculated the probabilities of one man fulfilling only eight of the prophecies would be one chance in 10¹⁷ 

 

¹³ But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble. ¹⁴ The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. ¹⁵ Those escorting Paul went with him all the way to Athens; then they returned to Berea with instructions for Silas and Timothy to hurry and join him. Acts 17:13-15

 

 

The Athenian Acropolis

Laura in from of the Parthenon

The south side of the Parthenon which show the exposion in September 26, 1687 when a Venetian cannonball hit the Ottoman gunpowder storage inside the Parthenon.

The Athenian Agora

The Acopolis from the Areopagus

Jason Spence, Randy Smith & Michael at the Areopagus

The Acts 17 text

  ¹⁶ While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. ¹⁷ He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there.

¹⁸ He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?” Others said, “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.”

¹⁹ Then they took him to the high council of the city. “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said. ²⁰ “You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.” ²¹ (It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.)

²² So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, ²³ for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about. Acts 17:16-23

 Who are the Epicureans and Stoics?

 

Epicurus (341-270 BC) concluded that “freedom from pain in the body and from trouble in the mind” is the ultimate aim of a happy life. Epicurus advocated living in such a way as to derive the greatest amount of pleasure possible during one's lifetime, yet doing so moderately in order to avoid the suffering incurred by overindulgence in such pleasure. Emphasis was placed on pleasures of the mind rather than on physical pleasures. He placed a great emphasis on developing friendships as the basis of a pleasurable life.

“Of all the things which wisdom has contrived which contribute to a blessed life, none is more important, more fruitful, than friendship."     Epicurus quoted by Cicero

 Stoicism- founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd Century BC. It is a philosophy of personal well-being and happiness (Greek: eudaemonia) through the practice of the cardinal virtue:  Wisdom, Courage, Justice, and Temperance, and living in accordance with nature.

 

The Plague

  

²⁴ “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, ²⁵ and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. ²⁶ From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.
²⁷ “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. ²⁸ For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ ²⁹ And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. Acts 17:24-29

  

Epimenides wrote in his work entitled Cretica:

“They fashion a tomb for thee. O holy and high one…But thou art not dead, thou livest and abides forever. For in thee we live and move and have our being.”

Paul now is making the connection between their own poet’s words and the death and resurrection of the one true God, Jesus Christ.

 

Aratus (310 BC – 240 BC) wrote in his famous poem, Phaenomena, which describes the stars, constellations and other celestial phenomena.:

 “Let us begin with Zeus, whom we mortals never leave unspoken. For every street , every market-place is filled with Zeus. Even the sea and the harbors are full of his deity. Everywhere, everyone is indebted to Zeus. For we are indeed his offspring.”

 Paul is claiming the Creator is not Zeus, but rather Yahweh.

 

 “God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. ³¹ For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

³² When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” ³³ That ended Paul’s discussion with them, ³⁴ but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.                                           Acts 17:30-34

 

Through his cultural understanding, and knowledge of Greek literature, Paul reached into the minds of the Athenian elite. God made a connection to the heart of Dionysius, Damaris, and others, and they joined the Family.

 

Corinth

 

Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. ² There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. ³ Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.⁴ Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. Acts 18:1-4

 

Corinth with the Acropolis in the background

The Corinth Canal 

The Temple of Apollo

 

The site of the Temple of Aphrodite

The Cardo and Bema Seat

Laura and the Temple of Apollo

 

⁵ And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. ⁶ But when they opposed and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.”

⁷ Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. ⁸ Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized.
⁹ One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! ¹⁰ For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” ¹¹ So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God. Acts 18:5-11

 

The population of Corinth was culturally different than the Athenians.

Cerebral vs Sensual

Paul’s approach to engaging them was different than his philosophical discussions with the Athenians, as he knew they would not respond to logic, but rather to feelings.

 ​¹ When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. ² For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. ⁴ And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. ⁵ I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5  

 

 I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. ⁵ Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. ⁶ This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. ⁷ Now you have every spiritual gift (Chrisma) you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:4-7

Chárisma is the instantaneous enablement of the Holy Spirit in the life of any believer to exercise a gift for the edification of others.

words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, effecting of  miracles, prophecy,  distinguishing of spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.

 

 

One thing we must note and take to heart from Paul’s message from God:

“Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; ¹⁰ for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” Acts 18:9-10

 

 

 

What do we learn about making disciples from this extraordinary journey into Greece by Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke?

 

1. Do our best preparation to reach that person in front of us where they are at.
2. Allow ourselves to step into their world, their thinking, and their experiences, to point them in the direction of God.
3. Serve the people we are with. Develop intimate relationships with them.
4. Speak God’s words when He directs without regard to opposition.
5. Model the Christian life through our morality, economy, hospitality, and focus on God’s mission to reach the lost.
6. Allow God to do His part, and open their minds and heart to Him, just as he did for Lydia in Philippi.
7. Bring them into the presence of God through our prayers for them, our worship with them, and by exercising the supernatural empowerments of the Holy Spirit to encourage and exhort them.
8. Remember God already knows who will be members of His Family, even if we don’t think they are. We must just do our part.