After two years of house arrest in Caesarea, Paul was finally sent to Rome to stand trial before the emperor. Under the supervision of a centurion named Julius, Paul and the other passengers endured a perilous journey at sea, ultimately being shipwrecked on the Island of Malta. Dave explores ancient Malta and investigates Luke’s account of the shipwreck, the Maltese people, and Paul’s ministry on the island. After three-months, Julius arranged for another ship to finally get Paul to Italy.
Paul and his team continued their missionary journey through Macedonia in present-day Greece. After crossing the Aegean Sea, they landed at Neapolis and traveled to nearby Philippi. Dave visits the ancient ruins of Philippi and investigates the Biblical accounts that happened there. Dave then takes a road trip to ancient Thessalonica, where Paul and his team preached the Gospel, but were ultimately run out of town by a violent mob. Despite growing persecution, the church continued to grow throughout the Roman Empire.
Paul and Barnabas returned to Syrian Antioch, where they spent a considerable period of time strengthening the church there. After a number of months, they traveled to Jerusalem for a special meeting of church leaders. James and the Jerusalem Council ultimately decided that Gentile believers were not required to follow the Mosaic Law, but should abstain from immoral acts practiced throughout the Roman Empire. After returning to Antioch, Paul and Silas left on a second missionary journey. This three-year trek started in Galatia, where Paul revisited the churches he previously launched in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch.
In this episode, Dave continues traveling the route of Paul’s first missionary journey, sailing north from Cyprus to the coast of Asia Minor. Dave visits the Biblical sites of Perga, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, where Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel, healed the sick, and faced dramatic challenges. While experiencing the food and fun of the Turkish culture, Dave journeys to other ancient sites in Turkey that help explain the early growth of Christianity in the region, despite severe persecution.
Dave Stotts explores the amazing lives of the very first Christians. Beginning in Jerusalem and using the Book of Acts as a roadmap, Dave travels the Mediterranean region to share the people, places, and events that launched the Christian faith.