The excitement and trepidation that followed 12 months of saving to pay for my Pilgrimage finally came to fruition in September 2024 and I flew from Australia to Dubai, then on to Athens to start my adventure. There were 52 Pilgrims combined from America and Australia. I was travelling on my own, but with a fantastic group of 15 great people.
‘On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak t the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptised, she invited us to her home.’
Myself and Tina at Berea on the steps of the Jewish Synagogue.
This is a fond memory of our Bible study for the afternoon literally sitting on the steps of the Jewish Synagogue in Berea where Paul had visited and converted many to Christianity. I was so captivated by the site I stayed back and recorded a short video and literally got separated from the group and lost 51 Pilgrims!
Acts 17:10-15 Paul visited Berea:
The believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there they went to the Jewish Synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result many of them believed.
1 Corinthians Chapter 9:24-27: The need for self-discipline
…Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the fames goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Mars Hill….What was so significant about Mars Hill I asked myself, after spending hours at the Acropolis with thousands of visitors, with the highlight for myself being the terrific Medical Centre at the top of the Acropolis, where two young medics flushed my eye after Zeus had whipped up a storm the day before and my eye was driving me crazy.
There were so many people at the Acropolis and as amazing as it was, it was also very overwhelming, so following the crowd, I literally shuffled over the uneven ground as we headed for Mars Hill….a short walk from the Acropolis and we gathered at the foot of the hill and shared a Bible reading and reflection.
Focusing on False Gods, the Greeks, particularly those in Athens who were renowned and known for their idols, and I imagined a pretty frustrated Paul climbed up to the top of Mars Hills, 377 feet high and preaching:
Acts 17:16-34 In Athens
v22..Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: People of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your object of worship I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship and this is what I am going to proclaim to you…
Acts 18:1 Paul in Corinth
…Paul left Athens and went to Corinth and as a tent maker he met Aquila and Priscilla and every Sabbath he reasoned in the Synagogue trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
…v9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, Do not be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city. So Paul stayed in the city for a year and a half teaching them the word of God.
Another of my favorite photos is this one of our Tour Group in ancient Corinth, in the blazing sun every piece of shade became valuable real estate, and we huddled under a lone tree to study God’s Word, again led by Dr Wayne Stiles, a true Biblical Scholar who taught all of us so much.
When I thought I knew about the Bible, and its many famous stories, I now know that is not correct, I am on a lifetime journey that will be never ending, well actually until I am singing in Heaven.
Just to the left of the photo and shown in my video is the Bema, the famous spot that Paul is known to have preached from.
Bible Study 1st Corinthians – The Nature of True Apostleship
Chapter 4:4-5…My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. There fore judge nothing before the appointed time, wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
Photo of Dr Stiles, Wayne at the top of the Acrocorinth where he is sharing a Bible Study that focused again on False Gods and Idolatry, with the Temple of Aphrodite at the top of the Acrocorinth.
Before those of us who chose to walk to the peak of the hill we embarked on a trek over smooth as silk stones that were similar to Mars Hills…totally treacherous, but with care and support to each other and a couple of strategic handrails we were able to embark on an amazing journey of history.
Bible Study 2nd Corinthians – Warning against Idolatry
Chapter 6v16-18
….What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will live with the and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you and I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.
Here we are as a smaller group of those of us who backed ourselves for a tough trek up to the summit of the famous and truly awesome Acrocorinth, a memory of a mountain that the Corinthian people built on top of to protect themselves and as history has taught us generations thereafter fought over the best ‘real estate’ for centuries.
Photos at Cenchreae, an old Port with still the most beautiful warm Mediterranean water, another memory never to be forgotten, with a small photo of the marble (glass like) stones as we exited the Acrocorinth.
Having survived our slippery decent across the glassy marble stones of the beyond amazing Acrocorinth, we made our way down to Cenchreae Harbour which is where Paul finished his second missionary journey.
The temptation was too much, I took my shoes off and as I walked through the waters, I was so happy, I was following a long line of Christians that have experienced the same journey.. The Harbour is still in-situ and we walked along the beach to the point where Paul sailed and sat down and shared the Bible reading.
Acts 18v18-19 …Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken.
Reference to the ‘Vow’ he had taken is that Paul had made a public statement to his Jewish brethren that what he had preached to them, concerning Jesus was true!
The fun part of the Pilgrimage for many of us was the excitement and expectation of a three-day Cruise of the Greek Islands, Mykonos, Patmos and Crete (my favourite).
The cruise also included a day in Turkey allowing us to visit the amazing ancient city of Ephesus…a memory that will never be lost, impact like no other.
The amazingly huge Ancient City of Ephesus, this is where Paul spent three years of his ministry. There is so much to see that I don’t think it was possible to take it all in, but some of the highlights in the city are:
The Agora – The square market – we all love a meeting and shopping hub!
The Theatre and also The Stadium,
The Library of Celsus – It stood two impressively columns high, named after Julius Celsus Polemaenua, Roman Governor of Asia Minor in the 2nd Century AD estimated to have taken about 25 years to build by his family.
The Temple of Artemis, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world and sadly today is only a small single column and rubble.
The amazingly huge Ancient City of Ephesus, this is where Paul spent three years of his ministry. There is so much to see that I don’t think it was possible to take it all in, but some of the highlights in the city are:
The Agora – The square market – we all love a meeting and shopping hub!
The Theater and also The Stadium,
The Library of Celsus – It stood two impressively columns high, named after Julius Celsus Polemaenua, Roman Governor of Asia Minor in the 2nd Century AD estimated to have taken about 25 years to build by his family.
The Temple of Artemis, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world and sadly today is only a small single column and rubble.
Goddess Nike, The Greek God of Victory: Who would have thought the sporting clothes brand name Nike would become a world-wide company that we all wear and associate with and marketing success on such a simple phase as ‘Just Do It’. Here she is so big and beautiful in Ancient Ephesus along the walkway still standing proud, albiet with a little help and so fittingly in today’s marketing world there are the shops lined up next to each other, right next to her.
It is so true that civilization as we know it started with the Greeks, we have not changed the concept much at all!
Acts 18v19-21 – They arrived at Ephesus where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila, he himself went into the Synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to spend more time with them he declined. But as he left he promised, ‘I will come back if it is God’s will.’ And we read in Acts 19 that he did indeed return to Ephesus.
Acts 19 v1-2 – Paul in Ephesus: While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’
Acts 19v21-22 – After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. ‘After I have been there,’ he said, ‘I must visit Rome also’.
Ephesus is also where I was bitten through the finger by one of the thousands of cats that are free to roam the country of Turkey, ouch it got me!
I had no idea that Turkey has the utmost respect and love of millions of feral cats, however I was wary when this one jumped up onto the low stone wall I was sitting on, at my feet was a stray dog slumbering in the shade, I was nibbling my muesli bar and dried fruit and they both were keen for leftovers and whoops, I got in the way.