Day 02 - Pisidian Antioch

Day 2 - Restoring Evangelion

We have completed Day 2 in Turkiye!! We visited Pisidian Antioch today. Paul visited Pisidian Antioch four times. It was a Hellenistic city. Octavian Augustus (Caesar Augustus) refounded the city. Octavian gave people what they needed in exchange for loyalty and worship. He required everyone to worship him. The center of the city was the place of worship. In 42 B.C., the Roman senate declared Julius Caesar as divine. Octavian was considered a god and the son of god. There was an Apatheos which is a sign in the sky where people thought there was a sign that Julius Caesar was passing through the heavens to his death. Julius Caesar was known as a god and prince of peace. He had an evangelion. He had a church. Octavian had all these things as well. These men were powerful and appeared to have it. How does Paul approach the people in Pisidian Antioch when they have a god, son of god, divine sign from above, and their evangelion (Roman gospel)?

We dove into Acts 13:13-52 today where Paul came to Pisidian Antioch from Perga to preach evangelion (the gospel message). Paul boldly proclaimed the truth to Jews that feared God and non-Jews. Paul gives a background of the Tenach and lays out the gospel message for them. The problem that Romans, non-Jews, and Jews that feared God faced in the Roman world was how to have atonement for their sins. In the Roman world, they had everything that could want but were missing one thing which was atonement for their sins. They had over 600 commandments to follow. They tried to do everything right but couldn’t and would hide their sin. The next Sabbath Paul and Barnabas gathered with them and almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. Paul was proclaiming to them the Gospel which is rooted in the Torah and enlightens who Jesus is. It was something that they hadn’t heard. Octavian and Julius Caesar had an evangelion and were considered a god and son of god but Jesus resurrected fulfilling a prophecy and gives us true life and freedom from our sins.

The takeaway from today is Paul boldly proclaimed the Gospel and people desired to know Jesus. He was persecuted but continued to be faithful and proclaim Jesus. He was madly in love with Jesus. If you never use words and rely only on your actions to spread the gospel, then people will never hear the Gospel. Let’s be people that share the gospel and share our story.

- Faith Wolverton